Digital Commons Network^™

Complete Issue, Volume 6, 1 (2020)

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Complete Issue, 6(1) 2020

Pinch Span And Force: Normative Data, Requirements For Functional Tasks And Life Roles, And The Influence Of Carpometacarpal Joint Osteoarthritis, Nancy Hock

Dissertations

The three studies that form this dissertation build knowledge related to functional pinch. Study 1 provides normative data for the Baseline® 5-Position Hydraulic Pinch Meter, which may be used in clinical practice. The data collected in this study demonstrate the relationship between lateral pinch strength and age and reveal that strength decreases with age in both males and females. Through examination of the lateral pinch force produced at the 5 different pinch spans, it was found that the strongest lateral pinch strength was produced at 4-5 cm of pinch span. This information can be used by clinicians as they modify …

Exploring Functional Health Literacy In Older Adults With Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Jennifer K. Fortuna

Dissertations

This three-paper dissertation explores functional health literacy (i.e., the ability to access, process and understand health information) in older adults with vision loss caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This research builds scholarship that explores the unique patient education needs of older adults with AMD. The specific aims of this research are to: (1) explore associations between functional health literacy and severity of visual impairment; (2) determine the general readability, suitability and comprehensibility of online patient education materials (PEMs) designed for older adults with AMD; and, (3) assess the overall quality of one PEM that has been simplified based on …

Faculty Retirement Dinner 2020, Western Michigan University

Faculty Recognition

Faculty Retirement Recognition Dinner

May 2020

Honored Guests:

• Dr. Sisay Asefa
• Dr. William J. Charland
• Ms. E. Bryce Dickey
• Dr. Alyce M. Dickinson
• Dr. Howard J. Dooley
• Ms. Janette Gabel-Goes
• Mr. Edward L. Harkness
• Ms. Tricia Hennessy
• Mrs. Kathryn L. Hillenbrand
• Dr. Alan J. Hovestadt
• Dr. Mitch A. Kachun
• Dr. Pairin Katerattanakul
• Dr. James A. Leja
• Dr. Gary R. Matthews
• Dr. Yirong Mo
• Dr. James M. Murray
• Dr. Dennis. D. Pence
• Ms. Maria A. Perez-Stable
• Dr. Mary E. Peterson
• Dr. Lewis R. Pyenson
• Ms. Judity A. Rypma
• Dr. Robert A. Wertkin
• Ms. Jo Wiley
• Mr. Bradley Wong
• Dr. Jay A. …

Social Media As Occupation: Implications For Occupational Therapy Practice, Sheryl Eckberg Zylstra, Kimberly Erler, Wendell Nakamura, Brenda Kennell

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

Assessing Unmet Needs Of Caregivers After Stroke: Occupational Therapist Practices And Perspectives, Deborah R. Clymer, Hadley A. Fields, Kathy Kniepmann

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Family caregivers of stroke survivors often feel unprepared and overwhelmed post discharge with numerous unmet needs. Occupational therapists can play an integral role in addressing family caregivers’ needs. Limited research exists on assessment practices of occupational therapists in identifying caregivers’ needs poststroke. This study explores the practices and perspectives of occupational therapists in assessing unmet caregivers’ needs.

Method: A cross-sectional, mixed methods research design was used to electronically survey 15 occupational therapists. Part 1 of the survey explored participant methods for identifying caregivers’ needs and their views on using formal caregiver assessment tools. Part 2 gathered participant perspectives on …

Exploring How Older People Living At Home Alone Occupy Their Time – A Time-Geographic Study, Alison Wicks, Megan Blanchard, Ingeborg Nilsson

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Knowing what older people choose to do with their time informs occupational therapists in their everyday practice. This study explored how sixteen older Australians living at home alone without support occupied their time.

Method: People aged 70 years and older living alone in one’s home and receiving no support services were voluntary recruited. The participants completed time-use diaries for 5 days and recorded how, with whom, and where they spent time. Data were coded and analyzed using the software program Vardagen.

