Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Virtual Visitation: Promoting Social Occupations In Dementia Care, Carly Spina, Lizann Jovanovich, Ashley Jones, Pamela Baraceros, Rena Ribeiro

Occupational Therapy | Graduate Capstone Projects

Approximately two thirds of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) residents in the United States have some form of cognitive impairment such as dementia (Gaugler, et.al, 2014). Care practices in SNFs highlighting safety and therapeutic exercises may further isolate and decrease social opportunities, which can contribute to sensory deprivation in this population and result in lower quality of life (Haigh & Mytton, 2015; Nakamae et al., 2014). COVID-19 visitation restrictions, as well as ongoing barriers of geographical distance, present additional challenges when seeking to engage PLwD residing in SNFs in meaningful social occupations.

Reminiscence has potential to remediate effects of isolation and …

Exploration Of Occupational Barriers Of At-Promise Youth With Photovoice, Francis Bie, Brianna Baisch, Quyntz Ellenwood, Kerry Krohn, Iliana Santellan

Occupational Therapy | Graduate Capstone Projects

Numerous circumstances affect the quality of life of youth including a higher risk for poverty, social exclusion, discrimination, mental health challenges and/or stigma, which effects their ability to engage in occupations (Iwasaki, 2014, p. 317). Through highlighting how photovoice has been utilized in the past with under-represented groups, we wanted to address occupational injustices faced daily by “At-promise” youth. Through utilizing participatory-led research, we wanted to further empower youth to be advocates in their community. Our research aim was to utilize Participatory Action Research and photovoice as a guide for at-promise youth to explore occupational injustices, how to understand the …

Occupational Therapy Collaboration In Creating Accessible Theatre, Chanelle Bautista, Alyssa Cho, Jazmine Cunanan, Ariana Marino, Miko Ramo

Occupational Therapy | Student Research Posters

Sensory-friendly theatre programs aim to dismantle social participation barriers for individuals with sensory processing differences by creating a relaxed theatre experience that includes preparatory materials, environmental modifications, and specialized training (Umeda, 2017). We implemented a pilot sensory-friendly performance of Willy Wonka, Jr. in collaboration with youth actors at the Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, CA on February 13th, 2022. Our program illustrates occupational therapists’ ability to collaborate with theatres and contribute knowledge on sensory processing differences and environmental modification to increase community cultural arts participation for people with disabilities and their families.

Holistic Occupational Therapy Dining Interventions Supporting Individuals With Dementia In Skilled Nursing Facilities, Kathleen Osio, Sabrina Anne Cezar, Ashley Lorton, Lisa Worsham

Occupational Therapy | Graduate Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project is to provide occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) with a Holistic Occupational Therapy Dementia Dining Toolkit to enhance the dining experience in the SNF setting for individuals in all stages of dementia. Dementia is a prevalent condition seen in skilled nursing facilities (SNF) that is expected to continue to rise; in 2016, 47.8 percent of individuals living in a SNF had a diagnosis of dementia (Center of Disease Control, 2020). Dining experiences for individuals with dementia (IwD) are impacted by an individual’s cognition, physical, environmental, and psychosocial factors. Additionally, the task oriented and structured approach to …