Hiroko Kiyoshi-Teo, a clinical assistant professor in the School of Nursing, was awarded $410,651 by the National Institutes of Health in support of her project, Engaging older adults in fall prevention using Motivational Interviewing (MI). Kiyoshi-Teo is principle investigator of the project.
The study aims to learn how Motivational Interviewing may be effective in reducing fall risks with older adults living in the community. Motivational interviewing focuses on a person’s motivations, such as remaining independent, to help them change their behaviors.
Kiyoshi-Teo will now be able to scale up the fall prevention & MI study with a larger number of participants. She said, “This K23 study is an ideal next step to apply what I’ve learned so far from fall prevention studies at the VA and assisted living facilities.”
For the next three years, she will be focusing on conducting a randomized control trial to see if Motivational Interviewing will help older adults reduce fall risks that will go through qualitative and mixed-methods training.
She said, “I hope that we will have tangible and evidence-based way to realize patient-centered care for fall prevention through using Motivational Interviewing. Addressing emotions and thoughts around health management topics such as fall prevention are especially relevant when there are strong emotions associated with the topic. Many older adults feel embarrassed or shamed about being dependent, feeling weak, or having had a fall. It takes a special way of having the conversation with the individuals to really talk about the issue.”
Disclaimer: Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute Of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K23NR018672. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.”