We are dedicated to improving the quality of life of people who receive long-term services and supports. We pursue this goal through scientific study and providing care partners of older adults with practical, proven methods to honor the preferences of the older adults they serve.

Our interdisciplinary team includes more than 30 nurses, recreation therapists, social workers, sociologists, gerontologists, psychologists and computer scientists. As researchers and direct care providers, we work closely together to advance the science and art of preference-based, personalized care provided to older adults in long term service and support settings.

Our leadership team is based at Miami University and Penn State University and collaborates with care partners and researchers throughout the United States as well as in Australia, Canada and Germany.

We are inspired by our mission to translate scholarly research into practice to honor the needs and preferences of individuals receiving care in varied settings worldwide. Meet our team members here.

What We Do

We offer:

  • Tools to assess older adults’ preferences for everyday living.
  • Educational resources, webinars, training videos, and a newsletter to help care providers and advocates provide preference-based, person-centered care.
  • Quality assurance and performance improvement support for providers to evaluate and accelerate progress in honoring preferences and improving wellbeing for the people they serve.
  • Studies that test methods to improve the quality of life using preference-based approaches.
  • Support for international researchers who seek to customize and apply our tools to support culturally relevant person-centered care.

Supporters

We are grateful to our current and past supporters.

The Preference Based Living Team is an active, collaborative group, working with many researchers, providers, and students over the years. We are grateful for those who have contributed to our efforts to advance compassionate, high-quality care for older adults: 


Researchers

Kim Curyto, Ph.D.
Gerald Gannod, Ph.D.
Mort Kleban, Ph.D.
Jane Straker, Ph.D.


Valued Advisors

Alfred Ryan
Karen Alizzi
Ian Crichton
Ginny Johnston
Ann Kolanowski
Vicki Loucks
Laura Roy
Janice Whitaker


Student Trainees

Anjali BK
Julia Baker
DaJong (John) Chang
Becca Cinfio
Nicole Collins
Miranda Corpora
Faith DeVengencie
Chelsea Goldstein
Nytasia Hicks, Ph.D., MSW
Abigail Hermesch
Ania Jennings
Kamryn Kasler
Megan Kelley
Nathan Martindale
Avielle Raymore
Sarina Poth
Kenzie Schmitz
Shakya Shamatree
Erika Smith
Meghan Young
Heshuo Yu