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Description
The primary objective of the program is to better inform nursing care practice and improve the quality of clinical care provided to the cognitively impaired older adult in various care settings, such as institutional, home, and community.
It is expected that grant support under this program will help address challenges in care practice, be they the result of evidence gaps or barriers to knowledge translation and exchange. Such investments will also increase our knowledge of how to improve the translation of research into nursing care practice.
Funds Available
CIHR's contribution to the amount available for this initiative is subject to availability of funds voted annually to CIHR by parliamentary appropriations, and the conditions that may be attached to them.
- CIHR's commitment towards the published total funding available of $1,350,000 on the Alzheimer Society of Canada website is $850,000. This amount may increase if additional funding partners decide to participate.
- The maximum amount awarded for a single grant is $100,000 per annum for up to 2 years.
Please note that funding under this initiative is subject to the availability of partner funds.
For more information, please consult the Alzheimer Society of Canada website.
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Objectives
The funding partners are most interested in care practice challenges presented by older people who are cognitively impaired as a result of Alzheimer disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke and other disorders. Relevant settings for the research include acute care facilities, long term care institutions, and community care settings such as day programs or people's homes. Nursing care practice must be an essential component of the research, although where necessary to maximize impact, the research may include links to the care practice of other health care clinicians, and unpaid or paid caregivers.
Relevant Research Areas
The relevant activities under this program include those that will advance knowledge and its transfer and exchange in nursing care practice and that consider the following:
- Special challenges presented by those who suffer from cognitive impairment, and where appropriate, the differences related to varying degrees or etiologies of cognitive impairment.
- Geriatric and/or gerontological knowledge and the consideration of aging and/or the aged as essential elements of the research objectives, hypotheses and analyses (e.g. dynamics of aging, age-relevant models and/or aged subjects).
- A research design that is practice based or that will provide the groundwork for future practice-based studies (examples include: participatory research, demonstration projects or intervention research, identification and resolution of needs, gaps, emerging issues and opportunities in the context of the application of the evidence).
Specific research foci of the different parties will be as follows:
- Alzheimer Society of Canada: Open to program description, with an emphasis on fostering research that will promote and improve executive functioning of persons with Alzheimer's disease, identifying therapeutic approaches, patient caregiver interactions and their evaluation aimed at improving quality of life of persons with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers and/or identifying environmental enhancements that will improve incidents of wandering.
- CIHR Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health: Open to program description in the context of cognitive impairment in aging related to its Strategic Priority Research Themes for 2006-2010.
- CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research: Open to program description in relation to research topic areas identified in the Listening for Direction III (LfD III) and the CIHR-IHSPR Priority Research Areas.
- Canadian Nurses Foundation: Open to program description.
- Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada: Open to program description, only within the context of cognitive impairment in aging related to stroke and vascular dementia health services and care.
- Parkinson Society Canada: Open to program description in relation to PSC priority issues: i) investigating the psychological wellbeing of Parkinson's disease (PLWP), partners and families, ii) evaluating the benefits of standardized care, iii) assessing medical services; and iv) the economic burden of Parkinson's.
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Eligibility
Candidates must meet the eligibility criteria outlined in ASC's Application Guidelines and in the CIHR Grants and Awards Guide. All conditions shall apply to applications funded through this funding opportunity. Conditions cover areas such as Applicant and Institutional Responsibilities, Ethics, Official Languages Policy, Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and Acknowledgement of Support.
Eligibility requirements specific to this program include the following with respect to the research team:
- the inclusion of a decision-maker as a co-applicant or advisor (to promote merit and impact);
- the inclusion of appropriate expertise from different professions and disciplines (to promote a comprehensive approach); and
- the inclusion of a registered nurse (to optimize potential for impact on nursing care practice).
Note: Although not an absolute eligibility requirement, applicants are encouraged to consider the following:
- the inclusion of emerging researchers or new investigators; and
- the inclusion (or consideration of the impact of the project outcomes on the practice of) other health care clinicians and other unpaid or paid caregivers.
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Guidelines
For the full funding opportunity description, please consult the Alzheimer Society of Canada website.
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Performance Measurement
For the full funding opportunity description, please consult the Alzheimer Society of Canada website.
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Review Process and Evaluation
The following set of evaluation criteria will be employed to assess applications:
a. Potential impact
- How likely is it that the project outcomes will have an impact on improving nursing care practice as it relates to cognitively-impaired older adults?
- How important and original are the contributions expected from the project proposed? Why this? Why now?
- Is it clear how the new knowledge or knowledge translation approach will help guide decisions on care practice implementation? Will there be any impact beyond the particular setting?
- To what extent have the applicant(s) engaged relevant decision-makers and organizations for implementing the project and applying its findings? If the practice is deemed successful, has a sustainability process been elaborated by the appropriate organization?
- Where appropriate, have the applicants considered a link to the best practices of relevant disciplines, professions, and paid and unpaid caregivers?
- Where applicable, to what extent will the project complement/enhance any evaluation plans already in place?
b. Scientific rigour and feasibility
- How critically is the relevant literature appraised and evaluated? Is there clear description of the gaps in knowledge and/or knowledge translation issues? Is there a critical appraisal and synthesis of the literature, including clear definitions of terms and variables?
- How clear are the project objectives, hypotheses and/or questions? How appropriate, pragmatic, and feasible are the research design, methodologies, data collection plan, analyses, and timelines? What is the likelihood of producing credible and generalizable results?
- How well have the applicants anticipated difficulties in their approach and considered alternatives?
