Digital Commons Network^™

In The Information Age, Do Dementia Caregivers Get The Information They Need? Semi-Structured Interviews To Determine Informal Caregivers’ Education Needs, Barriers, And Preferences, Kendra Peterson, Howard Hahn, Amber J. Lee, Catherine A. Madison, Alireza Atri

Dartmouth Scholarship

Most patients with dementia or cognitive impairment receive care from family members, often untrained for this challenging role. Caregivers may not access publicly available caregiving information, and caregiver education programs are not widely implemented clinically. Prior large surveys yielded broad quantitative understanding of caregiver information needs, but do not illuminate the in-depth, rich, and nuanced caregiver perspectives that can be gleaned using qualitative methodology. We aimed to understand perspectives about information sources, barriers and preferences, through semi-structured interviews with 27 caregivers. Content analysis identified important themes

Tau Phosphorylation At Alzheimer's Disease-Related Ser356 Contributes To Tau Stabilization When Par-1/Mark Activity Is Elevated., Kanae Ando, Mikiko Oka, Yosuke Ohtake, Motoki Hayashishita, Sawako Shimizu, Shin-Ichi Hisanaga, Koichi M. Iijima

Department of Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Abnormal phosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau is observed in many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD-related phosphorylation of two tau residues, Ser262 and Ser356, by PAR-1/MARK stabilizes tau in the initial phase of mismetabolism, leading to subsequent phosphorylation events, accumulation, and toxicity. However, the relative contribution of phosphorylation at each of these sites to tau stabilization has not yet been elucidated. In a Drosophila model of human tau toxicity, we found that tau was phosphorylated at Ser262, but not at Ser356, and that blocking Ser262 phosphorylation decreased total tau levels. By contrast, when PAR-1 was co-overexpressed with tau, …

2016-2017 Summer Bulletin, University Of Mississippi Medical Center

Bulletins/Catalogs

2016-2017 Summer Bulletin

Polypharmacy And Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use In Geriatric Oncology., Manvi Sharma, Kah Poh Loh, Ginah Nightingale Pharmd, Bcop, Supriya G. Mohile, Holly M. Holmes

College of Pharmacy Faculty Papers

Polypharmacy is a highly prevalent problem in older persons, and is challenging to assess and improve due to variations in definitions of the problem and the heterogeneous methods of medication review and reduction. The purpose of this review is to summarize evidence regarding the prevalence and impact of polypharmacy in geriatric oncology patients and to provide recommendations for assessment and management. Polypharmacy has somewhat variably been incorporated into geriatric assessment studies in geriatric oncology, and polypharmacy has not been consistently evaluated as a predictor of negative outcomes in patients with cancer. Once screened, interventions for polypharmacy are even more uncertain. …

Dna Methylation-Based Measures Of Biological Age: Meta-Analysis Predicting Time To Death., B. Chen, R. Marioni, E. Colicino, M. Peters, C. Ward-Caviness, Cara L. Carty, +Several Additional Authors

Clinical Research and Leadership Faculty Publications

Estimates of biological age based on DNA methylation patterns, often referred to as "epigenetic age", "DNAm age", have been shown to be robust biomarkers of age in humans. We previously demonstrated that independent of chronological age, epigenetic age assessed in blood predicted all-cause mortality in four human cohorts. Here, we expanded our original observation to 13 different cohorts for a total sample size of 13,089 individuals, including three racial/ethnic groups. In addition, we examined whether incorporating information on blood cell composition into the epigenetic age metrics improves their predictive power for mortality. All considered measures of epigenetic age acceleration were …

The Age-Friendly Cities Project In Bowling Green: A Narrative History, Hannah Ruggles

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

An age-friendly city is one that “encourages active ageing by optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age. In practical terms, an age-friendly city adapts its structures and services to be accessible to and inclusive of older people with varying needs and capacities.” Bowling Green was the seventh city in the US to join the World Health Organization’s Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and is currently in year three of a five-year project. The developments over the past two years have been guided by the principle that senior residents of Bowling …

