Digital Commons Network^™

Chapter 14: Hospice And End-Of-Life Care, Sally Pelon, Brandon Youker, M. Paola Leon

Books and Contributions to Books

This chapter explores end-of-life issues and concerns as well as the hospice movement’s role in assisting terminally ill individuals. Specific social work assessment and interventions tools are offered considered as well as controversial issues in end-of-life care.

Community Youth Development Service-Learning: Trauma-Informed And Culturally Responsive, Philip Monte Verde, Marie Watkins, Donovan Enriquez, Shalym Nater-Vazquez

Journal of Youth Development

As the demographics of the United States change, it is important for youth workers to be able to adapt. Most established forms of youth services model the norms and values of the dominant Western culture. To best engage with a complete spectrum of youth, it is vital to take their backgrounds into account. This means being trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and mindful of serving the whole community. This article demonstrates how these salient frameworks informed a partnership between service-learning university students and Puerto Rican youth who were displaced by Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Immigrant Youth In Juvenile Facilities: A State-By-State Review Of Recreation Programming, Maria León

Journal of Youth Development

Recent national events have increased attention towards immigrant youth. Youth placed in juvenile justice facilities go through processes overseen by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and the Unaccompanied Children’s Program. While in placement youth are exposed to risk factors and face cultural barriers being in a new country. As publicity of the incarceration of immigrant youth increases, there is an emphatic need for researchers to examine the quality of care youth experience in placement facilities. One of the areas that has not been critically investigated is recreation programming in juvenile justice facilities. Recreation programs …

Employment Outcomes Of The Clarksdale Hope Vi Program, Ramona Stone

Public Health Sciences Faculty Publications

The HOPE VI initiative aimed to reshape neighborhoods in terms of their resident socioeconomic characteristics, business activity, levels of community collaboration, and economic growth. The goal of this research was to examine the relationship between education and employment while controlling for the type of housing received at relocation. This paper is part of a larger quasi-experimental research evaluation. Data sources included administrative records, baseline and follow-up surveys. The survey data was collected from the main adult in the family during face-to-face interviews two years apart. The questionnaire collected information about residents’ demographics, socioeconomic, health, housing, and satisfaction with the support …

Predictors Of Short-Term Residential Treatment Completion Preceded By Detoxification For Opioid Use Disorder, Christopher Gideon

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background and Significance: Deaths related to opioid overdose are increasing. Treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) is necessary to help prevent future opioid abuse, and often involves opioid detoxification, followed by short-term residential treatment, typically lasting about 28 days. Literature regarding OUD and short-term residential treatment is limited. Predictors of short-term residential completion, including whether detoxification was performed, may help addiction professionals individualize treatments. This study’s purpose was to determine predictors of short-term residential completion treatment for OUD, and whether detoxification prior to entering residential treatment may also be a factor in residential completion.

Method: De-identified data regarding …

2019 Winter Undergraduate Commencement, Lindenwood University

Commencement Programs

Lindenwood University Commencement program.

Machismo And Consequential Aphrodisiac Consumption In Oaxaca, Mexico, Brianna M. Harguth

Honors Thesis

Aphrodisiacs have been used in many cultures around the world, including, but not limited to those of Greece, Egypt, Rome, and pre-Columbian societies. Aphrodisiacs are substances consumed to increase sex drive, sexual desire, and sexual performance. In Oaxaca, Mexico males are the primary people who consume aphrodisiacs, particularly Olive ridley sea turtles eggs, which are on the brink of extinction. One of the main reasons males consume these so-called aphrodisiacs is to combat erectile dysfunction, which impedes sexual performance. Many of the men who consume the Olive ridley sea turtle eggs possess traits associated with machismo, a form of masculinity …

Perceived Impact Of Virtual Scenario-Based Branching Simulations Among Radiology Program Students, Kimberly Lynn Onstott

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The influx of medical technology and medical knowledge creates challenges for healthcare providers in maintaining up to date knowledge and skills for their practice. Healthcare educators are further challenged in that the goal is to encourage learners to become competent healthcare providers who are knowledgeable and skilled, self-directed, and who will think critically and ethically when faced with challenging situations. Advancing imaging technologies and new complex procedures in radiology increase the risk of harm for patients and providers as advanced imaging is often learned outside of a primary degree in radiology with real patients through on the job training. Online …

