In October 2019, the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University received a $1.3 million dollar grant from the Ohio Department of Medicaid to implement a program titled, “Increasing the Preference-Based Care of People in Ohio’s Nursing Homes with a Special Focus on People Living with Dementia.”

The Preference Based Living team developed a web-based solution called Care Preference Assessment of Satisfaction (ComPASS). With ComPASS, older adults can think through and document their preferences using a scientifically valid and reliable tool called the Preferences for Everyday Living Inventory (PELI). Care team members can use ComPASS to learn about the individual’s most important preferences, integrate the information to personalize services, and improve the quality of care, regardless of setting.

Developing personalized care practices using a tool like the PELI is paradigm-shifting, novel, and creative. The PELI tool supports improvements in the quality of care as well as satisfaction with care for older adults with dementia and other chronic conditions. In addition, use of the PELI helps make the process of care delivery more rewarding for staff members who can take pride in the fact that their work supports an individual’s most strongly held preferences.

ComPASS is a simple, accessible and empowering tool. Having this personalized, detailed preference data supports improved health and satisfaction outcomes — especially when there is an overlay of dementia-related complication. As part of this program, Linked Senior will host, support and further develop the ComPASS to assist providers in asking residents about the 16 MDS preferences for routine activities. “One of the barriers to providing preference-based care is that the PELI is a paper and pencil tool. ComPASS moves our work into the digital space where information is accessible and actionable. We are thrilled to be working with Linked Senior in this important venture to scale ComPASS up for all providers to access,” said Dr. Katy Abbott, Principal Investigator and Preference-Based Living Team Co-Founder.

Linked Senior CEO Charles de Vilmorin added that, “Helping providers honor the preferences of the older adults they serve to find purpose everyday is at the core of our mission. We are happy to partner with the Scripps Gerontology Center on this research project, honored to be advancing the field of resident engagement in a data driven fashion and excited to see CMS recognize the importance of this kind of work.”

The Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University was founded in 1922 and is one of the nation’s top centers for research in aging. They have 19 staff members and over 20 affiliated faculty and research fellows. They conduct a wide range of aging-related research in areas that include demography, long-term care, program evaluation, the aging workforce, and arts and dementia programming.

Linked Senior is an evidence-based resident engagement platform for senior living. The platform optimizes the person-centered experience for residents by empowering staff with digital tools to assess, plan, implement and evaluate engagement for the entire resident population.