About

Ann Kolanowski is an Academy Professor and Professor Emerita at the Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing. Her research primarily focuses on behavioral and cognitive symptoms of dementia, with secondary expertise in nursing home care delivery. She has conducted extensive research on non-pharmacological interventions for symptoms of distress and delirium in people living with dementia in nursing homes, supported by grants from prominent institutions such as the National Institute of Nursing Research, the Alzheimer’s Association, and various foundations. Kolanowski has made significant scholarly contributions, publishing over 190 papers on dementia care in scientific journals. She has served on numerous boards and advisory panels, including the Moving Forward Coalition, the Armed Services Retirement Home, and Kings College Board of Directors, as well as scientific advisory panels funded by NIH and the Alzheimer’s Association. She was the founding director of the Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at Penn State University and has received awards such as the 2012 Doris Schwartz Gerontological Nursing Research Award. Her professional involvement includes fellowships in the American Academy of Nursing and the Gerontological Society of America, reflecting her leadership and influence in the field of gerontological nursing and dementia care.

Research topics

• Machine Learning
• Computer Science
• Psychology
• Statistics
• Medicine
• Medical education
• Nursing
• Applied psychology

Selected publications

• Resources for Improving Clinical Experiences in U.S. Nursing Homes: Filling a Gap in Nursing Education

  Journal of Gerontological Nursing · 2025-10-16

  article1st authorCorresponding

  PURPOSE: Despite national and international calls to improve the preparation of our long-term care workforce, educators themselves often lack the necessary competencies for professional practice in nursing home settings. A pilot study of the Revisiting the Teaching Nursing Home initiative was designed to evaluate the initial outcomes of the academic/practice partnership and to offer direction for improving the educational experience faculty provide to students in the nursing home. METHODS: Qualitative findings were used to respond to faculty and student-identified educational needs. RESULTS: Faculty and students identified lack of educational resources that provide the necessary competencies to deliver quality care in nursing homes. CONCLUSION: Resources that help nursing faculty achieve a quality educational experience were compiled by experts and practitioners in the field. These resources are described and help ensure that our future workforce can meet the complex challenges that are the responsibility of the profession.

  PublisherDOI

• Measurements in Dementia Care and Outcomes: Advancing Research and Practice With Innovative Methods

  Innovation in Aging · 2025-12-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Many individuals living with dementia in the U.S. receive care and support across settings of care. Growing research has focused on optimizing the quality of dementia care and outcomes through behavioral interventions and utilizing validated measures to assess the impact of behavioral interventions on quality of care and outcomes. This symposium describes different methodologies (Delphi Survey, Tool Modification, Structural validation, Electronic Medical Record Validation) to develop and validate measures assessing important aspects of dementia care and outcomes (care interactions, mealtime behaviors, rejection of care, and pain) in nursing home (NH), hospital, and assisted living (AL) settings. The first paper describes the development and refinement of the Quality of Interactions Inventory (QUALII) tool that assesses positive care interactions in dementia care in ALs. The second paper discusses the development, validity, and reliability of the Pain Competency Evaluation in Dementia (PACED) scale in NH. Next, the adaptation of an existing tool - Cue Utilization and Engagement in Dementia (CUED) - into three observational scales to assess NH residents’ mealtime behaviors is presented. The fourth paper describes the Modified Quality of Interactions Schedule (MQuIS) that assesses staff-resident interactions and differences in staff-resident interactions by racial concordance versus discordance in ALs. The final presentation describes validation of a practical protocol using electronic medical record nurse charting data against a gold-standard tool of rejection of care. We will compare the methodologies based on research questions, identify directions for future research in measurements in dementia care and outcomes, and explore practice implications of discussed measures.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Anticholinergic Exposure During Rehabilitation: Cognitive and Physical Function Outcomes in Patients with Delirium Superimposed on Dementia

  Figshare · 2025-07-31

  article1st authorCorresponding

  OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between anticholinergic medication exposure and subsequent cognitive and physical function in patients with delirium superimposed on dementia during rehabilitation. We also examined length of stay and discharge disposition by anticholinergic medication exposure. DESIGN: In this secondary analysis we used control group data from an ongoing randomized clinical trial. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Participants with delirium and dementia were enrolled at admission to post-acute care. These 99 participants had a mean age of 86.11 (±6.83) years; 67.6% were women; 98% were Caucasian; and 33% were positive for at least one APOE e4 allele. MEASURES: We obtained daily measures of cognitive and physical function using: Digit Span; memory, orientation and attention items from the Montreal Cognitive Assessment; CLOX; the Confusion Assessment Method; and the Barthel Index. Anticholinergic medication exposure was measured weekly using the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Scale. RESULTS: Using multilevel models for time we found that greater use of clinically relevant anticholinergic medications in the previous week reduced cognitive and physical function, as measured by Digit Span Backwards and the Barthel index, in the current week. There was no effect of anticholinergic medication use on delirium severity, and APOE status did not moderate any outcomes. Greater use of clinically relevant anticholinergic medications was related to longer length of stay but not discharge disposition. CONCLUSIONS: For vulnerable older adults, anticholinergic exposure represents a potentially modifiable risk factor for poor attention, working memory, physical function, and greater length of stay during rehabilitation.

