Sarah Tucker, PhD, OTR/LSarah Tucker, PhD, OTR/L, assistant professor in the UAB Department of Occupational Therapy, has received a Palliative Research Enhancement Project Award from the UAB Center for Palliative and Supportive Care. The 2-year grant will support a community-based pilot project to identify palliative care needs and inform a future, larger-scale study of interventions for people with serious illness who are incarcerated or recently released.
Tucker’s work bridges two growing areas of occupational therapy practice: serious-illness care, in which occupational therapists help people continue meaningful daily activities, and trauma-informed care, an approach that adapts treatment to protect emotional safety and rebuild trust, especially relevant for a population with high rates of trauma exposure.
“Trauma-informed practices reduce the risk of re-traumatization and promote safety and empowerment,” Tucker said. “They are urgently needed to reduce suffering, improve quality of life, and advance health equity for this rapidly growing and underserved population.”
The number of people 60 and older in Alabama prisons has grown nearly 30-fold since 2000, from 85 to nearly 2,400, and the estimated death rate inside is roughly five times the national average. More than 90% of people in the justice system have experienced significant trauma, and many face barriers like unstable housing and stigma when they return to their communities.
Tucker will carry out the project in partnership with Redemption Earned, Inc., Alabama’s only nonprofit focused on securing medical furlough and parole for seriously ill people in the state’s prisons. Together with a community advisory board, Tucker will conduct a needs assessment and photovoice study, a research method in which participants use photographs to document lived experience and identify needs.
“The photovoice aspect of the project will capture factors and insights that traditional interviews often miss, while providing a platform to advocate for the palliative care needs of these individuals,” Tucker said.
Ultimately, Tucker and her partners on the project aim to expand access to high-quality, trauma-informed palliative care for individuals affected by incarceration across the Southeast.