Living With Traumatic Brain Injury In A Rural Setting: Supports And Barriers Across The Continuum Of Care, Anne L. Harrison, Elizabeth G. Hunter, Heather Thomas, Paige Bordy, Erin Stokes, Patrick H. Kitzman

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Purpose: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is prevalent in Kentucky and comes with a high cost in care and quality of life for individuals and caregivers affected. Many people living with the condition of TBI have unmet needs. Research among people living with TBI in rural areas is limited. The purposes of this study were to (1) increase understanding of the lived experience of people with TBI and caregivers in rural regions of Kentucky across the continuum of their care and (2) provide their perspectives on barriers and facilitators of optimal function and well-being.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive interview study was …

Dementia In Prison: An Argument For Training Correctional Officers, Rachele Vogel

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Dementia is a significant public health problem that is occurring behind bars. However, the number of inmates suffering from this disease is unknown (Feczko, 2014). Current research has exposed a serious gap in correctional health care for older adults, and correctional institutions are being encouraged to make changes to better address the needs of this population (Fellner, 2012; OIG, 2016; Williams, Stern, Mellow, Safer, & Greifinger, 2012b). The purpose of this paper is to bring awareness to the aging problem behind bars and respond to the identified need for additional training for custodial staff (correctional, parole, and probation officers). Training …

Dance-Based Exercise Therapy For People With Arthritis: An Update And Commentary, Ray Marks

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Core Endurance And Lower Extremity Strength, And The Ability To Recover After Perturbation, Carlie Jones-Hershinow

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

Previous research suggests core strength training improves anticipatory postural adjustments, reducing one’s risk of a fall, and stronger core muscles lead to faster reaction times. This study investigated whether core endurance and lower extremity strength relate to the time one needs to stabilize after being perturbed. An evaluation of ten participants while warming up determined each participant’s transition speed between walking and running. While each participant walked at his/her transition speed, the belts were stopped randomly at an acceleration rate of

2.7 m∙s^-2 and ground reaction forces were recorded during balance recovery. Additionally, each participant completed a series of …

Hydration And Vocal Loading On Voice Measures, Anusha Sundarrajan

Open Access Dissertations

Vocal loading adversely affects the healthy larynx. The negative effects of vocal loading are thought to be exacerbated in dry environments, noisy environments, using non-habitual speaking patterns, and voice quality. Advancing age is also thought to be a risk factor for the negative effects of loading. To systematically tease out the effects of these factors on the healthy larynx, three different experiments were conducted. In each experiment, healthy participants produced 45-minutes of child-directed speech. In experiment 1, older, healthy adults produced loud child-directed speech, in the presence of background noise, in both low and moderate humidities, and voice was assessed. …

Population Health Management Risk Assessment Tool Validation: Directing Resource Utilization, Sonya L. Christensen

Doctoral Projects

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 is transforming health care across the nation into a value-based system that emphasizes quality and continuity with reimbursement tied to patient outcomes. The shift in emphasis is best realized through the strategy of Population Health Management, a change from traditional episodic treatment of illness to management of the health needs of populations throughout the continuum of health. The goal of care is to ensure that patients, especially the chronically ill, receive effective attention to their health needs in order to improve outcomes, decrease costs, and provide a positive patient experience. An important component …

The Influence Of Strength-Training Exercises On The Functional Fitness In Older Adults, Susie Engle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of strength-training exercises on the functional fitness in older adults. The original convenience sample consisted of 658 participants who attended group strength-training classes offered through the Cooperative Extension Service. The Senior Fitness Test was used to assess baseline fitness levels at the beginning and end of the 12-week strength-training program. Data was collected from 2008 to 2015. Of the 658 participants, 110 were aged 60 to 94 and presented posttest scores occurring approximately 12 weeks after pretest dates. Of the 110 subjects, 99 were female and 11 were male. The …

Role Of Stress And Social Resources On Biomarkers And Fatigue In Staff Nurses: A Biobehavioral Approach, Mona Cockerham

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Purpose

Consecutive 12-hr workdays can contribute to increased stress and fatigue and negative biological responses in nurses, potentially compromising quality of patient care and safety. The primary purpose of this study was to assess changes in stress, fatigue, and biological responses (salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase) over three consecutive 12-hr workdays in acute care nurses and how stress and social resources function in predicting fatigue and biological responses.