Results: The participants reported 217 different daily activities. While patterns of daily participation varied, all …

Mental Health Inpatient Hospitalization: What Nursing Can Learn From "Sensory Rooms.", Haley Wilson

Honors Theses

The purpose of this undergraduate thesis is to explore the use of sensory rooms in the psychiatric inpatient care setting. Mental illness is a serious issue, affecting millions each year. In 2018 the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reported that one in five, or 19.6% of U.S. adults experienced some form of mental illness. Inpatient hospitalization is limited to those individuals posing a risk for serious harm to themselves or others. A census conducted by SAMHSA on April 30th, 2018, indicated 129,115 patients in the U.S. were receiving mental health care treatment in the inpatient setting. An …

Grad At A Glance - 03/2020, Western Michigan University

Graduate College news

• Be Healthy!
• Funding Information
• Travel and Research Grants
• Grad Assistant Reminders
• Did You Know?
• Fall 2020 Classes
• Versatile PhD
• Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)
• Graduate College Staff Spotlight
• Events

Albert E. Copolillo, Phd, Otr/L, Faota

OJOT Sponsor Profiles

No abstract provided.

Review Of Elder Suicide: Durkheim’S Vision By Stephen M. Marson, Daniel Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of Elder Suicide: Durkheim’s Vision by. Stephen M. Marson, NASW Press (2019),

Project-Based Learning: Lessons Learned With Teaching The Non-Communication Majors, Sarah Leblanc

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Family communication, as an upper-level communication course, attracts communication majors and students studying in other disciplines. As such, instructors employ pedagogies that appeal to both majors and non-majors. This essay reflects on how I used project-based learning (PBL) in a family communication course filled with mostly non-majors. The essay highlights my rationale for choosing PBL, provides an explanation of the PBL activity, describes how PBL addresses two key problems I experienced in teaching the family communication course, and offers conclusions regarding lessons learned.

"We're Not The Enemy And We're Not Asking For The World": Low-Wage Hospital Service Workers' Advocacy For Fair Wages, Sandra Wexler, Rafael J. Engel, Tal Laufer, Elizabeth Steiner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A number of states and localities have increased the minimum wage beyond that set by the federal government in recognition of the material and health challenges faced by low-wage earners. Academics, economists, and activists have offered microeconomic, economic justice, and moral rationales to support increasing the minimum wage. These justifications can be understood from the vantage of claims-making, that is, the ways individuals and groups attempt to define and shape a social problem to influence policy. This paper examines the wage-related claims-making of low-wage hospital service workers. These workers (N=156) testified to a City Council-created Wage Review Committee, which posted …

Does Internet Access Create Or Destroy Social Capital? The Case Of West Java Province, Bayu Kharisma, Sutyastie Soemitro Remi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Bonding social capital is within a group or community, whereas bridging social capital is between social groups, social class, race, religion, or other important sociodemographic or socioeconomic characteristics. This paper aims to investigate the determinants of household involvement and the effect of internet access on bridging and bonding social capital in West Java, Indonesia. The data used in this study were sourced from the results of a survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) of West Java Province in 2014, The National Socio-Economic Survey (Survei Sosial Ekonomi Nasional) on Socio-Cultural and Educational Module (Modul Sosial Budaya dan Pendidikan) …

Review Of Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation And Sexual Assault: Challenging The Myths. By Corina Schulze, Sarah Koon-Magnin, And Valerie Bryan, Kimberly A. Hogan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation and Sexual Assault: Challenging the Myths.

Journal Of Sociology And Social Welfare Vo. 47, No. 3

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Complete issue of Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare Volume 47, Number 3

Review Of Gerontological Social Work And The Grand Challenges: Focusing On Policy And Practice. By Sara Sanders, Stacey R. Kolomer, Cheryl Waiters Spellman, And Victoria M. Rizzo, Katelyn Hill

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of Gerontological Social Work and the Grand Challenges: Focusing on Policy and Practice.

