Zimmerman, Nationally Recognized Leader in Long-term Care Research, Continues to Shape and Connect Her Field
“A one-off project won’t lead to long-term impact,” said Sheryl Zimmerman (Ph.D., MSW), University Kenan Distinguished Professor at UNC School of Social Work and co-director of the Cecil G. Sheps Center’s Program on Aging, Disability, and Long-term Care. “It requires a series of projects to change systems of care.”
Over a 25-year career at UNC School of Social Work, Zimmerman has risen to the forefront of research on older adults requiring long-term care. Further evidence of this truth came in 2022, when she was awarded the Gerontological Society of America’s prestigious Kleemeier Award, which recognizes outstanding research in the field of gerontology.
With a research portfolio that includes more than 50 grants as principal investigator (eight of which are currently active), five authored books, and 420 peer-reviewed manuscripts, Zimmerman has carefully constructed the data and collaborative networks necessary to advance long-term care nationally.
Nevertheless, impacting policy and practice on a grand scale remains challenging, largely because long-term care is not a coordinated system, Zimmerman noted. “Home-based care, community-based services, assisted living, and nursing homes haven’t evolved in a purposeful, coordinated way that allows for data sharing or for easy transitions across settings,” she said. “Although the overall intent is to improve the entire spectrum of services, most people address but a snippet.”
Zimmerman’s snippet has primarily centered on assisted living, which constitutes more than half of the nation’s 1.6 million long-term care beds and has been the fastest growing long-term care sector in the United States. As the newly named executive director of the Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL@UNC), the nation’s only organization devoted to advancing the well-being of the people who live and work in assisted living, Zimmerman is further positioned to spearhead research that shapes policy and practice in the field.
Two of Zimmerman’s recent projects, both supported by grants from the NIH’s National Institute on Aging, highlight the far-reaching impact of her research on the care and quality of life of assisted living residents.
Reducing nighttime falls by more than one-third
One clinical trial is testing how nighttime lighting can reduce falls – a major hazard for older adults. In a pilot study, Zimmerman’s team installed nightlights along a bathroom doorframe as a visual cue to improve older adults’ balance as they stood up from bed. The study found 34% fewer falls among participants. Their current trial, which includes 390 residents in 42 assisted living communities, is further assessing whether such lighting should be put into practice nationwide.
“Passive interventions like these are crucial, because the workforce isn’t sufficient to monitor all falls,” said Zimmerman, citing longstanding workforce shortages and the inability of many residents to perform physical exercises to increase strength and balance.
Cutting pneumonia cases by one-quarter
A second project is building on the success of an oral health initiative that Zimmerman’s team developed in partnership with nursing home providers. Drawing on prior evidence that bacteria in the mouth can lead to pneumonia, the research team developed a training program for nursing home staff to regularly brush residents’ teeth in a safe, acceptable manner. A trial of the program involving more than 2,000 residents in 14 nursing homes found a 26% reduction in pneumonia. The team is now adapting this program for assisted living settings in collaboration with North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services.
These two projects are united by feasibility and high impact: an ideal combination for interventions in all settings. “The opportunities to work with others to improve care and outcomes are limitless and energizing,” said Zimmerman. “That’s what creates a career of research.”
by Jordan Wingate
The Big Picture
- The only national center (with a 20-year history) for advancing the well-being of people who live and work in assisted living has a new institutional home at UNC
- Principal investigator on eight currently active grants totaling $17.5 million
- Leading School of Social Work faculty in NIH-funded research
- 26% reduction in pneumonia in large clinical trial involving more than 2,000 residents in 14 nursing homes
- 34% reduction in falls in pilot clinical trial of lighting intervention in assisted living communities
- Executive Director of the Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL@UNC)
- Recipient of 2022 Robert G. Kleemeier Award from the Gerontological Society of America in recognition of outstanding research
Advancing equity. Transforming systems. Improving lives.
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