Methods

In a prospective study, 81 acute care nurses completed questionnaires and provided saliva samples four times: pre-shifts and post-shifts of day 1 and day 3.

Results

Although stress and biological responses did …

Influences On Self-Care In Women With Heart Failure: A Pilot Study, Joy Corcione

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Heart Failure self-care becomes exceedingly difficult to perform as the disease progresses; therefore social support becomes important in facilitating heart failure self-care. Woman with heart failure represent a significant and growing vulnerable population. Women tend to have lower self-confidence in providing self-care, experience greater negative emotions, decreased social support, experience more adverse psychosocial factors affecting self-care and experience greater psychosocial adversity than do men. Self-care is vital in managing heart failure and social support greatly facilitates self-care behaviors.

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to gain a deeper understanding about the sources of perceived social support and …

A Comparison Of Stride Length And Lower Extremity Kinematics During Barefoot And Shod Running In Well Trained Distance Runners, Peter Francis, James Ledingham, Sarah B. Clarke Phd, Dj Collins, Philip Jakeman

Journal Articles

Stride length, hip, knee and ankle angles were compared during barefoot and shod running on a treadmill at two speeds. Nine well-trained (1500m time: 3min:59.80s ± 14.7 s) male (22 ±3 years; 73 ±9 kg; 1.79 ±0.4 m) middle distance (800 m – 5,000 m) runners performed 2 minutes of running at 3.05 m·s^-1 and 4.72 m·s^-1 on an treadmill. This approach allowed continuous measurement of lower extremity kinematic data and calculation of stride length. Statistical analysis using a 2X2 factorial ANOVA revealed speed to have a main effect on stride length and hip angle and footwear to …

Hearing And Vision Screening Tools For Long-Term Care Residents With Dementia: Protocol For A Scoping Review, Katherine Mcgilton, Fiona Hobler, Jennifer Campos Ph.D, Kate Dupuis, Tammy Labreche, Dawn M. Guthrie, Jonathan Jarry, Walter Wittich

Kinesiology and Physical Education Faculty Publications

Introduction Hearing and vision loss among long-term care (LTC) residents with dementia frequently goes unnoticed and untreated. Despite negative consequences for these residents, there is little information available about their sensory abilities and care assessments and practices seldom take these abilities or accessibility needs into account. Without adequate knowledge regarding such sensory loss, it is difficult for LTC staff to determine the level of an individual's residual basic competence for communication and independent functioning. We will conduct a scoping review to identify the screening measures used in research and clinical contexts that test hearing and vision in adults aged over …

When Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Extending The Reach Of Qualitative Data Collecting, Justine M. Mcgovern

Publications and Research

Through the lens of a study exploring dementia care partnering, the purpose of this methods article is to focus on the role of artifacts and embodied data in data collection. In addition, it illustrates how to use a range of data collecting methods. The article identifies benefits of additional data collecting methods to research and care. These include the need to expand data collecting methods beyond spoken word, integrate a range of data collecting approaches into research courses across disciplines, increase support of qualitative research, and advocate for greater inclusivity in research. Data collecting approaches can also have implications for …

Self-Care And Mobility Disability At Mid-Life In Lucky Few, Early-, And Late-Baby Boom Birth-Cohorts, Carlos Siordia

