UMH, Yale partner to study relationship-centered living at Wesley Village in Shelton

SHELTON - United Methodist Homes, Inc. has recently initiated a partnership with Yale University to study the impact of relationship-centered living. 

The partnership, coordinated through the Yale School of Public Health, Social and Behavioral Sciences Department, was arranged with support and interest from Associate Professor of Public Health, Joan K. Monin, PhD. Monin’s research examines how emotional processes affect health in older adult relationships and focuses on understanding the supportive relationship between caregivers and care recipients. 

Her team, who will be observing and collecting data through written surveys and on-site focus groups, will be analyzing the unique dynamic of relationships at United Methodist Homes’ Wesley Village senior living campus on Long Hill Avenue. The study will take place at the campus’s assisted living communities, Crosby Commons and Wesley Heights.

“At UMH we have long believed that relationships are the cornerstone of building harmonious communities, where residents and staff alike build healthy and happy lives,” said David Lawlor, President and CEO of UMH. “We serve our mission by developing programs that target healthy relationships.  As we enter our 150^th year of service, we are thrilled to partner with Joan and her team at Yale University to study the efficacy of our programs, as we continually seek new methods of engagement.”

“If we want residents and care workers to thrive in senior living communities, we need to focus on the small moments of connection that people look forward to each day,” said Monin. “Whether it is sharing a story with the dining staff or laughing with other residents, it is these moments we need to capitalize on.” 

Over the coming weeks, Yale intern and Masters of Public Health student Rebecca Lopez, will begin examining the impact of the campus’s relationship-centered philosophy of living by conducting surveys and focus groups, and facilitating a variety of programs with small groups at the campus. 

The study will include a primary focus on relationships between dining services team members and residents and will look to highlight the unique bonds and connections formed throughout interactions during or surrounding the community dining experience. Lopez will seek to identify successful and effective ways of fostering deeper connections between care staff and senior living residents while noting positive outcomes from current relationship-centered practices and exploring next steps for continued relationship cultivation.

More than 40 resident and team member volunteers are working with Lopez to provide baseline data through surveys, in-person focus groups, and individual and group meetings. A post-project survey is set for December. 

Longtime UMH team member Kathy Vayda, who has worked as a server at Crosby Commons for 29 years is participating in the study. 

What is most important to Vayda when serving the residents at Crosby Commons is the daily connections she makes. “We get to know the residents and their families; we talk with each other and exchange stories about our lives. When residents sit down at the table, some days they don’t even have to place an order; staff know each individual so well they can anticipate, offer, or deliver exactly what a resident may need or prefer. Every interaction is personal.”

Wesley Heights resident Peggy-Ann Rose, is participating in the study and looking forward to the many ways her contributions can impact future relationship-centered training for new staff. Rose, a former Wesley Village employee who retired this year after 15 years of service, feels she has a unique perspective to bring to the study, especially considering the many relationships she has with residents and staff across the campus. 

Rose has come to know and respect many of the chefs and dining teams at Wesley Village and even worked alongside the current Wesley Heights chef manager, Richard Scaife, when she first began working at the campus. 

Utilizing her experience as both a staff member and a resident, Rose hopes to play a vital role in helping to cultivate a relationship-centered atmosphere in the dining room. 

“As residents, we are all bringing something with us to the table and the complexities of growing older are part of that,” said Rose. “I’ve observed that empathy, respect and understanding is key when it comes to strengthening relationships and the entire dining room experience. The more we can do to help each other, the better.” 

“I think the staff is fantastic,” Rose said. “I am so thankful for them and I am excited to see how the information gathered through this study can positively impact our community.”

This is a press release from United Methodist Homes.

Study shows meditation can improve sleep for people with MS

DERBY - A recent study conducted by the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and published in the July 2023 issue of BMC Neurology shows that mindfulness meditation improves sleep and the quality of life in individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

The study was a collaboration between the PRC, Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital, and the Yale Stress Center. It compared two groups of people with MS who met standard criteria for chronic insomnia. One group underwent a single session of sleep hygiene instruction and the other group received a 10-week, sleep-targeted mindfulness medication course taught at the Yale Stress Center in New Haven.

All subjects wore identical devices to record their sleep efficiency percentage which was determined by measuring total sleep as a function of total time in bed. 

The subjects also completed regular self-reports, rating their sleep quality, quality of life and MS symptoms. Subjects who completed the sleep hygiene course had the option of taking the mindfulness course and that data was also used in the analysis.

