Dr. John Zeisel was the Principal Investigator of this project. Preliminary findings of the study were published
in the American Journal of Alzheimer Care and Research, and a final report has received preliminary acceptance for publication in a leading gerontological journal. The findings have also been presented at numerous national and international professional and trade conferences to enthusiastic audiences.
A workbook resulted on Special Care Unit Design.

Other Environmental Design Research  Dr. Zeisel, in developing the research on Special Care Unit design, built on his prior research in the design of seniors housing, which has been published as a series of books: Congregate Housing for the Elderly, Low-Rise Housing for the Elderly, and Mid-Rise Elevator Housing for the Elderly. Hearthstone's Dementia SCU research draws on methodologies Dr. Zeisel developed for the Canadian Government, published in Hospital Post-Occupancy Evaluation. Further research on design in the field of Assisted Living for people with dementia was undertaken under contract with the Canadian Government and published as Housing Options for People with Dementia.
A concentration in design research through the Research Division is also expressed in Hearthstone's relationship to its existing sites. Those sites are subject to formal Post-Occupancy Evaluation. Evaluations have been commissioned with Jacqueline Vischer, Ph.D., who serves on the Hearthstone Advisory Board. Dr. Vischer's publications on topics of environment design research include Environmental Quality in Offices.

Screening for Strengths in Advanced Dementia The purpose of this 4-year NIA-funded project is to develop a screening tool for restorative nursing for persons with dementia using Montessori-based activities. Dr. Camp is the Principal Investigator of the study. The tool developed from this project can generate findings that readily translate into plans of care for persons with moderate to advanced dementia in a variety of settings. Preliminary results have been presented at national conferences, and articles based on this study are being written.

Training Persons with Dementia to Lead Activities for Other Persons with Dementia The purpose of this 3-year NIMH-funded project is to create training programs in nursing homes to allow residents with early to moderate stage dementia to serve as small group activity leaders for residents with more advanced dementia.
Dr. Camp is the Principal Investigator of the study. Once again, results from this study can readily be translated into practice in a variety of care settings, including assisted living and adult day health centers.

Training Medication Adherence Using Video Telephones  The purpose of this 3-year NIMH-funded project is to use video-telephones to train adults with HIV to take their medications appropriately, and to use the video-telephones to make unannounced pill counts to assess the success of the intervention. Based on previous research by Dr. Camp using telephones to teach older adults with diabetes to become compliant with medical regimens, the current study involves participants in New York City and rural areas of Ohio. Dr. Camp is the Principal Investigator of the study.

Coordinated Non-Pharmacological Treatment for Dementia Despite considerable experiential evidence to the contrary, research by many groups over the last decade have failed to find statistically significant correlations between most "best practice" factors in dementia care and improved patient outcomes. The researchers at Hearthstone hypothesize that outcomes are related less to individual "best practices" such as staff training or appropriate activities, and more to the overall correct coordination of such factors. The Division is currently engaged in initial research and methodology development on this important topic. A preliminary paper on the topic was the subject of a poster session at the International Alzheimer's Conference in July, 2010.

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