Enhancing Elderly Mental Health through maintaining cognitive status and preventing delirium during hospitalization by multicomponent intervention led by Geriatrics

Research project description

A PhD position is available at the Fundació Salut i Envelliment (FSIE) under the supervision of Miquel À. Mas Bergas (geriatrician and gerontologist) and Anna Renom Guiteras (geriatrician and gerontologist).

The successful candidate will be enrolled in the Health and Sports Psychology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in the framework of the TOUCH project. TOUCH (“Towards the next generatiOn of excellent yoUng doctoral researchers on mental health by developing an intersectoral & transdisciplinary approaCH”) is a new excellent doctoral programme co-funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) Actions of the European Commission and led by the UAB for the recruitment and training of 24 doctoral candidates in the field of mental health and wellbeing.

This project focus on non-pharmacological multicomponent interventions to maintain cognitive and physical function and avoid acute worsening of cognitive status and mental health through hospitalization in older people. Multidisciplinary multicomponent interventions are key to prevent adverse effects of hospitalization in frail older adults. The project is centered in the impact of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) and person-centered care plans to avoid delirium and functional loss in medical and surgical episodes of hospitalization. These negative conditions have a strong impact in mental health of older people, leading to a deterioration in functional status, and to institutionalization, and to risk of hospital readmission.

We will analyze the impact of CGA and person-centered care plans, based in two models: ward model (Geriatrics ward), and team model (Geriatrics-based mobile teams that collaborate with different medical and surgical units). These models will be evaluated in the context of the frailty program of a tertiary hospital in an urban area of Barcelona.

The project will begin reviewing best multidimensional interventions to avoid cognitive decline and improve emotional well-being in frail older people during hospitalizations. Some of these evidence-based strategies will be implemented in the acute hospital setting. To detect individuals at risk, some technologic solutions will be implemented, in order to provide proactive approaches.

Academic background / Skills

The candidates must fulfil the following eligibility criteria from the EC: Mobility rule: candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately preceding the deadline for the programme call. Experience rule: researchers must be doctoral candidates at the date of recruitment, that is not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the deadline of the open calls. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but have not yet formally awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible. Candidates must hold a degree that allows admission to the official doctoral programme at UAB.

Additional requirements for a stronger application are:

Academic Background:

• Background in health sciences, neuroscience, or related disciplines.
• Strong foundation in ethical considerations of healthcare, social and holistic interventions, especially with elderly population.

Skills:

• Desirable skills in human-centered design principles, codesign and cocreation methodologies.
• Proficiency in designing rigorous research studies.
• Skills in data analysis, qualitative and quantitative.

Research group/s description

The Fundació Salut i Envelliment (FSIE-UAB) (Health and Ageing Foundation UAB) conducts activities in the fields of health sciences, ageing and social and health care.

These activities are carried out through 5 organizational areas:

1. Research in Health and Ageing
2. Citizens and Patients
3. Professional Development
4. Consultancy and Ageing Projects
5. Knowledge Management.

Likewise, in accordance to its institutional mission, the Foundation will be able to provide services of management in health and social-health care institutions.