LSU Healthy Aging Research Center Receives $5 Million HRSA Grant for Dementia Care Training in Rural Areas
November 11, 2024
BATON ROUGE, LA — In the United States, approximately 6.5 million older adults 65 years of age or older are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
(ADRD). Louisiana and Mississippi are ranked among the top five states for the highest occurrence of ADRD per person
aged 65 years and older, and ADRD is ranked as the seventh leading cause of death
in these states. The LSU Healthy Aging Research Center’s (HARC) Scott Wilks, PhD,
received and will be the principal investigator of a five-year, $5 million Health
Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) grant to use toward educating and training
primary care and geriatrics workforces in rural and underserved areas in dementia-friendly
care with a specific focus on Alzheimer’s Disease for their project titled “Louisiana-Mississippi
Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Project” (LAMS-GWEP). 
“There are approximately 95,000 people aged 65 and older living with Alzheimer’s disease in Louisiana, and around 168,000 family members dutifully serve as their care partners,” said Dr. Wilks. “Funding for this program will enable us to provide resources in communities with little to nothing available for Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers.”
This is the second round of funding received by Scott Wilks, PhD, and his team for LAMS-GWEP, which began on July 1, 2024. Along with training primary care personnel (physicians, nurses, and social workers) in dementia-friendly care, LAMS-GWEP will integrate apprenticeship programs into nursing home settings for direct care workers and expand the number of nursing interns and graduates practicing in nursing homes and other dementia care facilities across Louisiana and Mississippi.
“This grant is a testament to our commitment to excellence and innovation, positioning us as leaders in our field and amplifying our impact on communities in need,” said College of Human Sciences & Education Dean, Roland Mitchell, PhD. “Having these powerful entities in this field all collaborating to empower individuals and families going through what could be their toughest times is just another example of how LSU builds teams that win.”
Co-investigators of LAMS-GWEP include:
- Scott Wilks, PhD, LMSW - principal investigator
- Laura Ainsworth, PhD, LCSW-BACS - co-investigator of aging research
- Catherine Lemieux, PhD, LCSW-BACS, ACSW - co-investigator of HRSA evaluation
- Jessica Wilkinson, LCSW - co-investigator of social work in Louisiana
- Joohee Lee, PhD, MSW - co-investigator of social work in Mississippi
- Kathy Jo Carstarphen, MD - co-investigator of medicine
- Jennifer Couvillon, PhD, RN-BC, CNE - co-investigator of nursing
- Barbara Auten, CFRE, CAP - co-investigator of community relationships
- Judith Rhodes, PhD, LMSW - co-investigator or empirical evaluation.
LSU has partnered with the University of Southern Mississippi, Ochsner Health, Chamberlain College of Nursing, and Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area to expand their work across the Gulf South and ensure that both Louisiana and Mississippi underserved communities and rural primary care sites are federally recognized as Age-Friendly Health Systems.
About CHSE
The College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) is a nationally accredited division of Louisiana State University. The college is comprised of the School of Education, the School of Information Studies, the School of Kinesiology, the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development, and the School of Social Work. CHSE has two model demonstration schools, the Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool, enrolling birth to age four and the University Laboratory School enrolling Kindergarten through grade 12. The college also has four centers and institutes: the Early Childhood Education Institute, the Healthy Aging Research Center, the Leadership Development Institute, and Social Research & Evaluation Center. The college is committed to achieving the highest standards in teaching, research, and service and is committed to improving quality of life across the lifespan.
Visit the College of Human Sciences & Education website.
About LSU HARC
The LSU Healthy Aging Research Center (HARC) impacts positively the health of vulnerable older adults through interdisciplinary applied research: to improve the health, wellbeing, and independence of older adults and their caregivers. We focus on physiological, psychological, behavioral, social, and environmental processes involved in aging. We engage with the larger community in conversations about healthy aging, cognitive aging, and early detection and diagnosis of dementia and supports for people with dementia and their caregivers. HARC values excellence in its impact and ability to advance and disseminate knowledge and increase its capacity to address the challenges of healthy aging in our state, our nation, and globally.