While the measure of sleep efficiency was not different between the two groups on the sleep-tracking devices, the self-reports of insomnia severity were significantly better in the mindfulness meditation group than the sleep hygiene group at 10 weeks, but not 16 weeks. However, the mindfulness meditation group did show improvements in pre-intervention and post-intervention rating scales at both the 10-and 16-week reports in their insomnia severity ratings and sleep quality scale. Additionally, the mindfulness meditation group showed greater improvements in self-reported fatigue, mental health and cognitive function.

These results show that mindfulness meditation focused on chronic insomnia may be an effective way to improve sleep and other quality of life measures in persons diagnosed with MS.

“Our study showed that subjects who completed mindfulness training had better self-reported sleep outcomes and quality of life than those in the sleep hygiene group,” said Joseph B. Guarnaccia, MD, the principal investigator and lead author of the study, and director of the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital. “It suggests that mindfulness practice is an option for some MS patients who suffer from insomnia and who wish to explore non-pharmaceutical options.”

Chronic insomnia is one of the most commonly diagnosed medical conditions in the country and can increase the risk for a number of other diseases, such as dementia, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke. Insomnia is particularly detrimental for persons diagnosed with MS, Guarnaccia said, because lack of sleep saps energy reserves that are needed daily functioning. Medication treatment for insomnia is unsatisfying because of a number of potentially side effects, including drug dependence, drug interactions, increased risk for dementia, daytime sedation, and falls at night.

The study was funded by the Connecticut Department of Public Health Biomedical Research Trust Fund and recently published by Guarnaccia et al. BMC Neurology (2023) 23:263.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center in Derby seeks adults for study

Help Us Crack the Health Benefits of Eggs

DERBY - The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center at Griffin Hospital is looking for adults to join a study comparing how the DASH diet, with or without eggs, affects heart health. 

The DASH diet features fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, poultry, and low-fat dairy products. It’s recommended by the American Heart Association for people at risk for cardiovascular disease.

You could qualify for the study if you:
• Are 18 years or older
• If a woman, must not currently be on hormone replacement therapy
• Have high blood cholesterol, but are not on any medication to control it

Volunteer roles during the study:
• Follow the DASH diet for 28 weeks
• During 8 of these weeks, you will also eat 2 eggs per day
• Visit Griffin Hospital in Derby 5 times for study assessments

Benefits of being in this study:
• Free nutrition guidance to follow the DASH diet
• Free 8-week supply of eggs
• Free bloodwork and blood vessel ultrasound tests
• Results provided to you upon request
• $600 payment over the course of the study

For more information, please call Rocky at 203-732-1125.

This is shared from Griffin Hospital's Facebook page.

Yale- Griffin PRC in Derby seeks volunteers for study to test phototherapy product

The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center is looking for volunteers to take part in a study to test how well phototherapy can improve health./ Contributed photo 

DERBY - The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center’s cardiovascular laboratory at Griffin Hospital is looking for volunteers to take part in a study to test how well a phototherapy product can improve health.

The product uses two small patches worn on the skin that, when activated by body heat, reflect low levels of infrared and visible light to stimulate the skin’s surface. 

The patches don’t contain any drugs or herbal compounds, and don’t put any chemicals in the body.

The randomized controlled study will compare the effects of 12 weeks each of using the patch product vs. placebo patches on markers of cardio-metabolic risk (hemoglobin A1C, insulin sensitivity, serum lipids, C-reactive protein, endothelial function, and body composition) and sleep quality in adults at risk for type 2 diabetes.  

Volunteers for the 8-month study must be: 

• More than 40 years of age (if women, they must be postmenopausal)
• Non-smokers
• Overweight
• Have higher-than-normal blood glucose levels, but not diabetes

Volunteers must also be able to visit the PRC at Griffin Hospital five times for clinical tests, wear 2 small patches on their abdomen, and report their food and beverage intake on certain days.

Participants will receive $500 for completing this study. 

All tests and study products will be provided free of charge.

For more information, call Rocky at 203-732-1125. 

About the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center 

The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center (PRC) was established in 1998 through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

One of 26 Prevention Research Centers nationwide representing academic-community partnerships, the PRC is engaged in interdisciplinary applied prevention research designed to develop innovative approaches to health promotion and disease prevention that will directly benefit the public’s health. 

The Center has been researching the role of nutrition in chronic diseases for more than 20 years.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center in Derby seeks volunteers for diabetes study

The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center at Griffin Hospital is offering a free online Diabetes Prevention Program to eligible adults as part of a research study./ Contributed photo

DERBY - The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center at Griffin Hospital is offering a free online Diabetes Prevention Program to eligible adults as part of a research study.

