Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Circles Of Connection: Finding Social Connectedness And Meaning Within Group Process, Julianna F. Bratsberg, Aundrea Marcella Roberts, Susan R. Untiedt

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Social participation is an area of occupation that can increase and enhance an individual’s participation in life. This is particularly true in senior housing communities where common issues of aging and adjustment can be addressed while reducing feelings of social isolation. The purpose of this demonstration project was to provide a venue where older adults living at The Redwoods, a senior housing community in Mill Valley, California, could share and develop meaningful strategies for living, and ultimately foster a sense of connectedness, which would affect quality of life. The project’s goals were to create and implement a series of process …

Healthy Seniors: A Program Evaluation, Andrea Edith Maffei, Matthew Alexander Patjawee, Jamie Christine Thompson

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research study was to perform a summative evaluation of the Healthy Seniors program at Dominican University of California, a wellness program for older adults facilitated by occupational therapy students and faculty.

METHOD: A non-experimental mixed-methods descriptive research design composed of quantitative and qualitative methods was used to analyze data from the 2011 Healthy Seniors sessions.

RESULTS: The majority of participants in the Dominican University of California Healthy Seniors program were women between the ages of 75 and 85. Overall, participants in the Healthy Seniors program improved in functional status and were satisfied with their experience. …