Under The Umbrella Of Dementia: Building Empathy And Understanding For Those Living With Dementia, Sabrina Krafchuk

Community Engagement Student Work

This project focused on how to increase individual, community, and structural impacts surrounding dementia communities. This project provided a space for caregivers, family members, and the general public to come together and understand how to approach and empathize with a person with dementia. Through a 4-hour workshop: Under the Umbrella of Dementia led a Dementia Friends information session, a dementia LIVE simulation, and a Question and Answer Panel with professionals, it was found highly beneficial to facilitate because it provided education on what dementia is and how to properly approach a person with dementia. By broadening the target audience and …

The Mental Health Needs Of Coresident Offspring Dementia Caregivers: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Nancy L. Cadwell Dusthimer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted to deepen understanding of the experience of six daughters who cared for and lived with a mother with dementia. Caregivers for a loved one with dementia experience well-documented stressors, but less is known specific to offspring who care for a parent with dementia, particularly related to their mental health needs and potential means of addressing those needs. Because family caregiving is grounded within the family system, the study utilized a systemic lens, also considering the formal caregiving and societal systems. With the exception of some benefit from paid services of adult day care or …

The Effects Of Saido Learning On The Cognition Of Patients With Dementia: A Retrospective Study, Stephanie N. Laduke

Honors Projects

SAIDO Learning is a cognitive and social intervention developed by the Kumon Institute in 2004 to slow the progress of symptoms in patients diagnosed with dementia. Today, twenty-three nursing facilities nationwide utilize SAIDO Learning. The data in this retrospective study compare the baseline Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) scores to the MMSE scores obtained six months after SAIDO Learning is implemented from patients diagnosed with dementia at Waterford Place in Jenison, Michigan. These scores are reassessed every 6 months as a standard of care. The data was deidentified by the staff of Waterford Place before given to the research team. A …

Brain Health Innovation Diplomacy: A Model Binding Diverse Disciplines To Manage The Promise And Perils Of Technological Innovation, Kylie Ternes, Vijeth Iyengar, Helen Lavretsky, Walter D. Dawson, Laura Booi, Agustin Ibanez, Ipsit Vahia, Charles Reynolds, Steven Dekosky, Jeffrey Cummings, Bruce Miller, Carla Perissinotto, Jeffrey Kaye, Harris A. Eyre

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Background: Brain health diplomacy aims to influence the global policy environment for brain health (i.e. dementia, depression, and other mind/brain disorders) and bridges the disciplines of global brain health, international affairs, management, law, and economics. Determinants of brain health include educational attainment, diet, access to health care, physical activity, social support, and environmental exposures, as well as chronic brain disorders and treatment. Global challenges associated with these determinants include large-scale conflicts and consequent mass migration, chemical contaminants, air quality, socioeconomic status, climate change, and global population aging. Given the rapidly advancing technological innovations impacting brain health, it is paramount to …

The Importance Of Early Detection For Alzheimer's Disease, Mariah Mckenzie

Kentucky Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

More Americans are suffering from late diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the U.S. each year. Therefore, there is a need for more access toward early detection of this disease to sustain optimal quality of life and treatments for individuals. AD is one of the leading causes of deaths and with the lack of funds for research, individuals diagnosed with AD is expected to continue to increase. Medicare, Medicaid, and National Institute of Health services are providing funds for the current issues; however, it is not enough. There are many forms of poor access to services for individuals to seek …

Students’ Knowledge Of Alzheimer’S Disease, D'Anna Helms

Nursing Theses and Capstone Projects

Preparing nursing students to care for the ever-growing aging population with memory impairment is vital. This research study aimed to determine the prevalence of knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) among Baccalaureate nursing students. A descriptive correlational design was used to determine the prevalence of AD knowledge among juniors in an Adult I course and seniors in a Mental Health nursing course. A cross-sectional design was used to collect data using the Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS). A convenience sample of 63 student cohorts completed the survey. Results indicated that students were aware that AD is a form of dementia; however, …

Ethics Of The Advance Euthanasia Directive: Death Within Dementia, Isabella Braga

Honors Program Theses

By the year 2050, over 131.5 million people worldwide will have dementia. While many dementia patients seek euthanasia as a means of maintaining dignity and autonomy, they are in a difficult position: because physician-assisted euthanasia is administered by a medical professional, in current medical practice, the dementia patient must be euthanized while she is of sound mind. She thus sacrifices years of fulfilled, compos mentis living. With an advance euthanasia directive, the patient can designate a brightline of dementia past which she would like to be euthanized. She would be able to live out her compos mentis years, and have …

More Than Tea And Cake: A Realist Evaluation Of Memory Cafés In Cornwall, Lisa Burrows

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

Background: Memory cafés are a growing community based response to supporting people living with dementia and their carers. They are now well established in the UK and elsewhere; with over forty cafés in Cornwall. Despite their growth, there has been little research into their structure, aims and impact. Aims: The aim of this research was to explore how and why memory cafés work for people living with dementia and their carers. Methodology: Realist methodology is a theory driven approach that seeks to explain why a programme works, for whom and in what circumstances. The research consisted of three stages. Firstly, …

Conversation Goals, Communication Satisfaction, And Relational Dynamics While Navigating Alzheimer’S Disease: A Pre- And Post-Diagnosis Dyadic Examination Of Family Communication, Elizabeth A. Spencer