Transnational Migration And Ethnic And Religious Renewal Amongst The Ethnic German Minority In Romania, Ovidiu Oltean

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

"The normalization of inter-ethnic relations after the fall of communism and the establishment of a rather inclusive minority regime has opened up new possibilities for the ethnic and religious minorities in Romania. Social, cultural and religious life has seen a pluralization and revival that was not possible during communism. Ethnic minorities developed new forms of cultural and ethnic expression and gained new leveraging instruments in relation to the ethnic Romanian majority. As Romanian society has grown more pluralistic, not only has political and cultural life developed and become more diverse but also religious forms of expression and religious organizations have …

An Analysis Of The Similarities And Differences Between Two Vital Roles In Medicine: Physicians And Physician Assistants, Veronika Dubov

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Research has been done analyzing nurse practitioners (NP) versus physician assistants (PA) and medical doctors (MDs) versus doctor of osteopathic medicine (DOs), but there is a lack of research on PAs versus MD/DOs. This thesis aims to outline the similarities and differences between the physician profession and the physician assistant profession. Interviews were conducted with physicians and physician assistants from the Nebraska Medicine Emergency Department to get insight from professionals currently in the field and to gain multiple perspectives. Along with interviews, research was conducted utilizing scholarly articles and other online reliable resources. These findings are significant for any undergraduate …

Predicting Louisiana Public High School Dropout Through Imbalanced Learning Techniques, Marmar Orooji, Jianhua Chen

Faculty Publications

This study is motivated by the magnitude of the problem of Louisiana high school dropout and its negative impacts on individual and public well-being. Our goal is to predict students who are at risk of high school dropout, by examining Louisiana administrative dataset. Due to the imbalanced nature of the dataset, imbalanced learning techniques including resampling, case weighting, and cost-sensitive learning have been applied to enhance the prediction performance on the rare class. Performance metrics used in this study are F-measure, recall and precision of the rare class. We compare the performance of several machine learning algorithms such as neural …

The Lead, December 2019, Lindenwood University

The Lead

The Lead is an electronic newsletter produced by the Lindenwood College of Education & Human Services.

The Impact Of Character Education Programs On Middle School Bullying Behavior, Kelly M. Amshey

Dissertations

Bullying is recognized as a barrier that must be addressed by schools to ensure that all students have access to educational opportunities. Due to high accountability with limited resources, schools must identify strategies to address issues such as bullying in a manner that provides the maximum benefit to students. Character education (CE) programs, which contribute to the bullying deterrent of positive school climate, may also lessen bullying through explicit teaching of character traits and prosocial skills.

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between utilization of character education and prevalence of bullying in middle …

An Analysis Of The Effects Between Prison Documentaries And Popularity Among Viewers, Dominique Malone

Honors Theses

This research examines the themes between a variety of prison documentaries and the subsequent viewership. In recent years, documentaries depicting prison life have risen in popularity due to a number of factors such as violence, drama, hysteria, and an overall sense of fascination (Cecil, 2009). This popularity may have impacted views on the current criminal justice system considering most people never have contact with the criminal justice system in their lifetimes (Cecil, 2009). Therefore, these documentaries may serve as one of the only bases for information that they may have about the system (Cecil, 2009). Because prison documentaries are fulfilling …

Does Gender Minority Professional Experience Impact Employment Discrimination? Two Résumé Experiments, Ashley Cabacungan, Joseph Lee, Beth Chaney, Paige Averett

Journal of Youth Development

We sought to examine perceived gender identity, perceived co-worker discomfort, and salary recommendations for youth counselors with transgender-related work experience. In two experiments conducted in 2016 and 2017, we randomized participants to view 1 of 2 résumés with varying work experience at a camp for transgender youth or a generic youth camp. Study 1 participants were 274 adult festivalgoers at a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride festival. Study 2 participants were 296 employed, heterosexual adults aged 35-60 from an online survey panel. In Study 1, viewing the résumé with transgender experience resulted in a statistically significantly higher likelihood of …

A Venue To Grow: Researching Professional Growth In The Collaborative Courts Of The Northern District Of California, Wyatt Lim-Tepper

