Digital Commons Network^™

Recommendations To Recruit And Retain Older Adults In Southern Maine, Hannah Ruhl

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

In retirement, older adults often decide to devote their time and skills to the needs of others. Much is known about who older volunteers are demographically, and what they can gain from the experience. At the same time many organizations who rely on volunteers, especially smaller ones with fewer resources, fail to attract committed older adult volunteers. This capstone presents insights found in the literature and collected from interviews with local volunteer managers, and offers a list of recommendations synthesized from those sources. The list of recommended strategies can be used by organizations to increase the number of older volunteers …

Hippotherapy: An Alternative Treatment From The Perceptions Of Practitioners, Leah Tinkham

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Hippotherapy can be defined as a dynamic service offered by occupational, physical, and speech-language pathologists that utilizes a horse’s unique movement to achieve functional outcomes. While there are an abundance of studies demonstrating the effectiveness of hippotherapy, very few have examined the perceptions of the practitioners. The purposes of this thesis are to investigate hippotherapy’s effectiveness as well as to examine the beliefs and attitudes towards hippotherapy use among occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech therapists. A literature review was conducted to examine the effectiveness of hippotherapy.

The study included a total of 15 occupational, physical, and speech-language therapists who …

Deaf Education: Bicultural Bilingual Education And Total Communication In General Education, Stacey L. Johnson

Honors Theses

This paper will examine scholarly work in the field of deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) education in relation to two different approaches used by teachers in this field. The researcher is searching to find which approach, bicultural bilingual in a residential setting or total communication in general education best serves students who are deaf and hard of hearing in the United States. Upon beginning research, it was quickly noted that you cannot look at only setting, communication, or approach; they are tightly bound and must be looked at together.

Commencement Convocation Program, St. Petersburg Campus, May 7, 2017, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg

USF St. Petersburg Graduations and Commencements

Outstanding Graduate: Hunter Paul Drake

Spring Commencement [Program], May 6, 2017, University Of Northern Iowa.

UNI Commencement Programs

The program of the commencement ceremonies, including a list of institutional leadership, a list of the departments by college, awards given at the ceremonies, and a list of undergraduate and graduate degree candidates.

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, Graduate, May 6, 2017, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

President's Global Leadership Award - France Cordova

Alzheimer’S Disease And The Impact Of Music Therapy A Systematic Literature Review, Hayley Guess

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Currently ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has become the most prevalent form of dementia, a term commonly associated with memory loss and other progressive cognitive deficits that compromise patients’ lives. What may begin as a mindlessly misplaced object or momentary inability to recall newly learned information will eventually advance to a loss of personal identity, forgotten loved ones, and utter misperception of reality. Although a cure for AD has yet to be discovered, there are several non-pharmacological treatments that can improve patients’ quality of life and provide temporary relief from …

The Roles Of Race And Empathy On Contagious Yawning, Daroon M. Jalil

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Social Psychologists often consider race to be a marker of in-group or out-group status. When looking at race, implicit bias can take forms that are more subtle than outwards racism. Two research questions were asked in this study to better understand the psychology behind racial issues. The first question was if the number of contagious yawns (CY) a person experiences depends on the race of the stimuli being viewed. Contagiously yawning more to in-group members is a phenomena seen in chimpanzees, but has not been studied in humans in a racial context. Black and white males and females were recruited …

Complementary Multimodal Compartments In The Developing Inferior Colliculus, Roxana Behrooz

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The auditory system is responsible for detecting, encoding, and deciphering hearing. The inferior colliculus (IC) is a major relay hub situated in the midbrain, that is subdivided into a central nucleus, and surrounding dorsal and lateral cortices. The central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (CNIC) is organized tonotopically based on a frequency gradient and strictly processes auditory information. In contrast, recent studies show that the lateral cortex of the inferior colliculus (LCIC) is actually multimodal, receiving inputs from not just auditory sources, but also somatosensory and visual structures. The precise organization of patterned inputs to the LCIC and their development …

The Community 911 System: Sources Of Strain And Relief, Elizabeth Zulauf

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This thesis will identify best practices from other localities around the country and propose a set of possible solutions for Harrisonburg EMS. Because non-emergency 911 calls use resources, finances, equipment and time that contribute to the burden that the emergency system faces, communities have adopted programs that aim to ease this burden by limiting the amount of ambulance responses to calls that turn out to be non-emergency. It is not only in Harrisonburg, but across the country that “providers are overwhelmed with evaluation, treatment and transportation of patients who have minor medical conditions but who have nowhere else to turn …

A Systematic Review Of Mexican American Elders With Type-2 Diabetes Under Family Care Of Medication Administration In Borderland, Hsueh-Fen S. Kao, Diana L. Woods, Minzhi Ye, Lin Chen, Maria A. Amaya, Show-Mei Lin

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

The prevalence of type-2 diabetes (T2DM) among Mexican-American older adults along the U.S.-Mexico border region is at epidemic proportions. Healthcare reform is trending toward long-term home-based management of chronic conditions. Under the Mexican cultural norm of familism, daily care for elders is also often provided by family caregivers whose competence levels may vary. Adherence to the prescribed medication regimen is critical to attainment of optimal glucose control. However, there is a startling lack of literature that addresses the link between family medication administration and care recipients’ health outcome. This paper explores the role of culture in medication administration by family …

