Leveraging Social Networks to Improve Sleep and Mindfulness Among Older Adults in Residential Housing Facilities

The proposed R34 planning grant will the design and adapt a sleep, mindfulness, and sleep disorders education intervention entitled to cognitively unimpaired older adults residing in housing facilities. Novel, social network techniques will be used to identify opinion leaders who will assist with message dissemination. This grant will adapt content from an existing, evidence-based Sleep Health Program to the needs of older adults. In addition, the adapted Sleep Health Program will be coupled with Mindfulness content then disseminated in a small pilot study to ascertain feasibility and acceptability of the proposed novel social network approach for deploying the adapted Sleep Health and Mindfulness Program in a planned R01. The data collected in this R34 will include qualitative interview and usability interview data where cognitively unimpaired older adults will be recruited and asked to provide input to the messages and approach. Target outcomes will also be collected in the planned pilot, including survey responses to sleep, sleep disorders evaluation/care, quality of life, and cognition. Finally, FitBit data will also be captured for 2 weeks at several time points during the pilot study (baseline, 2-months, and 6-months).

Inclusion criteria

• Older adults (age 55 years of age and above) residing in residential facilities.

Exclusion criteria

• Severe cognitive impairment according to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).