Master's Projects and Capstones

This study examines the professional growth of collaborative court staff in the Northern District of California (NDCA). First, it sets forth a background that reviews the history of collaborative courts and details the development, purpose and structure, and current processes at the federal level. Second, the researcher describes the framework of the NDCA as an institution and further identifies the stakeholders who participate in the NDCA’s two collaborative courts: the Reentry Court and the Conviction Alternatives Program (CAP). Third, the study reviews the literature on professional growth in the legal field, education and academia, and public-health fields. Fourth, this paper …

Expression Vs. Expectation: A Look Into Patients' Perspectives On Professional Appearance In Physical, Speech Or Occupational Therapists With And Without Body Art, Catherine Joy Swedlund

Honors College

Objective: This study evaluated perceptions of professional appearance in tattooed versus non-tattooed therapists in a healthcare setting by surveying a cohort of students from a Christian-associated university.

Background: The popularity of tattoos among young adults in America is becoming increasingly popular. Research, however, informs us that although popularity has increased, perceptions of tattoos are still associated with negative feelings and perceptions in the workplace and in religious contexts. Culturally, in America, tattoos are associated with a lower socioeconomic status and education level. Additionally, women with tattoos tend to be judged more harshly, with more perceptions of deviant behavior compared to …

Raising Awareness In King City About Sun Street Centers Outpatient Services, Stephanie Madrid

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

There are not enough people seeking substance abuse services in King City. Co-occurring mental illness, delays in Medi-Cal process, and lack of knowledge about the program and services at the new Sun Street site are contributing factors to this problem. Consequences that come along with substance abuse are crime/incarceration, death/overdose, and loss of productivity. National Night Out is a great outreach event organized for the South County community which allowed 15 different agencies to inform community members of the programs and services available to them. Sun Street Centers was new in the South County community therefore participating in this event …

Youth Empowerment Summit (Yes), Laura Wright

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Community Solutions is a non-profit agency that serves ages 0-100 in Santa Clara and San Benito Counties. The Solutions to Violence Program operates out of Morgan Hill and houses the CSEC and Human Trafficking Division where the capstone project was developed.The “Chill Room” was created at Community Solutions as a part of the Youth Empowerment Summit (YES) Conference in response to the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) within Santa Clara County. The YES Conference was created to enhance collaboration among community based, county, & non-profit organizations to provide a safe space for CSEC youth to process trauma. The conference …

End Of Life Care, Ana Mederos

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Central Coast Visiting Nurses Association is a non-profit agency that provides home health care as well as hospice care for individuals in the counties of Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara. In this region, the Latino/ Hispanic communities are underutilizing the services for end of life care. According to statistics provided by VNA 2019, only around 20% of the populations they serve are Latino/ Hispanics. Education on end of life care services is necessary for an individual to have a better understanding and quality of life during the end stage or confronted with a life limiting illness. In …

Mental Health Awareness And Education, Marco Espinoza

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Mental health is a problem that can affect anyone at any age. Fortunately, some programs and agencies such as Mariposa Wellness Center-Community Connection provide services and support for those who are not getting the appropriate treatment. There is a lack of access to health care; therefore, many people are suffering from a mental health condition without treatment leading to consequences such as suicide. Santa Cruz county has on average 45.7 suicides per year in comparison to the state which was 10.4 and the U.S. which was 13.9 from 2014-2016 (Ingalls, 2019). The project addressed this disparity by creating and implementing …

Salud A La Salud Mental (A Toast To Mental Health), Arturo Rodriguez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Joven Noble is a youth-development and leadership enhancement curriculum within Sequoia High School in Watsonville, Ca. that recognizes adolescents need for guidance during their physical, emotional and spiritual development into adulthood by engaging them in conversations regarding topics such as teen pregnancy and substance abuse. One of the deficits of the program is the lack of discussion centered around mental health. Youth are more likely to experience mental health challenges during their adolescence that can impair their long term development. In Santa Cruz County, 5 per 1,000 children ages 5-19 were hospitalized for mental health crisis treatment in 2016; rates …