Sex Specific Spatial Navigation And Memory Impairment In The Tgf344-Ad Rat Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Laura Elizabeth Berkowitz

Psychology ETDs

Spatial navigation and memory are impaired in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and may be a defining behavioral marker of preclinical AD. Nevertheless, limitations of diagnostic criteria for prodromal AD and within animal models of AD make characterization of preclinical AD difficult. A new rat model (TgF344-AD) of AD overcomes many of these limitations, though spatial navigation and memory has not been comprehensively assessed. This study aimed to characterize. Using three paradigms of the Morris Water Maze, spatial navigation and memory were assessed in TgF344-AD (n=16) and Fischer 344 (n=12) male and female rats over three time points. TgF344-AD …

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, Baccalaureates, May 5, 2017, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

President's Global Leadership Award - Ibrahim Gambari; Honorary Doctor of Science - Phillip Furman; Honorary Doctor of Engineering and Nursing - Patricia Flatley Brennan; Honorary Doctor of Education - Michael Gessler; King O'Neal Scholars - Nelly Arenas, Abdulah Barakat, Nicholas Buliga, Jheuel Carter-Guy, Harmelle Davis, Michael Gile, Daniel Gomero, Ashleigh Haliabalias, Alexis Johnson, Evan Johnson, Patrick Lepochat, Alexis Low, Jacelyn Macip Billbe, Chandler Miller, Anita Nguyen, Thao Nguyen, Lauren O'Farrill Blanco, Typer Palbicke, Cheyanna Patrick, Michael Putnam, Omar Rodriguez, Tracey Rose, Mary Samarkos, Shaan Sehgal, Natalie Soyster, Yonatan Tamir, Andrew Vieira, Jhulianna Vivar, and Brian Win; Outstanding Graduate - Natalie …

Influence Of Socioeconomic Status And Family Support On Disability, Depressive Symptoms, And Perceived Poor Health In Older Korean Adults, Insook Lee, Young Ko

Asian/Pacific Island Nursing Journal

This purpose of this study is to identify factors associated with older Korean adults’ disability, depressive symptoms, and perceived poor health, with a focus on their socioeconomic status and family support. This is a secondary data analysis of the initial survey data from a home visiting center in 2009. The data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, and multivariate logistic regression. We observed significant differences in perceived health between men and women based on their socioeconomic status. Type of medical insurance was strongly associated with depressive symptoms among the men and women. Results also indicated that being unschooled was significantly related …

The Nurse's Role In Promoting Activity In Older Adults, Katlyn G. Luebke

Honors Capstones

The older adult population has a high rate of chronic disease, falls, and a decline in mental health (Nelson et al, 2007). In addition, the aging population utilizes the highest proportion of medical care than any other age group (Chen et al., 2011). The older population trusts the face-to-face interaction with their health care team and nurses are at the forefront of care for their patients (Pacucci, Chu, Leasure, 2012). It is the responsibility of the nurse to educate and advocate for the active lifestyle of an elderly patient for better health promotion and prevention of disease or disease progression. …

De-Prescribing, A Solution To The Issue Of Polypharmacy, Megan R. Kampa

Nursing Capstones

No abstract provided.

Efficacy Of Herpes Zoster Vaccine, Kayla M. Stremick

Nursing Capstones

No abstract provided.

Healthnet News V.32:No.3 May-June 2017, Wendy Urciuoli

Articles - Patient Care

Linking Connecticut Patients and Families to Reliable Health Information

Primetimes Newsletter, Spring 2017, Office Of Lifespan Studies

PrimeTimes Newsletter

PrimeTimes is the newsletter of the Office of Lifespan Studies in the College of Science at Coastal Carolina University.

2017 Spring Graduate Commencement, Lindenwood University

Commencement Programs

Lindenwood University Commencement program.

The Emotional Cost Of Caring: Compassion Fatigue Experienced By Nurse Staff On An Inpatient Geriatric Behavioral Health Unit, Susan Annette Campbell

Theses and Dissertations from 2017

Purpose: Research studies on the prevalence of compassion fatigue (CF) in nursing have been conducted in various clinical settings. There has been limited empirical research conducted on nurses working within the geriatric behavioral health setting, which can present increased nursing challenges related to the chronic health problems of aging coupled with acute behavioral health crises. The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive research study was to identify the prevalence of CF in RN and LPN staff within an inpatient geriatric behavioral health unit setting in two comparably sized hospitals. Design/Methods: An electronic survey design (consisting of demographics and the ProQOL v. …

Sleep Duration Partially Accounts For Race Differences In Diurnal Cortisol Dynamics, Laurel M. Peterson, Karissa G. Miller, Patricia M. Wong, Barbara P. Anderson, Thomas W. Kamarck, Karen A. Matthews, Clemens Kirschbaum, Stephen B. Manuck