• Understanding research facilitators’ perspectives on program implementation to reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia

  The Gerontologist · 2025-11-10

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the implementation process of the Evidence Implementation Triangle for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (EIT-4-BPSD) from the perspective of Research Facilitators (RFs) in nursing homes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with RFs at 6-month and 12-month intervals over 3 years. We use the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to understand barriers and facilitators encountered by RFs in implementing EIT-4-BPSD. Content analysis was performed using CFIR's "Process" domain, comprising planning, engaging, executing, and reflecting and evaluating components. RESULTS: Ten RFs participated in the study, reporting on their experiences with EIT-4-BPSD implementation. Planning involved intensive goal-setting sessions addressing site-specific barriers. Engaging encompassed the identification of key team members involved in implementation and what made them successful in their role. Executing involved assessing environments and policies, educating staff, establishing person-centered care plans, and mentoring staff. Reflecting and Evaluating highlighted the importance of group dynamics and feedback mechanisms in fostering a collaborative implementation environment. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Research Facilitator perspectives provide unique insights into the implementation process of EIT-4-BPSD. Findings underscore the critical role of leadership support, effective communication, and staff engagement in successful implementation. Strategies such as team huddles, incentives, and knowledge-sharing networks contribute to enhancing implementation effectiveness and promoting person-centered care in nursing homes. Addressing organizational barriers and supporting staff learning and development are crucial for sustained improvements in dementia care quality and outcomes. Our findings contribute actionable strategies to enhance implementation effectiveness and promote person-centered care for residents with dementia.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• We can do better assessing and managing pain in nursing home residents with dementia

  Evidence-Based Nursing · 2025-09-19

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Comprehensive Dementia Care Models: State of the Science and Future Directions

  Research in Gerontological Nursing · 2025-01-01 · 12 citations

  reviewOpen access

  The rising prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease–related dementias has led to renewed public discourse and policy changes in response to the care needs of persons living with dementia and their care partners. Comprehensive dementia care models are central to many recent policy initiatives, most notably the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience model. Gerontological nursing research is uniquely positioned to design and lead research investigating the effectiveness of these initiatives, as well as the dissemination and scaling of existing comprehensive dementia care models. The current Annual State of the Science Review provides an overview of the current state of comprehensive dementia care models in the United States and relevant policies. Challenges and opportunities for nursing education, research, and implementation across the translational research continuum are also outlined. [ Research in Gerontological Nursing, 18 (1), 7–16.]

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• RN Staffing Shortages in Nursing Homes: Nursing Is Part of the Solution

  Research in Gerontological Nursing · 2024-01-01

  editorialOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Nursing is Part of the SolutionOlder adults who reside in our nation's nursing homes deserve the best care nursing can off er.Th e reality, unfortunately, is that although nursing homes are settings that bear our professional name, they are sadly constrained in the delivery of our care.At issue is long-standing low nurse staffi ng levels that are pervasive in most nursing homes (Dellefi eld et al., 2015).Th e public is aware of this staffing crisis due to the widely publicized and tragic events that unfolded during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.Public outrage sparked calls for reform, including higher staffi ng levels (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2022).In addition, President Biden made a campaign promise to improve conditions in nursing homes, and on September 1, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a highly anticipated proposed rule entitled, "Minimum Staffi ng Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting."Th e CMS rule has three core staffi ng components:1) minimum nurse staffi ng standards of 0.55 hours per resident day (HPRD) for Registered Nurses (RNs) and 2.45 HPRD for Nurse Aides (NAs); 2) a requirement to have an RN onsite 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and 3) enhanced facility assessment requirements.(CMS, 2023, para.3)

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Way We Were: <i>JGN</i> From Then to Now

  Journal of Gerontological Nursing · 2024-12-01 · 1 citations

  article

  The 50th anniversary of the Journal of Gerontological Nursing is a milestone that calls for reflection on the many important contributions made by our clinicians, educators, and researchers to the care of older adults. This article was written to highlight not only the issues that have been the focus of our professional attention but also the accomplishments that gerontological nurses have made during the past half century. Edna Stilwell, the inaugural editor, laid out nine objectives for the journal in the first issue, which was published in 1975. Using those objectives as a lens to our past, the &gt;400 editorials written from 1975 to the present are summarized and discussed using the framework Stilwell provided. The gerontological nurses who wrote these editorials were visionaries whose efforts advanced and continue to advance the quality of care that nurses provide to older adults today. [ Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 50 (12), 25–30.]