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Disability is related in definite ways with makers of social stratum, as it can be influenced by and has the potential to contribute to the production and reproduction of social stratification. Intersectional markers of social stratification processes are ignored determinants of health. The Class, Race, Sex (CRS) hypothesis presented here argues that a low-education, racial-minority, and female disadvantage will compound to affect the prevalence and risks of disability. The evidence presented validates the CRS hypothesis by showing that disability prevalence and risk clusters first by class, race, and then sex. The cross-sectional study of community-dwelling adults in the Unites States, …

Intersecting Positions Of Social Disadvantage And Self-Reported Health Status Disparities, Carla S. Alvarado, Chunhuei Chi

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Health disparities along the gender, race and class are particularly important to monitor and study given the predicted differential distribution of health along these social identities. Intersectionality is a theoretical framework that allows public health and health disparities researchers to account for the simultaneous, mutually constitutive, reinforcing and multidimensional effects of gender, class, and race with the aim to better understand health disparities. Disparities along gender, race and class have been noted in self-reported health status (SRHS) which has been shown to be a strong predictive factor of mortality, morbidity and mental health independent of other physiologic, behavioral and psychosocial …

Using The Theory Of Fundamental Causes To Show The Potential Effects Of Socioeconomic Status On Surgical Outcomes, Mehwish Qasim, A.B.D.

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Surgical procedures are both costly and common. There are large differences in surgical outcomes both within and between hospitals based on patient characteristics such as measures of income. In both 2000 and 2009, patients residing in low-income communities had worse morbidity and mortality rates, across a wide range of quality indicators. In this review, the author will explicate the Theory of Fundamental Causes as it relates to surgical care, review key empirical findings and address potential limitations of the theory. This review will provide a platform for researchers to discuss current research in surgical disparities using the Theory of Fundamental …

Physical Activity Among Older American Indians And Alaska Natives, David Hodgins, Linda Larkey, Barbara E. Ainsworth, Colleen Keller

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Introduction: Life style behaviors contribute to poor health among older Americans Indians/Alaska Native (AI/AN) in the United States, with low levels of physical activity (PA) particularly tied to the chronic disease profile of this population. Searched reviews of physical activity among AI/ANs are limited in assessing prevalence and correlates to PA among older adults > 40 years.

Methods: A literature search of reported physical activity studies among older AI/AN was assessed for prevalence and predictive factors associated with levels of physical activity.

Results: Fourteen studies were included in this review that either specifically quantified the amount of physical activity among older …

Blood Pressure Control For African American Parents And Children: Feasibility And Initial Outcomes Of A Faith-Based Intervention Pilot Study, Penny A. Ralston Ph.D., Tammye Farmer M.S., Iris Young-Clark Ph.D., Catherine Coccia Ph.D., R.D.

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The overall purpose was to determine the feasibility and initial outcomes of a faith-based intervention to improve blood pressure (BP) control in African American (AA) parents/guardians and their children, using a pre/post without control group design. Sample included AA parents and children (n=17) from three churches in North Florida. Health behaviors (daily servings of fruits/vegetables [F/V], minutes of physical activity [PA]) and physical health (BMI, systolic BP and diastolic SB) were examined. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and correlations. Feasibility outcomes showed high attendance (91% children, 88% parents) and completion (100%) rates. F/V significantly increased at post-test …

Creating Environments Through The Art Of Occupational Therapy, Lydia Royeen

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Dr. Lori Reynolds has an interest in therapeutic gardens and the creation of living spaces that promote well-being for older adults. Dr. Reynolds educates various stakeholders on the benefits of occupational therapy, including landscape architects and senior living administrators. Her advocacy to expand occupational therapy beyond its mainstream roles is infectious. She speaks passionately about her work in helping to create therapeutic gardens and how her role as an occupational therapist offers great perspective in this process. She appreciates the environmental impact on an individual’s health and well-being and practices from a person-environment-occupation theory.

