Digital Commons Network^™

Introduction Of Communication Strategies To Decrease Patient Falls In An Acute Rehabilitation Setting, Alicia Joachim

Master's Projects and Capstones

Background: Due to the lack of appropriate fall prevention measures in an acute rehabilitation unit, there has been a notable increase of patient fall occurrences within a 6 month period. The purpose of this practice improvement project was to reduce patient falls within a 36-bed unit, using visual aids and effective communication among nursing staff. The multi-disciplinary members involved licensed nurses, nursing assistants, nursing supervisors, director of nursing, and executive administrator. Methods: The method used to implement this project included a literature search, informational interviews and staff surveys, and prioritization of interventions by the team. Project implementation was guided by …

Higher Quality At Lower Cost: Community Health Worker Interventions In The Health Care Innovation Awards, Caitlin Cross-Barnet, Sarah Ruiz, Megan Skillman, Rina Dhopeshwarkar, Rachel Singer, Rachel Carpenter, Suzanne Campanella, Maysoun Freij, Lynne Snyder, Erin Colligan

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: Published evidence regarding cost savings, reduced utilization, and improved quality associated with employing community health workers (CHWs) is largely lacking. This paper presents findings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Care Innovation Awards (HCIA), with a focus on six diverse programs that employ CHWs. We examine outcomes associated with programs incorporating CHWs into care teams for a broad age range of patients with various health issues such as cancer, asthma, and complex conditions.

Methods: This mixed-methods study used data from claims and site visits to assess the effectiveness of CHW programs. In difference-in-differences analyses of Medicare …

Commencement Convocation Program, St. Petersburg Campus, August 5, 2018, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg

USF St. Petersburg Graduations and Commencements

No abstract provided.

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, August 4, 2018, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

King O'Neal Scholars - Katlyn Eastridge, James Garrett, Gautam Krishna Koipallil, Kayla Li, and Olivia Taylor; Outstanding Graduate - Barbora Skopalova; Global Citizens Award - Kayla Li, Phoung Ly, and Hannah Seamans

A Comparison Of Two Different Types Of High Intensity Interval Training On Cardiometabolic Health In Overweight/Obese Women, Ozgur Alan

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to compare the effects of aerobic high intensity interval training (A-HIIT) and resistance-high intensity interval training (R-HIIT) to that of a control group (CON) on physical characteristics, cardiometabolic health, and self-reported well-being. A total of 48 overweight/obese women met the criteria for possessing one or more metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors and were randomly assigned to one of three groups. Following eight weeks of training, a total of 31 women completed the intervention and were included in the statistical analysis: A-HIIT (n=10), R-HIIT (n=10), and CON (n=11). Both experimental groups trained three times a …

Pubh 4231- Health Aspects Of Aging, James Thomas

College of Public Health: Faculty Syllabi (2014-2021)

This course examines the aging process from a health education perspective. Students will become acquainted with the process of and problems associated with aging in order to effectively manage this important public health issue. Knowledge and understanding of biological, psychological, and sociological aspects of aging as related to health and wellness will also be addressed. (2018-2019, Georgia Southern University Undergraduate and Graduate Course Catalog) Access to course materials are available for up to one year after graduation.

Developing A Mixed-Methods Method To Model Elderly Health Technology Adoption With Fuzzy Cognitive Map, And Its Application In Adoption Of Remote Health Monitoring Technologies By Elderly Women, Noshad Rahimi

Dissertations and Theses

Providing healthcare to the ever-rising elderly population has become a severe challenge and a top priority. Emerging innovations in healthcare, such as remote health monitoring technologies, promise to provide a better quality of care and reduce the cost of healthcare. However, many elderly people reject healthcare innovations. This lack of adoption constitutes a big practical problem because it keeps the elderly from benefiting from technology advances. The phenomenon is even more pronounced among elderly women, who represent the majority of the elderly population.

