Cornell has been awarded a four-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to conduct the first large-scale study of verbal and physical aggression among nursing home residents, focusing on prevalence, risk factors, and physical and psychological consequences.

Mark Lachs, M.D., co-chief of the Division of Geriatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College, and Karl Pillemer, professor of human development and director of the Cornell Institute for Translational Research on Aging at the College of Human Ecology, will study residents and staff in 10 New York nursing homes, said Pillemer. The study will look at how extensive aggression and violence among residents is, what causes it and ultimately what can be done to prevent it.

"Resident-to-resident altercations and even violence are surprisingly common in nursing homes, but sound, research-based programs to solve this problem do not exist," said Pillemer. "We hope that this study will improve our understanding of aggression in nursing homes and point to solutions."

The research program builds on two previous articles co-authored by Lachs, Pillemer and Tony Rosen, a Weill Cornell medical student, that found that this type of aggression is common, can result in serious consequences and requires further study to identify risk factors and preventive measures.