Achieving Teaching, Scholarship, And Service Through Community Engagement, Carole K. Ivey, Jodi L. Teitelman, Kelli W. Gary, Dianne F. Simons, Jayne T. Shepherd, Albert E. Copolillo

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy faculty currently face enormous challenges in meeting teaching load expectations, while also under pressure to participate in scholarly projects and to make administrative and service contributions. Community engagement projects may provide opportunities for faculty to effectively and efficiently meet the goals in each of these areas while imparting benefits to students and community partners as well. Faculty at the Department of Occupational Therapy (OT) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) embraced this idea as consistent with the university’s mission and strategic plan, and recognized its benefits in assisting faculty to meet workload demands. Four community partnerships reflecting the range …

Eportfolio: The Scholarly Capstone For The Practice Doctoral Degree In Occupational Therapy, Jim Hinojosa, Tsu-Hsin Howe

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

A critical decision doctoral faculty must make is deciding what is the most appropriate capstone or terminal requirement for the practice doctorate degree that is consistent with the program’s curriculum. EPortfolios are a viable option for documenting doctoral students’ advanced knowledge and competence. After creating a professional development plan, the students record individual experiences and reflections framed by a self-selected metaphor, provide objective documentation of achievements, and verify advanced competence in a specific area in their ePortfolios. As the students construct their ePortfolios, they must engage in self-directed learning that is grounded in evidence-based and reflective practice, with a focus …

Outcomes Of Peer Mentoring At An Associate Degree Nursing Program, Melissa B. Harper

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Nursing students have described clinical experiences as being stressful, yet the application of classroom knowledge to the clinical health care setting is a requirement. The purpose of this mixed-method study is to compare students’ perceptions of the peer mentoring leadership experience (PMLE) and the student charge nurse experience (SCNE). The PMLE was piloted at a southeastern community college’s associate degree nursing (ADN) program. Hand-selected PMLE second-year nursing students (n=5) were paired with hand-selected PMLE first-year nursing students (n=5) for medical/surgical clinical rotations. The ADN program’s purpose for these clinical rotations was to provide a mutually beneficial mentoring experience. The remaining …

Large Cross-Sectional Study Of Presbycusis Reveals Rapid Progressive Decline In Auditory Temporal Acuity, Erol J. Ozmeral, Ann C. Eddins, Robert Frisina Sr., David A. Eddins

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Publications

The auditory system relies on extraordinarily precise timing cues for the accurate perception of speech, music, and object identification. Epidemiological research has documented the age-related progressive decline in hearing sensitivity that is known to be a major health concern for the elderly. Although smaller investigations indicate that auditory temporal processing also declines with age, such measures have not been included in larger studies. Temporal gap detection thresholds (TGDTs; an index of auditory temporal resolution) measured in 1071 listeners (aged 18–98 years) were shown to decline at a minimum rate of 1.05 ms (15%) per decade. Age was a significant predictor …

Exposure To Traffic-Related Air Pollution In Relation To Progression In Physical Disability Among Older Adults, Cynthia Curl

Public and Population Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND: Physical disability is common though not inevitable in older age and has direct bearing on a person’s ability to perform activities essential for self-care and independent living. Air pollution appears to increase the risk of several chronic diseases that contribute to the progression of disability.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) in relation to progression in physical disability.

METHODS: We conducted our investigation within the Chicago Health and Aging Project. We measured participants’ exposures to TRAP using two surrogates: residential proximity to major roads (1993 onwards) and ambient concentrations of oxides of nitrogen (NO …

Shared Care Contributions To Self-Care And Quality Of Life In Chronic Cardiac Patients, Margaret Sebern, Roger Brown, Patricia Flatley Brennan

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Shared care is an interpersonal interaction system composed of communication, decision making, and reciprocity; it is used by patients and family caregivers (care dyads) to exchange social support. This study’s purpose was to describe the contributions of shared care to outcomes for individuals with cardiac disease. A secondary data analysis was used to answer the following questions. What is the association between elements of shared care and patient outcomes? Do dyad perceptions of shared care differentially contribute to patient outcomes? Participants in this study were 93 individuals with a cardiac disease and 93 family caregivers. Composite index structured equation modeling …