Functional Analysis In The Home Setting Of An Older Adult With Neurocognitive Disorder, Emily Norton

Masters Theses

Currently within the behavioral gerontology literature there are no published studies that include a functional assessment in the home setting. The primary goal of the present study was to address this gap by conducting a functional analysis on a challenging behavior of an older adult with neurocognitive disorder in the home. This study occurred in two phases. During phase one, researchers conducted an antecedent functional analysis on the bizarre speech of an 81-year-old female with suspected dementia across four conditions (television on, no interactions initiated; television on, interactions initiated; television off, no interactions initiated; television off, interactions initiated). Results from …

The Impact Of A Multisensory Stimulation Environment Within A Memory Care Assisted Living Facility, Dana M. Prince

Dissertations

The use of Multisensory Stimulation Environments (MSSE) has grown increasingly more common in the United States (U.S.) as a nonpharmacological intervention for Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD). However, typical MSSE designs require a secluded room isolated from outside stimulation and demand direct supervision from the care provider during treatment. Due to projected shortages in the clinical workforce and the population of older adults on the rise, a study was designed to reveal the effectiveness of an open-floorplan MSSE to reduce the demand of care providers during the use of the MSSE while allowing subjects diagnosed with dementia to …

Planning And Presenting A Yearly Informational Conference For Grandfamilies, Susan M. Collins 3512464

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Abstract

This practice brief describes the planning and implementation of a local yearly conference for grandparents raising grandchildren. The conference was first held in 2002, and today is offered by a task force consisting of Area Agency on Aging staff, grandparents, Human Service program staff, representatives of various provider agencies and organizations, and academics from a local university. This practice brief describes funding, venue, logistics of the conference day, topics of most interest over the years, and the challenge of reaching grandfamilies. Also described is how evaluation by grandparents has helped the conference evolve to remain relevant and meaningful for …

The Impact Of A Goal-Setting Intervention With Custodial Grandmothers: A Demonstration Project, Julian Montoro-Rodriguez, Bert Hayslip

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

The increasing number of grandparents raising grandchildren underscores the need to provide assistance to grandparent caregivers in terms of training them not only to refresh intergenerational skills, but also developing appropriate and effective strategies associated with the setting of personally meaningful goals for themselves. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of a socio-cognitive pilot demonstration program to improve the health and social psychological outcomes for grandmothers raising grandchildren using the theory of Selection, Optimization and Compensation (Freund & Baltes, 1998).

Sixteen grandmothers raising a grandchild under the age of 18 without the assistance of that child’s …

Asian American Grandparents Caring For Grandchildren: Findings From The Census 2010-2012 American Community Survey, Fengyan Tang, Heejung Jang, Elizabeth Mulvaney

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Research on grandparent caregivers has received growing attention, yet information about Asian American grandparents is limited. Using 2010-2012 American Community Survey (ACS) data, this study provides a national profile of Asian American grandparent caregivers across ethnic groups by region (East, Southeast, and South Asians), and examines socioeconomic and cultural factors related to grandparent caregiving. Of the over half a million Asian Americans who lived with grandchildren during 2010-2012, about 16 percent reported as primary caregivers, and over 31 percent lived in grandparent-headed households. Compared with East Asians, South Asian grandparents were less likely to be primary caregivers for their grandchildren, …

Connections 07/2019, College Of Health And Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Newsletter

• Agreement will lead KCC students to WMU BSW program
• Camp for blind and visually impaired athletes breaks down barriers
• College hosts Kalamazoo Promise GEAR UP event
• MSW named top social work program for trauma care
• Business class completes 3,700+ hours of service in one semester
• Football Broncos tackle tree clearing for Habitat for Humanity
• USWNT's equal pay fight echoes challenges of female sports pioneers

Implementing Behavior Analysis And Intervention For Individuals With Cognitive Impairments In Skilled Nursing Facilities: Summary Of Results, Janet S. Hahn, Jonathan C. Baker, Sandra Wagner, Andrea Perez, Minyoung Kim, Sydney Bulock

Center for Gerontology Reports and Publications

Summary of Purpose

The purpose of the project was to provide behavioral consultation and services to aging persons with cognitive impairment at skilled nursing facilities in Michigan. The goal was to use empirically supported non-pharmacological approaches to reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD; wandering, agitation, disruptive vocalizations, etc.) and help slow down or remediate lost skills, reduce the use of medication to manage BPSD, to improve staff knowledge and abilities, and to develop modules that can be adopted and used by other skilled nursing facilities.The project was led by Dr. Janet Hahn, a social gerontologist with extensive experience …

