Multidisciplinary Coordinated Caregiving: Research Practice Policy

Effective, meaningful caregiving requires a well-coordinated and informed effort guided by various highly skilled specialists across several interrelated professions, including psychologists, social workers, and occupational therapists. Multidisciplinary Coordinated Caregiving addresses the information needs of these interrelated professionals, contributing to the direct care of individuals and serving as an essential resource for those who ultimately create collaborative approaches to contemporary caregiving plans. In addition, the volume provides a wealth of evidence-based research findings to facilitate ongoing dialogue about multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives on and interventions for the complex challenge of caregiving in America.

Key areas of coverage include:

• The status of professional caregiving in the United States.
• Nursing perspectives on the state of family caregiving.
• Psychological aspects of caregiving.
• A human development, lifespan perspective on caregiving during late life.
• Public health contributions to caregiving.

Multidisciplinary Coordinated Caregiving offers a wealth of insights for those researchers, practitioners, and graduate students who seek to optimize the care of individuals across such fields as psychology, social work, public health, geriatrics and gerontology, and medicine as well as public and educational policy making.

Ronda C. Talley, PhD, MPH, is Professor of Psychology at Western Kentucky University.  Dr. Talley’s professional experience includes providing national leadership on caregiving issues and organizational development as Executive Director of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving and the National Quality Caregiving Coalition; working with federal government groups to promote caregiving issues as Associate Director of Legislation, Policy, and Planning/Health Scientist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in Atlanta, GA; and promoting the science and practice of psychology in the schools as Associate Executive Director of Education and Director of School Policy and Practice at the American Psychological Association in Washington, DC. Dr. Talley taught ethics and legal issues in school psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park, and clinical, counseling, and school psychology students at Spalding University in Louisville, KY. Prior to that time, Dr. Talley worked a teacher of students with special needs and school administrator for almost 20 years in the Jefferson County (KY) Public Schools where she supervised a multi-disciplinary private practice.

Dr. Talley received the Outstanding Alumni Award from Indiana University and the Jack Bardon Distinguished Service Award from the Division of School Psychology of the American Psychological Association. She serves on the national board of the American Association of Caregiving Youth, the Indiana University School of Education Board of Visitors, and the Western Kentucky University National Alumni Advisory Board. Dr. Talley is Editor-in-Chief of the Springer Caregiving book series on diverse caregiving issues. 

Shirley S. Travis, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a Past President of the National Gerontological Nursing Association and a former Chair of the Clinical Medicine Section (now HealthSciences Section)/Vice President of the Gerontological Society of America. During her  career she was an elected fellow of the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, the Gerontological Society of America, the National Gerontological Nursing Association, and the American Academy of Nursing.  Dr. Travis served as Dean of College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University from 2005 to 2012, and is the founding dean of the college. She is currently a Senior Administrative faculty member in the college, as she completes her transition to retirement.

Dr. Travis' research and publications address the patterns of care that dependent older adults and their family caregivers require over time. Her awards and honors include the Janssen Eldercare Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to the healthcare of older Americans, Academic Gerontologist of the Year by the Southern Gerontological Society for her record of applied research in long-term care, and the Springer Geriatric/ Gerontological Nursing Research Award for her end of life research. From 2001 to 2004, Dr. Travis was an Eminent Scholar of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving and served on the Institute Board of Directors from 2004 to 2008. Dr. Travis has authored or co-authored more than 100 articles, books, and book chapters on aging and long-term care.