Serving older Veterans, as they serve us

Years after our brave Veterans have supported us through military service, many are still serving in their local communities—often at the national level. As VA's chief research and development officer, I know that service also extends to participating in medical research. In this issue of VA Research Quarterly Update, we examine research that affects older Veterans and the challenges they face. Read more

VA partnership with NCI to boost Veteran access to clinical trials
Veterans with cancer who receive care from VA will now have more access to the latest treatment options, thanks to a partnership between VA and the National Cancer Institute. The collaboration will make it easier for Veterans to join clinical trials sponsored by NCI's National Clinical Trials Network and the NCI Community Oncology Research Program. Read more

JGIM Supplement features VA research on alternate approaches to pain
Researchers with VA's Health Service Research and Development service published 13 articles based on recommendations from the state-of-the-art conference on "Non-pharmacologic Approaches to Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Management." The conference brought together experts from VA, the Department of Defense, and the National Institutes of Health to discuss non-opioid therapies for chronic pain. Read more

Dr. Matthew Bair is a general internal medicine physician and VA health services researcher. His primary research interest is pain management in the primary care setting. Over the last 15 years Bair has been part of a team of pain researchers that have worked to improve pain management in the primary care setting, particularly combining pharmacologic (the use of drugs) and non-pharmacologic treatment for Veterans. Read more

Clinical geropsychologist Dr. Christine Gould is a researcher with the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Her research is focused on understanding and developing new treatments for anxiety disorders that occur in older adults—those who are 60 years or older. She is currently investigating the effectiveness of a new delivery method for an intervention to help Veterans who are experiencing anxiety in later life. Read more

VA research psychologist Dr. Jennifer Fairchild is conducting a study that will examine the effects of water-based physical exercise and cognitive training for Veterans who have mild cognitive impairment with memory loss. The study—Water-based Activities to Enhance Recall in Veterans, or WATER-Vet—is being conducted at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in California. Read more

VIDEO: Four Veterans share their thoughts about participating in
the WATER-Vet study.

» Watch

VA researcher Dr. Michelle Marie Hilgeman is conducting a study that will examine the effectiveness of a Montessori-based therapy for Veterans who live in VA community living centers. Because a significant majority of Veterans who live in CLCs have some form of dementia and/or mental illness, there is a need for programs that can address negative behavioral issues. Read more

A team of researchers at the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System are working to develop a telehealth intervention to improve conflict-management skills for caregivers of Veterans. Dr. Cory Chen and colleagues will develop and test a video-based intervention that is designed to diagnose and improve interpersonal skills of family members caring for Veterans with dementia. Read more

Veterans with low-risk prostate cancer are increasingly choosing to skip immediate surgery in favor of less aggressive treatment, according to results from a study published in JAMA. Low-risk prostate cancer is slow growing and can often be treated safely through "watchful waiting." Researchers at VA NY Harbor Healthcare System conducted a study of more than 125,000 Veterans diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer. They found that close to 60,000 Veterans were treated with a conservative approach. Read more

Patient preferences should be considered when deciding to screen low-risk patients for lung cancer, according to the results of a study conducted by researchers at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. The investigators found that overall, the average person with a low-risk of lung cancer experienced a net benefit from lung cancer screening, even if that person felt negatively about screening. Read more

Investigators at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in California and colleagues conducted a study of more than 11,000 Veterans aged 67 years or older who had kidney failure. Despite receiving dialysis less often, the study found that Veterans treated through VA were less likely to die than those who received care through Medicare. Read more

• 'Sharing connections in times of distress'
• 'Bringing invisible partners in care out of the shadows'
• 'Suggested paths to fixing the opioid crisis'

• VA researcher Dr. Laura A. Petersen receives prestigious Under Secretary's Award
• VA Pittsburgh, Hudson Valley research team named runner-up for 2018 ECRI award
• Dr. John Blosnich receives VA I Care award for LGBT research