Research Spotlight

Hosted by Gerontology Center Faculty Affiliate Dr. Rachel Weiskittle, this podcast is about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD in later life; it is also about resilience as we age. PTSD is a mental health condition that can occur by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. While some of us may be familiar with the idea of PTSD as a result of combat or natural disasters or other traumatic events, many people are less familiar with the ways PTSD can resurface, or emerge for the first time, as we age. Each episode of “Talking Later” begins with a real Veteran’s story. They’ll share their ups and downs, and sometimes the ways that they coped – or found meaning – in what they’ve gone through. Then we’ll discuss what the Veteran’s story can teach us about PTSD in later life. We hope these stories and conversations will help people with PTSD, as well as those who care for them.

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Dr. Judith Scott, PhD, RN has been faculty at Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences since 2016. During her years of clinical practice, nursing education, and research work, Dr. Scott has focused on the field of aging. Her research interests are aging in place for older adults in community and long-term care settings, and the integration of intentional education about care of older adults into undergraduate and graduate nursing curriculum.

The Johnson-Beth El College of Nursing and El Paso County are piloting a two-year ARPA grant funded community project to recruit/retain the long-term care (LTC) workforce, heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Together with co-PI Lynn Phillips, Simulation Center Director, we of JAWS are connecting LTC and homecare professionals, K-12/community college educators, higher education at UCCS, and community service organizations to bring innovative awareness to LTC career opportunities. Internships, campus programs, tours and career fairs are changing the narrative about careers working with older adults.

The State of Colorado (HCBS) awarded ARPA grant money to the Johnson-Beth El College of Nursing to develop a standardized curriculum for the training and professionalization of the direct care workforce, focused on homemakers and personal care workers for Medicaid Waiver clients in urban, rural, and frontier settings. These direct care workers provide day-to-day hands-on care and services for children, older adults, and people with disabilities. These direct care workers have been described as invisible, unskilled, and unappreciated. This is a two-year project with state, community, academic, and service partners working together to implement a curriculum that will be state-housed and free of charge for direct care workers, and may serve as an upgrade or replacement training for agencies who currently must pay for training.