1:14 p.m., Sept. 4, 2009----Kristine Williams, associate professor of nursing at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC), will deliver a guest lecture to the University of Delaware community on the influence of communication on older adults with dementia as part of UD's Cross College Cluster in Aging Initiative (CCCAI). The talk will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 10 a.m. in the Trabant University Center Theatre.

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“Within a climate of global aging and 50 percent prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in the 85-plus age group, Dr. Williams's research is scientifically and clinically significant, not only for nursing staff in long-term care and acute-care settings but also for families who care for older adults with dementia in their homes,” says Veronica Rempusheski, Jeanne K. Buxbaum Chair of Nursing Science at UD and chairperson of the CCCAI.

“The CCCAI was established in September 2007 by former Provost Dan Rich to stimulate research on aging and establish high-profile, international research initiatives in aging,” she continues. “Our progress toward the development of a UD center on aging is illustrated by our Tuscany collaborative, several funded pilot studies and NIH (National Institutes of Health) grants, and our hosting of invited internationally known researchers in aging. ”

The first graduate of KU's interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in gerontology, Williams has received national attention for her research on the relationship between communication and quality of care in Alzheimer's patients.

“Observational studies have demonstrated that staff communication frequently precipitates aggressive or withdrawn behaviors in persons with dementia,” Williams says. “The result is resistiveness to the care provided by the staff. The disruptive interaction adds to staff stress, burnout, and high turnover and increases the costs of care.”

The kind of communication used extensively by staff in long-term care is called elderspeak, a term that refers to a slow speech pattern featuring simplistic vocabulary and grammar, plural pronouns, short sentences, elevated pitch and volume, and inappropriately intimate terms of endearment.

Funded by NIH, Williams and her colleagues used psycholinguistic, observational, and behavioral analyses to examine the relationships between staff elderspeak communication and patient resistiveness-to-care behavior.

“Our study suggests that there is an association between communication style and resident behaviors,” Williams says. “This may significantly impact nursing care and how nursing home staff should best be trained to communicate with residents with Alzheimer's. Future research is needed to test whether interventions that reduce nursing staff elderspeak communication will contribute to greater cooperation with care for persons with dementia.”

In addition to the Ph.D. in gerontology, Williams has bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing from Kent State University and the University of Connecticut, respectively.

Between 1978 and 1998, she held various clinical positions as a visiting nurse, quality assurance specialist, clinical consultant, clinical assistant professor, and nurse practitioner in Ohio, Connecticut, Maine, California, and Kansas.

In 2001 she was appointed to the faculty of the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) in Kansas City, where she is currently a tenured associate professor in the School of Nursing. She is also an associate of the Landon Center on Aging at KUMC and an affiliated faculty member at the University of Kansas Gerontology Center in Lawrence.

While she is in Delaware, Williams will present not only at UD but also at a regional conference for healthcare professionals at Christiana Hospital.

“Highlighting Dr. Williams's research from both the scientific perspective and its clinical implications illustrates one way UD and Christiana Care are collaborating to bring internationally known speakers to Delaware and feature their work through the Delaware Health Sciences Alliance,” says Kathleen Matt, dean of the UD College of Health Sciences.

For more information about the talk at UD, contact Eric Stills at (302) 831-6387 or [estills@udel.edu].

For additional information about the event at Christiana Care, contact Carrie Bonnett at (302) 428-6247 or [cbonnett@christianacare.org].

Article by Diane Kukich