A plethora of studies in the field of technology adoption resulted in sound, but highly generalized theories …

Priming Sentence Comprehension In Older Adults, Emily Hosokawa

Open Access Theses

Syntactic priming is thought to reflect ongoing language learning processes throughout the life span. However, little is known on if and how the mechanisms of syntactic priming change in aging. This study examined whether syntactic priming influences sentence comprehension in healthy older adults and whether such effects occur independently of, or in conjunction with, lexically specific (verb) information. We further examined if older adults show persisting priming effects. Twenty older adults completed a written sentence-picture matching task involving the interpretation of prepositional phrases (the chef is poking the solider with an umbrella) that were ambiguous between high and low attachment …

The Dynamic Relationships Between Economic Status And Health Measures Among Working-Age Adults In The United States, Abdulkarim M. Meraya, Nilanjana Dwibedi, Xi Tan, Kim Innes, Sophie Mitra, Usha Sambamoorthi

Clinical and Translational Science Institute

We examine the dynamic relationships between economic status and health measures using data from 8 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics from 1999 to 2013. Health measures are self-rated health (SRH) and functional limitations; economic status measures are labor income (earnings), family income, and net wealth. We use 3 different types of models: (a) ordinary least squares regression, (b) first-difference, and (c) system-generalized method of moment (GMM). Using ordinary least squares regression and first difference models, we find that higher levels of economic status are associated with better SRH and functional status among both men and women, although …

Dragonflies (Poetry), Chloe Jensen

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

End Matter, Rilley Mckenna, Heidi Herrera

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Predictors Of Well-Being And Advance Directives Among Elder Orphans: A Mixed Methods Study, Rupal M. Parekh

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Elder orphan is a term popularized by the media to describe the more than 22% of community-dwelling US adults aging alone with limited social support, social isolation, multiple chronic health issues, and childlessness. Elder orphans who have not initiated advance directives are at risk of becoming unbefriended, having no able or willing family or friends to make medical decisions during acute injury or medical crisis. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was to understand the determinants of well-being and advance care planning. A cross-sectional analysis of members (n = 368) of an online Facebook group of elder orphans …

An Exploration Of National Family Caregiver Support Programs Serving Informal Grandparent Caregivers: A Descriptive Phenomenology Approach, Dorothea Lagail Ivey

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Grandparent caregiving is a widespread form of kinship care in the U.S. More than 2.7 million of grandparents in the U.S. are the primary caregivers for grandchildren without parental involvement (US Census Bureau, 2012). A particular group among grandparent caregivers often excluded in social services are those that are raising grandchildren informally without child welfare involvement. Informal grandparent caregivers (IGCs) are increasing and will continue to play significant roles in raising grandchildren for many generations (Ehrle et. al., 2001; Gibson & Singh, 2004; Goodman & Silverman, 2001). The National Family Caregiving Support Program (NFCSP) was enacted in 2000 and provides …

Short-Term Intermittent Parathyroid Hormone 1-34 Administration And Bone Vascular Alterations In C57bl/6 Mice, Seungyong Lee

Kinesiology Dissertations - Archive

Advancing age is associated with progressive bone loss, declines in vasodilator capacity of blood vessels, vascular rarefaction and bone marrow blood vessel ossification. Intermittent parathyroid hormone (PTH) administration augments bone volume and is an anabolic agent used to treat osteoporosis in a duration-dependent manner. In animal research, at least 15 days of intermittent PTH administration is required to achieve bone accrual. However, physiological stimuli such as intermittent PTH administration effects the bone vascular system more rapidly; i.e., changes in the bone vascular system precede alterations in bone. Intermittent PTH administration also increases vasodilator capacity of bone blood vessels; however, data …

The Effect Of Midsole Cushioning On The Kinetics, Kinematics, And Control Of Running, Brian Joseph Prejean

Kinesiology Dissertations - Archive

The incidence of musculoskeletal injuries associated with the stress of running, known as running-related injuries (RRIs), has risen in conjunction with the resurgence of running as a health-related physical activity approximately half a century ago, with some reports giving an annual prevalence as high as 79% of practitioners surveyed. Running shoes with increased amounts of midsole cushioning have been promoted to reduce the risk of sustaining RRIs by absorbing some of the high magnitude and frequency ground reaction forces (GRFs) imposed on the leg with every stride. However, individual variability, as well as the ability of the motor system to …

Factors Associated With Willingness To Enter Long-Term Care Facilities Among Older Adults In Chengdu, China, Ziyue Huang, Qingyue Liu, Hongdao Meng, Dangping Liu, Debra Dobbs, Kathryn Hyer, Kyaien O. Conner

Aging Studies Faculty Publications

Objective: To describe Chinese older adults’ willingness to enter long-term care facilities and to examine individual factors associated with the willingness of using this growing model of long-term care in China.

