This application is in response to the NIA SERCA in Behavioral Geriatrics Research. The candidate is a behavioral psychologist who has developed expertise in behavioral treatments for urinary incontinence in nursing homes. Having recently completed a four-year study investigating the use of behavioral treatments for incontinence, the candidate is proposing to develop a practical and comprehensive continence treatment system for use in the nursing home. This system will involve instructing the staff in the use of prompted voiding and checking-changing. Staff will be taught how to bring about initial improvements in incontinence and through the use of formal staff management procedures, they will be taught how to apply behavioral interventions in a consistent manner over a long term. The candidate believes that a true understanding of incontinence and its treatment requires knowledge of both environmental factors and basic physiological processes. Not having been trained in the biochemical sciences, the candidates has proposed a training program in the biomedical aspects of incontinence which includes a combination of coursework, practice, and training experiences with senior personnel in the areas of geriatrics, nursing, urology, and diagnostics.
