Diane F. Mahoney, PhD, APRN, BC, FGSA, FAAN
Office Location:B39 - 146
Phone: (617) 643-2745
Email:
Jacques Mohr Professor in Geriatric Nursing, Nursing Professor, Senior Scientist MGH Munn Center for Nursing Research, and Director of Gerontechnology Research and Development,
Nursing
Full-Time Faculty
Dr. Diane Feeney Mahoney is the Institute's Jacque Mohr Professor of Geriatric Nursing Research, and Director of Gerontechnology Research and Development. She is a geriatric nurse practitioner, senior social science researcher, and gerontologist who has been developing and testing innovative ways to use telecommunication and wireless sensor based technologies with frail and cognitively impaired older adults and their family caregivers for over a decade.
As an internationally acknowledged pioneer in the field of gerontechnology, she has developed:
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Wireless sensor based technology interventions to help elders, family members and professional caregivers better manage health and safety issues faced in home/ residential settings;
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The first multi-corporate remote home monitoring of elder activities by working caregivers
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The first field deployment of activity and safety monitoring technologies in community based home settings and independent living residences
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The first real world wireless signal and alert reliability and validity testing
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The first successful triage of alert reporting among residential staff, clinicians, and families
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Computerized screenings for forgetfulness;
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Self-help consumer ed programs to better differentiate serious memory loss;
and identified cross-cultural differences in the identification and clinical evaluation of Alzheimer's disease.
Her main interest is in conducting applied research that informs elder caregiving, geriatric practice, and health policy. She conducts feasibility and usability qualitative studies for new technologies and quantitative randomized outcome studies for matured interventions. Dr. Mahoney also serves as a consultant to businesses seeking to improve geriatric product designs, appeal, and usability.
Her research program has been funded federally by NIH through NIA and NINR and the TOP program at the Dept of Commerce, and privately through Foundation grants from the Alzheimer's Association and Intel Corporation. She has been the recipient of numerous awards for her research and scholarship.
Education:
BS, Nursing, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA
MS, Gerontological Nursing, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
PhD, Health Policy and Aging Research, Heller School, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Research Interest:
Dr Mahoney is currently funded by the Alzheimer’s Association ETAC program to design and develop an alpha prototype of DRESS – (Developing a Responsive Emotive Sensing System). This context aware computing system will guide people with dementia through the dressing process leveraging their abilities and reducing the demand on their family caregivers for constant cueing and guidance. She recently completed phase 1 which involved a study of 25 caregivers to better understand common dressing problems and to obtain their feedback on the proposed design. Phase 2, the technical build stage is underway and will be followed by the final Phase 3 reliability and validity testing.
Publications & Presentations:
D.F. Mahoney, W. Burleson, E. Mahoney. Context aware automated prompting for dressing: Concept feasibility. Gerontechnology 2012;11(2):298; doi:10.4017/gt.2012.11.02.281.00
Nancy A. Kelly, Diane F. Mahoney, Alice Bonner, Terrence O’Malley (2012) Use of a Transitional Minimum Data Set (TMDS) to Improve Communication Between Nursing Home and Emergency Department Providers Journal of the American Medical Directors’ Association. JAMDA 13(2012):85.e9-85.e15. DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2011.02.007
Mahoney, D.F., McNeill, T. & Henderson, MJ. (2011) Prescribing Practices in Long-term Care: Invisible Influences
Marquette University Elder Law Review, 13(1);31-53.
D. Mahoney (2011) The Aging Nurse Workforce and Technology. Gerontechnology 10(1):13-25 doi:10.4017/gt.2011.19.01.003.00
D. F. Mahoney (2011) An Evidence Based Adoption of Technology Model for Remote Home Monitoring of Elders. Ageing International, 36 (1):66-81 DOI: 10.1007/s12126-010-9073-0
See Curriculum Vitae for complete list.