Methods: A cross-sectional study involving a random sample of 670 adults aged 60+ in the Hezuo community in Chengdu, China in 2016. Respondents were interviewed by trained staff on socio-demographics, health status, quality of life, social support, and willingness to enter long-term care facilities.

Results: Only 11.9% of the respondents were willing to enter long-term care facilities for meeting their medical and social service needs. Multivariable logistic regression analysis …

2018-2019 Graduate Catalog, The University Of Alabama In Huntsville

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Gender And Parental Support To Adult Children In Later Life, Gülçin Con

Open Access Dissertations

Background and Objectives: Past research has examined gender differences between mothers’ and fathers’ ties with their adult children; however, the interdependency between mothering and fathering for adult children was left unexamined. This study addresses this gap by examining the extent to and ways in which parental support to adult children in later life is initiated and negotiated among married couples, and whether these patterns reflect the gendered patterns and practices found in parental involvement earlier in the life course. Research Design and Methods: I conducted in-depth in-person interviews with 34 parents on their ties with each of their adult children. …

Early Social Origins Of Premature Aging: How Do Childhood Exposures Shape Aging And Mortality?, Blakelee R. Kemp

Open Access Dissertations

The early origins of health literature documents a distinct link between early life exposures and a range of pathologies in later life. However, it is still unclear if and which types of childhood events and experiences shape biological aging or increase mortality risk among older adults. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine (1) what types of early life exposures influence biological aging and mortality and for whom and (2) whether biological age acts as a marker of early life stress and a predictor of mortality. Drawing from cumulative inequality theory, this dissertation uses six waves of data (2004-2014) …

A Study Of The Effect On Organizational Factors On Job Satisfaction Of Geriatric Practitioners Between Millennials And Older Generations, Peter (Minsuk) Jang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper is to recognize and improve the understanding of social workers’ job satisfaction in the geriatric area. Low job satisfaction makes social workers want to move their field and change their career. The research is the conceptual model of the moderating effect of patient engagement. The hypothesis is that the organizational factors of this model (climate, workplace, pay, supervision) lead to low job satisfaction for social workers and the generation gap between Millennials and older generations will result in different job satisfaction. The assumption was that among the factors (climate, workplace, pay, supervision), salary has the …

Quantifying The Effect Of Dietary Restriction On Lifespans In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Kathryn Rouse

Honors Theses

Dietary restriction (DR) increases lifespan in many organisms. The effect of DR is best studied in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae; however, previous studies of the DR effect on yeast lifespan tend to be qualitative. Here, we quantitatively study the effect of DR on lifespan for a selection of gene deletions in a 168-strain set of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Lifespans of these yeast mutants were measured in YPD with 2% glucose and 0.05% glucose conditions. To quantify the aging process and its influence by DR, we fit yeast lifespan data with a three-parameter network aging model that is informative of the …

Overexpression Of Cyb5r3 And Nqo1, Two Nad+-Producing Enzymes, Mimics Aspects Of Caloric Restriction, Alberto Diaz-Ruiz, Michael Lanasa, Joseph Garcia, Hector Mora, Frances Fan, Alejandro Martin-Montalvo, Andrea Di Francesco, Miguel Calvo-Rubio, Andrea Salvador-Pascual, Miguel A. Aon, Kenneth W. Fishbein, Kevin J. Pearson, Jose Manuel Villalba, Placido Navas, Michel Bernier, Rafael De Cabo

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Calorie restriction (CR) is one of the most robust means to improve health and survival in model organisms. CR imposes a metabolic program that leads to increased stress resistance and delayed onset of chronic diseases, including cancer. In rodents, CR induces the upregulation of two NADH‐dehydrogenases, namely NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (Nqo1) and cytochrome b₅ reductase 3 (Cyb5r3), which provide electrons for energy metabolism. It has been proposed that this upregulation may be responsible for some of the beneficial effects of CR, and defects in their activity are linked to aging and several age‐associated diseases. However, …

Assessing The Relationship Between Acute And Chronic Health Conditions And Transportation Disadvantage And Quality Of Life Among Older Adults In Tarrant County, Texas, James Craig Keaton