Relationship Of Grip Strength And Quality Of Life Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Melissa Van Omen

Honors Theses

Loss of muscle strength is one of the key features of aging. Quality of life is a factor that affects productive aging and loss of muscle strength. A literature review was completed to assess the possible relationship between grip strength and quality of life among community-dwelling older adults, as measured through physical health in terms of independence with ADLs/IADLs, physical disability, and mobility. Articles were collected from various peer-reviewed, publish journals using the available databases of Western Michigan University libraries. Databases used include PubMed, Clinical Keys, the National Institute of Health (NIH), Springer Link, Scopus, BioMed Central, Wiley, and Oxford …

Measuring Emotional Response To A Planting Activity For Staff At An Urban Office Setting: A Pilot Study, Amy E. Wagenfeld, Sandra Schefkind, Nancy Hock

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Interaction with occupation-centered activities, such as gardening, is associated with improved mental health. With limited evidence supporting the effects of short-term nature-based interventions on employees’ emotional states, the purpose of this research was to understand the impact of a one-time, short-term nature-based intervention on the emotional state of employees at an urban office building.

Method: This pretest/posttest design study used a visual analogue emoticon assessment tool, the Interaction with Nature scale, to measure differences in the participants’ emotional states before and after participating in a planting activity. Twenty-two participants engaged in the study. Each participant potted a …

Connections 03/2019, College Of Health And Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Newsletter

• Student helps theater launch program for visually impaired patrons
• David Areaux named new chair of Department of Physician Assistant
• Dr. Earlie Washington to receive 5th annual Purple Poppy Award
• OT student to present at national conference
• WMU alum finds success in Broadway's 'Hamilton'
• Miller Broadway lineup includes 'Grinch.' 'Les Miserables'
• Sixth-graders get a look at college life at WMU

The Effects Of A Driving Simulator On Driving-Related Skills Necessary For Adl And Iadl Function, Rebecca Pope, Haley Szpara

Occupational Therapy Graduate Student Evidenced-Based Research Reviews

Background

Returning to driving is often a goal for an individual following a neurological impairment. Critical skills for success in returning to driving include intact cognition, visual, and visual-perceptual skills which are skills that are commonly compromised in individuals who have had a neurological accident. In addition, these skills are necessary for other areas of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLS), as well as activities of daily living road driving performance (Crotty & George, 2009). Emerging evidence has shown the use of driving simulator training as an intervention to increase and the generalizability this may have on ADL function and …

Older Adults And Photo-Elicited Perspectives On Shopping For Groceries In A Changing Community, Lori E. Breeden, Alessandra Planera, Lauren Kirchner, Samantha Asencio, Matthew Branden, Evan Dunlap, Alex Robinson, Samantha Stevens, Sally Wasmuth

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: A community experiencing gentrification created challenges for older adults and their ability to access food. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine barriers and facilitators perceived by three urban-dwelling older adults during their grocery shopping experiences.

Methods: The researchers conducted photo-elicitation supported interviews to gather information on grocery shopping from three older adults attending a local senior center. Photo-elicited interviews were conducted, and the thematic analysis examined the participants’ perspectives on their experiences.

Results: Thematic analysis revealed the participants’ experiences in a changing landscape. In the categories of community resources, transportation, and the store, …

Don’T “Just Call The Social Worker”: Training In Structural Competency To Enhance Collaboration Between Healthcare Social Work And Medicine, Margaret Mary Downey, Joshua Neff, Kate Dube

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this short paper, we argue that providing in-depth structural competency training to both social workers and physicians has the potential to promote a deeper collaboration between these two fields—to the benefit of patients as well as providers. We describe structural competency’s evolution as a pedagogical and practical framework in medicine and social work, then discuss three overlapping ways in which structural competency can enhance collaboration between physician and social work practitioners and educators. First, training in structural competency can fill gaps in both medical and social work education and training—namely a lack of curricula that consistently attend to the …