Dr. Lindsay Peterson Receives Donaghue Foundation Grant

Dr. Lindsay Peterson Receives Donaghue Foundation Grant

Lindsay Peterson, in the School of Aging Studies, has been awarded a two-year grant from the Donaghue Foundation. Using national data from the federal government, Dr. Peterson will investigate complaints filed against nursing homes by staff, residents, and family members. This is a largely unexplored area, and this research could lead to the use of complaints as a new way of measuring and reporting nursing home quality.

Currently, the federal government uses complaints to rate nursing homes on its Nursing Home Compare website. It also uses quality of care and other annual inspection data. However, the way in which complaints are used in the rating and the meaning of the information are not explained to the public.  The ultimate goal of this project is to make complaints more meaningful as a reflection of nursing home quality.

The Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation, based in Connecticut,  provides funding for health-related research, including projects using existing data that can improve the quality of care and the quality of life for older adults in nursing homes or other care facilities.