The study will measure the effects of eating healthy and improving activity.

 

Participants must be 18 years or older and meet income eligibility, residents of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, or Shelton, and willing to complete a year-long online program that runs weekly for 16 weeks, then every two weeks for the next four months, and then every month for the final four months.

Participants in this free program will receive a Fitbit activity monitor, wireless scale, and support from a health coach. 

They will also receive up to $200 for completing this study with the opportunity to earn additional money for losing weight.

For more information, please call 203-732-1125.

About the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center 

The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center was established in 1998 as a partnership between the Yale School of Public Health and Griffin Hospital located in Derby. 

It is one of 26 PRCs nationwide that are funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and work as a network to conduct health promotion and disease prevention research. 

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Griffin Hospital in Derby seeks volunteers for vegan diet study

The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center at Griffin Hospital in Derby seeks adult volunteers to take part in a study looking at how a vegan diet, with or without eggs, affects diet quality and heart health./ Contributed photo

DERBY - The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center at Griffin Hospital is looking for adult volunteers to take part in a study looking at how a vegan diet, with or without eggs, affects diet quality and heart health.

Study participants will eat a plant-based diet for approximately five months, including eggs for six weeks.

The study team plans to enroll 35 adults in this study, including men who are 25 to 75 years old, and women up to 75 years of age who have gone through menopause, but are not on hormone replacement therapy. 

Those who qualify must be non-smokers, and have an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes based on certain criteria for this study.
Benefits for those who participate in this study include free study-related dietary counseling from a dietitian, free health testing, free eggs, grocery store gift cards to purchase vegan foods, and a total of $600 for completing the study.

For more information and to be considered for this study, call Rockiy at 203-732-1265 ext. 300.

This study is funded by the Egg Nutrition Center, the science and nutrition education division of the American Egg Board that sponsors health-related scientific research that is primarily focused on eggs.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Volunteers with MS needed for study at Griffin Hospital in Derby

DERBY - The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital, and Yale University are teaming up to see if changing the bacteria in a person’s intestines can be an effective, safe, and tolerable strategy to slow the inflammatory process involved in multiple sclerosis.

MS is an auto-immune disease that affects the central nervous system. 

Some studies have found that an imbalance of intestinal bacteria can lead to inflammation in the immune system. 

This pilot investigational study at Griffin Hospital will involve providing oral capsules with fecal material from healthy donors in the hope that it will lead to favorable changes in the intestinal bacteria – or microbiome - of people with MS, which in turn might slow the inflammatory process involved in the progression of MS. 

The study team, led by neurologist Joseph Guarnaccia, M.D., of the Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital, will provide 30 oral capsules with this fecal material to patients with MS, and monitor these patients before and afterward to learn what effects the capsules might have. 

The study team is recruiting people with MS who are 18 - 40 years old, can walk with or without assistance, and are not on immunotherapy except for interferon beta or glatiramer acetate. 

They must be able to visit Griffin Hospital eight times over a four-month period. The visits will include a clinical screening, one visit to swallow 30 capsules on an empty stomach, and five other visits for physical exams, blood and stool samples, and surveys. 

Those who complete the study will receive $800, payable in installments. The capsules, procedures, and tests will be provided free of charge. 

The State of Connecticut Department of Public Health is providing funding for this study. 

To learn more about this study, contact Dr. Guarnaccia at 203-732-1290 or msteatmentcenters@griffinhealth.org.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Griffin Hospital in Derby seeks volunteers for olive oil, diabetes study

DERBY - The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center at Griffin Hospital is seeking volunteers for a study on the effect of different types of olive oil on heart health and blood pressure in adults at risk for Type 2 Diabetes. 

Participants will eat food prepared with different types of olive oil and have testing done before and after each meal, and will come to the PRC for three tests between June and August. Participants will be paid $120. 

Volunteers must be non-smokers between the ages of 25-75 years. 

For more information, call Rocky, 203-732-1265 x300. The hospital is at 130 Division St.

About The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center
The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center is committed to research pertaining to the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of chronic disease that is responsive to the priorities of the Lower Naugatuck Valley residents, the residents of Connecticut’s major cities, and other communities throughout the state. 

