Throughout March, the University of Kentucky is spotlighting Women Making History during Women鈥檚 History Month. These women are leading their fields of research and impacting the lives of Kentuckians.
Their work addresses key issues impacting the Commonwealth, like cancer, Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and diabetes. They also offer new perspectives on history by finding ways to preserve our collective memory and better understand it.
For one researcher, her passion is helping some of the most vulnerable Kentuckians. Allison Gibson, PhD, is an associate professor in the and an affiliate faculty member at the 好色先生 Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. Her work focuses on helping people affected by Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and related dementias, both the diagnosed individual and their caregivers, through supportive programming.
鈥淭he population I鈥檓 probably most passionate about is people who live alone with Alzheimer鈥檚. I think it鈥檚 an area that we, as health care professionals and social service providers, don't have a good handle on,鈥 said Gibson. 鈥淵ou need to strike the balance of honoring their independence and supporting them living in their own home with ensuring they鈥檙e safe with their basic needs covered.鈥
Gibson has worked on a variety of programming options suited for different populations of patients needing different levels of care from developing educational resources and workbooks, to group-style intervention for people affected by a mild cognitive impairment (the early symptoms associated with Alzheimer鈥檚), to telehealth interventions connecting people in rural Kentucky to occupational therapists.
Gibson鈥檚 latest project builds off an interdisciplinary collaboration between social work and music therapy to find ways to improve the well-being of older adults.
She and Alaine E. Reschke-Hern谩ndez, PhD, an assistant professor in music therapy at the in the , have been awarded the prestigious Arthur Flagler Fultz Research Award by the to further this project.
During the pair鈥檚 pilot study, funded by the program under the Office of the Vice President for Research, music therapy was offered to a group of older adults over eight weeks with the opportunity to connect with a social worker on the team at the end. Gibson and the team would identify areas where people were struggling, like in their health or social engagement, and then help them find continuing support within the community.
鈥淲e had one gentleman who was having a hard time seeing over the course of the telehealth intervention. After getting to talk to him, we realized he needed glasses but didn鈥檛 have the financial resources, and we were able to find a clinic in his community that could help with those services,鈥 said Gibson.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 an example of how improving the health and well-being of an older adult in short-term minimal ways can have huge implications for that individual," she said. "With this new iteration of the intervention, we're really hoping to really test the combination of music therapy and social work services.鈥
Outside of her clinical and teaching spaces, Gibson is a new mother navigating the challenges of balancing high-intensive research with responsibilities at home.
鈥淥ther female scholars and clinicians have been incredibly helpful and supportive in this new chapter,鈥 said Gibson. 鈥淢y advice to other women in research: You should definitely have other women scholars, other women scientists in your life whom you can lean on for research and everyday life support.鈥
Gibson credits part of her journey in working with some of the most vulnerable Kentuckians to supportive female mentors.
鈥淒uring my doctorate education program, a lot of people said not to pursue the 鈥榩eople living alone with Alzheimer鈥檚鈥 population, saying 鈥業t鈥檚 too difficult, there are too many challenges.鈥 I had a wonderful mentor who told me, 鈥榃e're going to figure it out. We鈥檙e social workers. That鈥檚 what we do. That鈥檚 part of the job is we navigate the mess.鈥欌
In her time at 好色先生, Gibson has been part of more than 20 funded research projects along with dozens of publications, all while guiding students through field practicums and supporting patients with thoughtful interventions.
鈥淚 will say it makes me proud to be a woman doing this type of work. Historically, Alzheimer鈥檚 and dementia work has been predominantly male. It鈥檚 also been very focused on pharmacological treatment, which, of course, is super important. We need ways to either slow this disease or prevent it,鈥 said Gibson. 鈥淏ut it's also important that we have options for people who are currently affected by these types of diseases. That鈥檚 where I really feel like I'm offering something new and something that's important.鈥