Serving Youth In Santa Cruz County, Lorena Torres-Alvarez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Community Action Board (CAB) of Santa Cruz County is an agency that serves low-income under-resourced community members in the county. Through their Youth Homeless Response Team (YHRT) Program, they serve youth ages 15-24 who are currently at-risk or facing homelessness. Too many unaccompanied youths in Santa Cruz County are suffering from homelessness and are in need to accessing services. The lack of motivational and support system, along with the unemployment increasing at alarming rates. Illustrating a dark and unsafe future. Some of the consequences include pushing youth to live on the street or inside cars and being in a …

Supporting Pet Ownership Of Vulnerable Populations, Victoria Bunch

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Peace of Mind Dog Rescue (POMDR) is a program that provides supplies and support to vulnerable populations to help with the care of their pets. This program is very successful at partnering with organizations and individuals for fundraising and to obtain supplies, but it frequently has a large inventory that needs to be distributed where it is needed most. There is a need to identify if outreach to vulnerable populations could be improved, resulting in a more efficient use of the programs resources. This capstone project focused on active marketing and outreach throughout Monterey county through multiple tabling events in …

Incompetency To Stand Trial: An Informational Guide, Natalie Baur

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

At Monterey County Behavioral Health, we serve people with a variety of mental illnesses. They range from moderate to severe- whether it be schizophrenia or depression, we provide services that will help them deal with their symptoms. We strive to cultivate positive relationships in the community with our clients and contracted facilities. In this essay, I am going to talk about a certain population of who we serve: those who are found incompetent to stand trial and the toll it takes on them and their families. Moreover, I will be talking about the challenges and uncertainties that clients and their …

Ensuring Victims’ Rights And Inspiring Hope Through Community Collaboration, Evelyn Rodriguez Martinez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Numerous crime victims who qualify for Victim Witness Assistance Program services through the San Benito County District Attorney's office are not accessing the resources. Research done to support this project revealed that countless crime victims did not utilize the services offered by the program during the time of their victimization. The project conducted was an outreach presentation, which included all the services provided by the Victim Witness Assistance Program, victims’ legal rights, and the qualifications for the California Victim Compensation Board. The outreach presentation was developed to increase awareness of victims’ rights and the Victim Witness Assistance Program to community …

The Importance Of Multicultural Literature For Biracial Students, Haley Maldonado

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

It is evident that many classrooms do not have literature that displays a multiracial character to reflect the biracial community which one of the fastest growing populations in the U.S. today. This senior capstone research project examines the benefits or multicultural literature displaying a multiracial character on biracial students through the use of literature review, teachers and librarian surveys. The results reveal that having biracial character reflected in the literature at schools bring them self-awareness and self-identity that affect their social skills and their academic achievement. Therefore, it is crucial that mixed-race students be represented through the literature in their …

Helping Academic Struggling Elementary School Students Succeed, Dulce M. Carmona

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

There is a push to focus on academics for struggling elementary school students to be successful. Research has shown that teachers and tutors who use various teaching methods have helped students to be successful in their academic performance. This senior capstone project explores how struggling students can achieve success in school and at the same time can catch up with their classmates. Through a literature review, interviews and surveys conducted with two elementary school teachers, a coordinator and students in Monterey County, the results reveal how beneficial it is for students to have extra help from teachers and tutors. In …

Implementing Homeless Youth Professional Development Workshops In Salinas, Mikayla Spooner

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The homeless population in Salinas has risen dramatically over the past few years, and child care workers consistently do not know how to serve homeless youth. My capstone project created a professional development workshop on homelessness in Salinas. This workshop was given at the Salinas YMCA for all child care staff. The point of this project was to inform child care professionals about how widespread homelessness is in Salinas. These professionals were able to identify how homelessness adversely affects the stages of development in children and families and how to better support them in child care settings. For child care …

Assessing The Impact Of Computer-Based Simulations On The Interprofessional Education Of Undergraduate Students, Heather Isaacson

All NMU Master's Theses

Interprofessional Education (IPE) is not unique as it is a concept that has been advocated for more than 40 years by the Institute of Medicine (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 2016). Interprofessional education occurs “when two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes” (World Health Organization [WHO], 2010, p. 13). It is a staple in the education of nurses and doctors; however, it is starting to make an appearance in Communication Sciences and Disorders programs. As a result, this is a topic of great interest to faculty teaching in the …