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Objective: Emerging research demonstrates race differences in diurnal cortisol slope, an indicator of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA)-axis functioning associated with morbidity and mortality, with African Americans showing flatter diurnal slopes than their White counterparts. Sleep characteristics are associated with both race and with HPA-axis functioning. The present report examines whether sleep duration may account for race differences in cortisol dynamics. Method: Participants were 424 employed African American and White adults (mean age = 42.8 years, 84.2% White, 53.6% female) with no cardiovascular disease (Adult Health and Behavior Project—Phase 2 [AHAB-II] cohort, University of Pittsburgh). Cortisol slope was calculated using 4 salivary cortisol …

Nursing Discharge Education For The Baby Boomer Generation, Sarah Spradlin

2017 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

The Baby Boomer Generation is the largest generation to come into the health care system, but there is a lack of research in the nursing field on their unique needs for health care education. A 13- question descriptive study was created to assess Baby Boomer patient preferences on nursing discharge education and factors affecting their learning in the hospital. The survey was completed by 30 patients at a south-central U.S. hospital. The findings demonstrated that the majority of patients preferred face-to-face interaction with nursing staff and handouts they can take home to refer back to, once out of the hospital. …

Understanding Aging Well From The Perspectives Of Homebound Older Adults, Debra Lynn Rogers

Social Work Theses - Archive

With the population becoming “grayer” the United States has begun to question what it means to be aging well. Previous research has examined what it means to age well how to diminish age-related losses, although there is a lack of consensus about what this means. The older adult population is diverse regarding race, ethnicity, sex, culture, sexual orientation, and ability; thus, aging well can mean different things to different people. Due to this diversity, the subjective perspectives and experiences of older adults are important to understand the processes of aging well and expand its conceptualization to a heterogeneous population of …

Effectiveness Of Suicide Prevention Programs To Reduce Suicide Ideation And Behavior In Older Adults: A Systematic Review Of The Literature From 2009-2016, Marissa Steen Wallace

Social Work Theses - Archive

A systematic review was conducted to replicate a previous systematic review and to examine the effectiveness of various suicide prevention interventions for the older adult population. A search through 6 databases presented 7 articles that met all elibility criteria. All included articles presented interventions for adults age 60 and over that resulted in a statistically significant reduction in suicide ideation or behavior. The programs were reviewed with the GRADE protocol, which measured the quality of methods and results, and included strengths and limitations of the studies. The discussion provided implications of intervention settings and suggestions for future directions for social …

Imprinted Effects In The Brain: From The X Chromosome To Single Autosomal Loci, Eric Szelenyi

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Proper brain functioning relies on “imprints†– epigenetic marks controlling gene expression in a parent-of-origin (PO)-specific manner. Early in development imprinting occurs upon the X-chromosome in females, and also in both sexes amongst ~100 known imprinted genes, such as Growth factor receptor-binding protein 10 (Grb10). Uniquely, the control over gene dosage endowed by both forms of imprinting (X-chromosome inactivation, XCI, and genomic imprinting, respectively) outweighs the benefits of diploidy. Thus, their existence highlights a functional significance. Spatial arrangements of imprinted brain cells have implicated systems and circuit-level functions over behavior. However, until now we have lacked the means for adequate …

Provider Based Interventions To Mitigate Risk For Opioid Pain Medication Abuse Among Adult Patients In A Primary Care Setting, Sheree Lamara Conley-Donaldson

Doctoral Projects

Mental and substance use disorders are predicted to exceed all physical disease processes causing major disability by 2020. Misuse and overdose of opioid pain medications is a significant public health concern in the United States. Approximately 1 in 4 patients receiving prescription opioids in primary care settings struggle with misuse. Half of all opioid prescriptions are written by primary care providers, including nurse practitioners. The purpose of this DNP project was to determine if nurse practitioner providers are implementing evidence-based practice guidelines including screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) to mitigate risk of prescription opioid pain medication misuse …

Novel Effects Of Prefoldin Pathway On Intestinal Homeostasis Via Dietary Restriction In Drosophila Melanogaster, Jesse Simons

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The field of medicine research is embroiled in a battle against aging. Particular focus is on the extension of lifespan and health-span. Lifespan duration is affected by many factors, one of which is the maintenance of the intestines of the organism. Homeostasis of the intestines is controlled by the regulation of intestine cell apoptosis and intestine cell proliferation. My research explores the role of two protein subunits found in a complex which may have possible functions in the regulation of these processes. The overall complex is formed from six subunit proteins, some of which are known to assist in other …

Consequences Of Urinary Tract Infections In Older Adults, Kayla M. Kappel

Nursing Capstones

No abstract provided.

Mental Health Care Treatment Seeking Among African Americans And Caribbean Blacks: What Is The Role Of Religiosity/Spirituality?, Natalie Turner

Social Welfare

According to the 2014 SAMSHA National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 18.1% of American adults (ages 18 and over) experienced some sort of mental health issue. Furthermore, estimations have shown that around 20% of older adults experience some sort of mental health problem. While the percentage of older adults increase, they are less likely to use mental health care services than younger and middle aged adults. In addition, racial/ethnic minorities, such as African American and Caribbean Blacks are less likely to use mental health care services. The percentage of older racial/ethnic adults is also increasing from 18% in …