Coach Spotlight
Abbey N. Sachteleben has dedicated her social work career to the welfare and protection of our elder generation. She has been with Senior Resources for the majority of this time and currently serves as Medicaid Case Assistant and Behavioral Health Liaison alongside her role as an Empower Coach.
Abbey is a graduate from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor’s in Social Work. She was the Senior Resources Team Captain for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s for 4 years and is passionate to see the day a cure will be found for this life-changing disease. Her son Emmett, 3 years old, is the ultimate joy in her life. Her family is growing with her recent engagement to Andrew and his son Hayden. (And we cannot forget their 2-year-old Golden Retriever, Charlie.)
In her spare time, Abbey enjoys reading, country music, and being surrounded by her friends and family.
TEAM EMPOWER@HOME
Principal investigator
Xiaoling Xiang /Shaolin Shawn/, PhD, MSW, MPhil
Research Assistant
Caroline Ciagne
University of Michigan Department of Psychology
Research Assistant
Elyse Narbut
University of Michigan Department of Psychology
Research Assistant
Elizabeth Ebenhoeh
University of Michigan LSA
Psychology student
Josie Abrials
University of Michigan Department of Psychology
Research Assistant
Xiaojing (Vivian) Wang
University of Michigan Department of Psychology
Research Assistant
Reilly Post
University of Michigan Department of Psychology
Co-Investigators on R01 Project
Joseph Himle, PhD
University of Michigan School of Social Work
Jennie Jester, PhD
University of Michigan School of Social Work
Sunggeun (Ethan) Park, PhD
University of Michigan School of Social Work
Ruopeng An, PhD
NYU Silver School of Social Work
Community Partners - Current
Senior Resources
An Area Agency on Aging providing comprehensive services to older adults and families in West Michigan. Address: 560 Seminole Road, Muskegon, MI 49444
Lori's Hands
Hannan Center
The mission of the Hannan Center is to preserve the dignity and enhance the quality of life of older adults 55+ in Michigan. Address: 4750 Wooodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201
University Settlement
Established in 1886, University Settlement is the first Settlement House in the United States. It currently serves residents in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn by providing a wide range of social services to all age groups.
CareWell Services Southwest
An area agency on aging charged to identify the needs of seniors and develop plans to enable older adults to maintain their independence with dignity through person-centered services. Serving Barry and Calhoun Counties, Michigan.
Come to the Table Counseling (PLLC)
Come to the Table (CttT) Counseling provides behavioral healthcare in Camden, NY. CttT offers a holistic perspective –treating the mind, body and spirit to help restore a sense of balance in life.
Acknowledgements
The development and evaluation of Empower@Home would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of numerous individuals who have contributed in various capacities. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to:
- Technical Advisor: Alex Halavanau
- Technical Support: Robert LaRoe
- Web Developers: Ruochong Chen, Wonbin Jin, Duy Nguyen, Angela Peng, Rushi Saha, Roee Tsimhoni, Andrew Wilks-Millard, Ethan Yeager
- UX Design: Zi Wang
- Research Assistants: Ella Baranski, Sari Bircoll, Emily Clausen, Hanuel Chun, Asha Dimoji, Kayla Drifka, Luke Estey, Daisy Galgon, Carly Gosdzinski, Nahush Keshav, Nicole Kodkany, Hailey Mauro, Nicole Mueller, Madeline Poupard, Sofia Ruiz-Sierra, Sydney Shaevitz, Allison Uzarek, Anastasia Zhang, Zilin Zhu, Chuxuan Zheng
- Student Coaches: Claire Butcher, Katelyn Burd, Charlotte Drumm, Michaela Foster, Natalie Francis, Sarai Koster-Stetson, Elena McLellan, Brianna Muzzall, Kennedy Van
- Social Work Interns: Glory Kubicek, Sarah Minnis, Ruby Tan
- Community Partners: A&D Home Health Care, AgeWell Services of West Michigan, Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels, Catholic Human Services, EightCap, Grand Traverse County Commission on Aging, Healthier Black Elders Center, Huron Valley PACE, Jewish Family Services of Metropolitan Detroit, Leelanau County Senior Services, MDHHS, National Church Residences, Northern Health Care Management, Region 2 Area Agency on Aging, Region VII Area Agency on Aging, Related Management, Senior Alliance, Senior Resources, Shiawassee Council on Aging, Valley Area Agency on Aging, Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels.
Special thanks to advisory board members and study participants for their willingness to engage with the program and provide essential feedback, which has been instrumental in advancing Empower@Home.
*Note: Names are listed alphabetically by last name.
Funding
2021: Empower@Home was developed with generous financial support from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund (R-2007-147203).
2022-2023: Efficacy testing of Empower@Home was supported by funds from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund (R-2107-149026) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (E20225002-00, E20233264-00, E20242735-00) from 2022 to 2024.
Current:
- R01MH137064. This R01 project, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH/NIMH), tests the real-world effectiveness of Empower@Home.
- 90IFRE0097. This FIP project, sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), focuses on the real-world effectiveness of Empower@Home on social participation of older adults with disabilities.