- Have the applicant(s) brought together the necessary expertise and collaborations to accomplish the work proposed?
c. Applicant(s) productivity, experience and training
- How appropriate to the proposed area of inquiry is the training or track record of the applicant(s)? How important and original is the recent productivity of the applicant(s)? To what extent do the applicant(s) have the expertise and capacity to do the work proposed?
- How much experience do the applicant(s) have in initiating and maintaining research partnerships with decision-makers and relevant organization(s)? Is it evident that there is or will be an ongoing collaboration between the researchers and Decision-makers (e.g. administrators, clinical nurse specialists, professional practice leaders, policy-makers)?
- Is there evidence of capacity development and training? Has the team demonstrated a superior training opportunity for graduate and/or post-doctoral trainees, as well as new independent investigators?
d. Extent and appropriateness of dissemination plans
- How appropriate and clear is the dissemination and knowledge translation and exchange plan with respect to the project outcomes?
- Does the application address barriers and challenges to knowledge translation and exchange?
- Is there evidence that the dissemination of results will go beyond the academic community and will be sensitive to the preferences of the relevant Decision-makers?
- Are future directions articulated?
e. Budget
- Is the budget clear, appropriate, and based on direct costs of research? Are all costs well justified?
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How to Apply
For the full funding opportunity description, please consult the Alzheimer Society of Canada website.
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Contact Information
For questions about this initiative and research objectives contact:
Research Department
Alzheimer Society of Canada
20 Eglinton Ave. W., Ste. 1200
Toronto, ON M4R 1K8
Telephone: 416-847-2968
Fax: 416-488-3778
Email: research@alzheimer.ca
or
Linda Mealing
Assistant Director, Institute of Aging
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Telephone: 613-952-4537
Fax: 613-954-1800
Email: linda.mealing@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
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Partner/Collaborator Description
Alzheimer Society of Canada
The ASC is a nation-wide Federation of provincial organizations, local chapters, and support groups. The Society is dedicated to providing information and support to people living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and to fostering research into biomedical and quality of life aspects of the disease. Through the Alzheimer Society Research Program, the Society offers training awards and research grants to scientists engaged in the study of causes, prevention, and treatment of Alzheimer disease and other dementias
Canadian Home Care Association
The CHCA is a not-for-profit membership association dedicated to ensuring the availability of accessible, responsive home care and community supports to enable people to stay in their homes with safety, dignity and quality of life. Members of the Association include organizations and individuals from publicly funded home care programs, not-for-profit and proprietary service agencies, consumers, researchers, educators and others with an interest in home care. Through the support of the Association members who share a commitment to excellence, knowledge transfer and continuous improvement, the CHCA serves as the national voice of home care and the access point for information and knowledge for home care across Canada. The CHCA has shown leadership and acquired experience in the home care sector through numerous national and provincial projects either as the lead organization or as a partner.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
The CIHR is Canada's premier federal funding agency. Its objective is to excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products and a strengthened Canadian health care system.
The fundamental goal of the CIHR Institute of Aging (CIHR-IA) is the advancement of knowledge in the field of aging to improve the quality of life and the health of older Canadians. IA has identified five priority areas for research on aging and health: aging and maintenance of functional autonomy; biological mechanisms of aging; cognitive impairment in aging; healthy and successful aging; and health services and policy relating to older people.
The CIHR Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (CIHR-ICRH) supports research into the causes, mechanisms, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions associated with the heart, lung, brain (stroke), blood, blood vessels, critical and intensive care, and sleep. The ICRH vision is to achieve international leadership by fostering an environment of openness, excitement, energy, commitment and excellence in highly ethical, partnered initiatives focused on research, research training, and research translation for the circulatory and respiratory sciences and for the betterment of the health of Canadians.
The CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (CIHR-IHSPR) is dedicated to supporting innovative research, capacity-building and knowledge translation initiatives designed to improve the way health care services are organized, regulated, managed, financed, paid for, used and delivered, in the interest of improving the health and quality of life of all Canadians.
Canadian Nurses Foundation
The CNF was created in 1962 to build nursing research capacity in Canada. Affiliated with the Canadian Nurses Association, CNF is committed to promoting the health and quality care of Canadians by providing study awards, specialty certification awards, and operating grants for research projects on nursing care issues. A priority for CNF is the Nursing Care Partnership program (NCP). The NCP is a research initiative to increase funding for nursing care research. The Canadian Health Services Research Foundation has granted CNF a five-year renewable award of $2.5 million for the administration of the partnership. The NCP will increase the pool of funding available for nursing care research by forming partnerships across Canada. The purpose of the partnership structure is to use NCP funds to leverage existing funds and encourage new supporters of nursing care research.
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
The HSFC, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living, and advocacy.
Parkinson Society Canada
The PSC is a not for profit, national charitable organization and is the national voice for over 100,000 Canadians with Parkinson's disease, their 400,000 family members, friends and care partners. PSC funds promising scientific research, to find causes, to develop new treatments and to ultimately find a cure for Parkinson's disease. PSC works hand-in-hand with 12 regional partners who, through over 230 support groups and chapters, deliver education and support services to Canadians with Parkinson's, and their loved ones, in their communities. PSC advocates on behalf of people living with Parkinson's to reach all levels of government.
The following psychosocial research topics have been identified by PSC as priority issues: i) Investigating the Psychological Well Being of Parkinson's disease (PLWP), Partners and Families, ii) Evaluating the Benefits of Standardized care, iii) Assessing Medical Services; and iv) the Economic Burden of Parkinson's
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