Laura P. Sands
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Contact Information Email: lsands |at| nursing.purdue.edu Office: JNSN 117C Map Phone: (765) 494-4037 Fax: (765) 494-6339 Homepage: Homepage |
Professor of Nursing |
Education
B.A. University of California, Berkeley Psychology
M.A. University of California, Berkeley Biostatistics
Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley Quantitative Psychology 1986
Research Interests
To describe factors that prevent older adults from experiencing optimal levels of functioning and quality of life and to implement interventions that improve functioning and quality of life in frail and demented elders. Dr. Sands research is focused on promoting optimal functioning in older adults. She analyzes large data sets to identify factors that contribute to loss of functioning and loss of quality of life in older adults. Currently, she is analyzing several large data sets to determine: 1)which patients are at highest risk for experiencing poor outcomes after surgery, 2)which community living frail elders are at highest risk of living alone without needed help in carrying out daily activities, 3)what are the health consequences and health services utilization patterns of frail elders living alone in the community without needed help, and 4)what are the optimal care pathways for dementia patients who are dependent on public assistance for their health care. Dr. Sands has also developed methods for detecting whether individual dementia patients benefit from pharmaceutical therapy designed to enhance cognitive functioning. She contributes to the evaluation of programs for frail and demented elders such as Adult Day Health Care and Alzheimers education programs. She also contributes to the development of instruments for frail and demented elders including a quality of life instrument for persons with dementia, a patient satisfaction measure for frail elders, and a patient preference measure for older men with prostate cancer. Dr. Sands is a member of the advisory board for the North Central Indiana chapter of the Alzheimers Association and is a frequent speaker to Alzheimers support groups.
Teaching Interests
Research Methods
Grants
National Institute on Aging
Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Services R
Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering
Indiana Division of Disability, Aging, and Rehabi
Publications
Sands, L.P., Xu, H., Craig, B.A., Eng, C., Covinsky, K.E. (in press). Predicting functional status over quarterly intervals for disabled older adults. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research.
Yehle, K., Sands, L., Rhynders, P., & Newton, G. (2009). The effect of shared medical appointments on knowledge and self-care in patients with heart failure: A pilot study. Heart & Lung, 38; 25-33.
Edwards, N., Gardiner, M., Ritchie, D., Baldwin, K., & Sands, L.P. (2008). Effect of exercise on negative affect in residents in special care units with moderate to severe dementia. Alzheimers Disease and Associated Disorders, 22; 362-368.
Sands, L.P., Xu, H., Weiner, M., Rosenmann, M., Craig, B.A., & Thomas, J. (2008). Comparison of resource utilization for Medicaid dementia patients using nursing homes versus home and community based waivers for long-term care. Medical Care, 46(4), 449-453.
Carey, E.C., Covinsky, K.E., Lui, L., Eng, C., Sands, L.P., & Walter, L.C. (2008). Prediction of mortality in community-living frail elders with long-term care needs. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 56, 68-75.
Sink, K., Thomas, J., Xu, H., Craig, B., Kritchevsky, & Sands, L.P. (2008). Dual use of bladder anticholinergics and cholinesterase inhbitors: Long-term functional and cognitive outcomes. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society,56, 847-853.
Coddington, J., & Sands, L.P. (2008). Cost of health care and quality outcomes of patients at nurse managed clinics. Nursing Economics: The Journal for Health Care Leaders, 26(2), 75-83.