Social Work Theses - Archive

By the year 2035, for the first time in US history, there will be more older adults in the US than individuals under the age of 18 (Vespa, 2018), and Tarrant County, Texas is the fastest growing community in the country (US Census Bureau, 2018), with older adults comprising a significant portion of that growth (United Way Tarrant County Community Assessment, 2015). Accompanying this, older adults are among the most at-risk individuals for acute and chronic health problems and are the highest utilizers of health care (Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program, 2018). Syed, Gerber, and Sharp (2013) report the …

A Graph Theoretical Analysis Of Functional Brain Networks Related To Memory And Healthy Aging, Ty Alvin Bodily

Theses and Dissertations

The cognitive decline associated with healthy aging begins in early adulthood and is important to understand as a precursor of and relative to mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease. Anatomical atrophy, functional compensation, and network reorganization have been observed in populations of older adults. In the current study, we examine functional network correlates of memory performance on the Wechsler Memory Scale IV and the Mnemonic Discrimination Task (MST). We report a lack of association between global graph theory metrics and age or memory performance. In addition, we observed a positive association between lure discrimination scores from the MST and right …

The Transformational Power Of Forgiveness Within The Church, Mary Mckenzie

Masters Theses

This thesis seeks to explore and describe the concepts and effects of forgiveness within the church. It shows that the roots of violence, suffering, and pain are in the unhealed wounds of the past. It examines biblical, theological, and psychological materials on forgiveness, unforgiveness, and health benefits. Learning about forgiveness and how to use the skills can conceivably enhance mental and physical health through an optimistic and hopeful outlook on life. It highlights the differences of the definition and understanding of forgiveness and forgiveness from an intercultural perspective. Results from participants’ from five ethnic groups (African, African American, Asian, Caribbean, …

Rediscovering The Art Of Nursing For Nursing Practice, Deborah Henry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The art of nursing is discussed throughout nursing literature but research on the topic is lacking. The purpose of this research was to reveal experiences of the art of nursing. Nurses were asked to describe experiences about the art of nursing from their own nursing practice. This study was qualitative in nature and used a phenomenological approach to answer the research question, “What is the experience of the art of nursing in nursing practice?” The study was guided by the philosophical stance of Merleau-Ponty and the research strategies of Thomas and Pollio. Participants included nurses who had experience using the …

The Lived Experience Of Nurse Practitioner Role Transition: A Phenomenology Study, Anthony Michael Angelow

Dissertations

This qualitative, descriptive phenomenology study sought to answer the following question: What experiences do nurse practitioners identify as being associated with their transition to the nurse practitioner (NP) role? Using purposive sampling and snowball techniques, eight nurse practitioners participated in this study. The study included participants from across the United States. Data from this study were developed from unstructured interviews with participants using audio-recorded open-ended questions, which were then transcribed by the principal investigator. The data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s (cited in Creswell, 2013) method for qualitative data analysis to identify common themes. Four central themes were generated from these …

August 2018 Commencement Program, Bowling Green State University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

A Modern Plague: U.S. Racial And Ethnic Vaccination Disparities During The 2009 H1n1 Influenza Pandemic, Andrew E. Burger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

On June 11, 2009 the World Health Organization announced that a novel strain of H1N1 influenza was being classified a Phase 6 pandemic, the highest level of alarm indicating that the disease was present worldwide and its spread was inevitable. While seasonal influenza epidemics occur annually, the 2009 H1N1 strain was the first novel pandemic influenza since the 1968 Hong Kong flu. The 2009 H1N1 pandemic provides a case study of how the U.S. population responded to an emergent and potentially lethal infectious disease. The richness and variety of public health data presents an opportunity to examine predictors of vaccination …

A Dual Examination Of Learning Through Pedagogical Training And Alzheimer's Disease Pathology, Donielle Breanna Hutchinson

Theses and Dissertations

Active learning strategies are important for facilitating deep learning that may be carried throughout life, but which is still finding its way into the college setting. Educators are not often trained in effective learning practices, which reduces the cognitive and proficiency gains of their students. By providing such guidance in the formative years of a teacher’s training, we hypothesize that the learning environment will be greatly enriched and enhanced. On the opposite end of the spectrum of life and cognition, the plague of dementia also warrants examination. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), an incurable neurodegenerative disorder progressing from the medial temporal lobe, …