The center is dedicated to participatory research methods, to a robust research agenda inclusive of developmental/determinant, intervention, and translational research; to community involvement in public health; to the eradication of disparities in health and health care in the communities served; and to the dissemination of effective interventions in support of the national objectives of Healthy People 2010.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Griffin Hospital in Derby seeks volunteers for retinal study

Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center is seeking volunteers for retinopathy study./ Contributed photo

DERBY - The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, located at Griffin Hospital, 130 Division St., is seeking volunteers for a study on retinopathy.

The study open to anyone over 18 years of age who has not had an eye exam for a year. Further eligibility will be assessed before the eye screening.

Participants will have a free eye exam in which images of their eyes are taken and an eye specialist reviews the images for any signs of diseases or conditions, specifically retinopathy, which usually does not have any symptoms. Retinopathy is a common eye disease in the United States and is a leading cause of blindness. 
People with certain conditions are at risk for developing retinopathy and should be screened every year.

To see if you qualify or for more information, contact Aisha Khan at 203-732-1265 ext: 223 or akhan@griffinhealth.org.

About The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center
The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center is committed to research pertaining to the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of chronic disease that is responsive to the priorities of the Lower Naugatuck Valley residents, the residents of Connecticut’s major cities, and other communities throughout the state. 

The center is dedicated to participatory research methods, to a robust research agenda inclusive of developmental/determinant, intervention, and translational research; to community involvement in public health; to the eradication of disparities in health and health care in the communities served; and to the dissemination of effective interventions in support of the national objectives of Healthy People 2010.


This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Griffin Hospital in Derby seeks volunteers for MS, insomnia study

The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital seek volunteers for a study on Multiple Sclerosis and insomnia./ Contributed photo

DERBY - The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center, both at Griffin Hospital, 130 Division St., are seeking volunteers for a study on Multiple Sclerosis and insomnia.

This study will compare mindfulness meditation to sleep hygiene counseling in treating insomnia and improving quality of life in individuals with MS.

“Many people with MS suffer from chronic insomnia, and some of the medications used to treat insomnia can have adverse effects,” said Joseph B. Guarnaccia, MD, Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center director. 
“Therefore, it is desirable to find alternative treatments for insomnia. The potential role of mindfulness - which is focusing full attention on the present moment without judgment - in affecting sleep has not yet been studied in people with MS.”

To participate, volunteers must be adults with a diagnosis of MS who suffer from chronic insomnia. 
They must be willing to come to Griffin Hospital for three assessments throughout the study, and to attend a weekly, two-hour training session for eight weeks and one eight-hour weekend session, and wear a Fitbit activity monitor (provided to volunteers) for several weeks to record their sleep data. 

Volunteers will be randomly assigned to training on either mindfulness or sleep hygiene, which will be offered at either Griffin Hospital or the Yale Stress Center.  
They will receive $200 for their role in the training and assessment, which will be provided free of charge. 
This study is funded by a grant from the state of Connecticut’s Biomedical Research Trust Fund.  

For information, call 203-732-1265, ext. 220 for Sue, or ext. 300 for Rocky.

About The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center

The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center is committed to research pertaining to the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of chronic disease that is responsive to the priorities of the Lower Naugatuck Valley residents, the residents of Connecticut’s major cities, and other communities throughout the state. 
The center is dedicated to participatory research methods, to a robust research agenda inclusive of developmental/determinant, intervention, and translational research; to community involvement in public health; to the eradication of disparities in health and health care in the communities served; and to the dissemination of effective interventions in support of the national objectives of Healthy People 2010.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Insomnia is focus of study with MS patients at Griffin Hospital in Derby

Volunteers needed 
DERBY - The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Center at Griffin Hospital, 130 Division St. are seeking volunteers for a study on Multiple Sclerosis and insomnia.

The study will involve using mindfulness meditation to address insomnia. 

Volunteers will receive $200.

To participate, volunteers must have a diagnosis of MS and suffer from chronic insomnia, come to Griffin Hospital for three assessments throughout the study, be willing to attend a weekly, two-hour training session for eight weeks and wear a Fitbit activity monitor (provided to volunteers).

For information, call Sue at 203-732-1265 x220 or Rocky at x300.

About The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center

The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center is committed to research pertaining to the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of chronic disease that is responsive to the priorities of the Lower Naugatuck Valley residents, the residents of Connecticut 's major cities, and other communities throughout the state. 

The center is dedicated to participatory research methods, to a robust research agenda inclusive of developmental/determinant, intervention, and translational research; to community involvement in public health; to the eradication of disparities in health and health care in the communities served; and to the dissemination of effective interventions in support of the national objectives of Healthy People 2010.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital. 

Ansonia to host forum on Village District zoning