  PublisherDOI

• Ready or Not: A Conceptual Model of Organizational Readiness for Embedded Pragmatic Dementia Research

  Research in Gerontological Nursing · 2024-04-10 · 4 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The National Institute on Aging Alzheimer's Disease/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Research Implementation Milestones emphasize the need for implementation research that maximizes up-take and scale-up of evidence-based dementia care practices across settings, diverse populations, and disease trajectories. Organizational readiness for implementation is a salient consideration when planning and conducting embedded pragmatic trials, in which interventions are implemented by provider staff. The current article examines the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of organizational readiness for implementation and the operationalization of this construct. We offer a preliminary conceptual model for explicating and measuring organizational readiness and describe the unique characteristics and demands of implementing evidence-based interventions targeting persons with dementia and/or their care partners. [ Research in Gerontological Nursing, 17 (3), 149–160.]

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Optimizing Response Rates to Examine Health IT Maturity and Nurse Practitioner Care Environments in US Nursing Homes: Mixed Mode Survey Recruitment Protocol

  JMIR Research Protocols · 2024-06-28

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Survey-driven research is a reliable method for large-scale data collection. Investigators incorporating mixed-mode survey designs report benefits for survey research including greater engagement, improved survey access, and higher response rate. Mix-mode survey designs combine 2 or more modes for data collection including web, phone, face-to-face, and mail. Types of mixed-mode survey designs include simultaneous (ie, concurrent), sequential, delayed concurrent, and adaptive. This paper describes a research protocol using mixed-mode survey designs to explore health IT (HIT) maturity and care environments reported by administrators and nurse practitioners (NPs), respectively, in US nursing homes (NHs). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to describe a research protocol using mixed-mode survey designs in research using 2 survey tools to explore HIT maturity and NP care environments in US NHs. METHODS: We are conducting a national survey of 1400 NH administrators and NPs. Two data sets (ie, Care Compare and IQVIA) were used to identify eligible facilities at random. The protocol incorporates 2 surveys to explore how HIT maturity (survey 1 collected by administrators) impacts care environments where NPs work (survey 2 collected by NPs). Higher HIT maturity collected by administrators indicates greater IT capabilities, use, and integration in resident care, clinical support, and administrative activities. The NP care environment survey measures relationships, independent practice, resource availability, and visibility. The research team conducted 3 iterative focus groups, including 14 clinicians (NP and NH experts) and recruiters from 2 national survey teams experienced with these populations to achieve consensus on which mixed-mode designs to use. During focus groups we identified the pros and cons of using mixed-mode designs in these settings. We determined that 2 mixed-mode designs with regular follow-up calls (Delayed Concurrent Mode and Sequential Mode) is effective for recruiting NH administrators while a concurrent mixed-mode design is best to recruit NPs. RESULTS: Participant recruitment for the project began in June 2023. As of April 22, 2024, a total of 98 HIT maturity surveys and 81 NP surveys have been returned. Recruitment of NH administrators and NPs is anticipated through July 2025. About 71% of the HIT maturity surveys have been submitted using the electronic link and 23% were submitted after a QR code was sent to the administrator. Approximately 95% of the NP surveys were returned with electronic survey links. CONCLUSIONS: Pros of mixed-mode designs for NH research identified by the team were that delayed concurrent, concurrent, and sequential mixed-mode methods of delivering surveys to potential participants save on recruitment time compared to single mode delivery methods. One disadvantage of single-mode strategies is decreased versatility and adaptability to different organizational capabilities (eg, access to email and firewalls), which could reduce response rates. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/56170.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R15NR008148

  NIH · $141k · 2003

• NIH Grant R01NR008910

  NIH · $1.2M · 2010

• NIH Grant R01NR012242

  NIH · $2.1M · 2016

Frequent coauthors

• Sharon K. Inouye

  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

  101 shared

• Edward R. Marcantonio

  Harvard University

  91 shared

• Richard N. Jones

  Butler Hospital

  86 shared

• Tamara G. Fong

  Harvard University

  83 shared

• Eva M. Schmitt

  Hebrew SeniorLife

  82 shared

• Tammy T. Hshieh

  Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center

  82 shared

• Thomas G. Travison

  Hebrew SeniorLife

  81 shared

• Long Ngo

  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

  80 shared

Education

• PhD, Nursing

  New York University

Awards & honors

• 2012 Doris Schwartz Gerontological Nursing Research Award