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Currently there are more than 16 million unpaid Alzheimer’s disease and dementia caregivers in the United States. These caregivers are often family members of the person living with dementia, and as they navigate the process of giving care to the patient, they must also maintain relationships with each other. Families enter the dementia experience with a history of their relational experiences, and their relational experiences potentially change as they navigate family experiences after the dementia diagnosis. Much existing scholarship examining family communication in the context of progressive Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias has focused on the perspectives of one …

Comprehensive Elderly Care: Moving Towards A Person Centered Care Model Of Dementia Care, Evan Cerebe

Capstone Showcase

Person Centered Care, or PCC is a framework of care which emphasizes the importance of individuality and individually based needs. This framework takes into account all aspects of the human being, such as their personality and personal history. This stands in stark contrast to the traditional model of care, the medical model, which focuses on the disease and its treatment, rather than the psychosocial needs of the individual. Proper care in the psychosocial realm is a necessity within elderly populations with Dementia. This is because Dementia manifests itself differently depending on the person. This, along with the incredible rate of …

Barriers To Utilizing Resources For The Dementia Caregiver, Rebecca L. M. Shanafelt

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The family caregiver of a person with dementia (PwD) provides valuable care and experiences negative health outcomes as a result. These negative health outcomes can be mitigated utilizing resources, however utilization rates remain low. While there is some research on barriers to accessing resources there is very little focused on caregivers of PwD. This study through semi-structured interviews with caregivers of PwD takes a deep look into the experience of first signs, diagnosis, and utilization of resources to better understand what those barriers might be. This study found that because of the healthcare structure caregivers do not learn about resources …

Psychometric Evaluation Of The Persian Version Of The Doloplus-2 (P-Doloplus-2) Scale In Elderly With Dementia, Mohammad Zare, Zahra Tagharrobi, Khadijeh Sharifi, Zahra Sooki, Javad Abolhasani

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: A scale for behavioural pain assessment is useful for the detection and determination of pain in the elderly with dementia. This study aimed to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of Doloplus-2 in the elderly with dementia in Iran. Materials and methods: In this methodological study, after translation and evaluating the face and content validity of Doloplus-2, 100 elderly people were selected by the convenience sampling method in Kashan, 2018-2019. Exploratory factor analysis, convergent validity, and known-groups comparison were applied to determine construct validity. Reliability was also assessed through internal consistency, equivalence, and stability methods were used. The ceiling …

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 …

Objective Sleep Quality As A Predictor Of Mild Cognitive Impairment In Seniors Living Alone, Brian Chen, Hwee-Pink Tan, Irus Rawtaer, Hwee Xian Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Singapore has the fastest ageing population in the Asia Pacific region, with an estimated 82,000 seniors living with dementia. These figures are projected to increase to more than 130,000 by 2030. The challenge is to identify more community dwelling seniors with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a prodromal state, as it provides an opportunity for evidence-based early intervention to delay the onset of dementia. In this paper, we explore the use of Internet of Things (IoT) systems in detecting MCI symptoms in seniors who are living alone, and accurately grouping them into MCI positive and negative subjects. We present feature extraction …

Staff Perceptions Of Quality Interactions In Dementia Care, Rebecka A. Schultz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The national aging trend suggests that population of those aged 65 and older will reach 83.7 million by the year 2050. With increasing age comes the growing possibility of one getting some form of dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association expects the number of American’s with dementia to triple from the reported 5 million cases in 2014 by 2050. With a rise in this cognitively impaired population there is reason to look closely at the needs of persons with dementia living in residential facilities and whether or not they are being met. The main focus of residential facilities is to provide aid …

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 …

Impact Of A Web-Based Instructional Module Of Alzheimer’S Disease Within Seven Content Knowledge Domains, Joyce Haynie

Dissertations

Abstract

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) has been classified as the most common form of dementia. Primary health care providers are usually the first clinicians to whom individuals present with symptoms of dementia. By 2050, it is expected that as many as 13.8 million Americans will be living with AD, and millions more will be placed in the challenging role of providing care for these individuals. However, studies continue to show that dementia is often underdiagnosed and under detected. The purpose of the study was to systematically inquire about the impact of AD education on level of knowledge about AD among primary …

Use Of The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (Moca) In A Rural Outreach Program For Military Veterans, Michelle M. Hilgeman, Eugenia M. Boozer, A. Lynn Snow, Rebecca S. Allen, Lori L. Davis

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a free, easily accessible screener ideal for rural areas where resources are limited. We examined administration and scoring by Veteran Community Outreach Health Workers (VCOHWs); compared positive screening rates using two cutoff scores; and examined predictors of education-adjusted scores in N = 168 rural military Veterans from the Alabama Veteran Rural Health Initiative. Accuracy of administration (95 percent) and scoring (68 percent) was calculated and recommendations are offered. Higher than expected rates of positive screens were observed (40 percent using 24/30 cutoff) in this relatively young (M = 55 years) community-dwelling sample. Age, education, …

A Qualitative Study: Caregiver Experience Of Dementia, Emma Kamp, Kayleigh Willett, Keegan Maris, Isabella Portugal, Madison Ling

Biennial Convention (CONV)

The caregivers of individuals with dementia experience burdens associated with emotional, physical, and financial repercussions for themselves as well as their loved ones. Using respite services promotes resiliency in the caregivers and supports a healthier mental, emotional, social, and physical well-being.

Korean Informal Caregivers' Experience For Family With Dementia: Difficulties And Strategies, Sohyun Kim

Biennial Convention (CONV)

The study explored nine Korean informal caregiver's experiences for people living with dementia. The qualitative description was used to analyze in-depth interviews. Participants identified six caregiving difficulties and six strategies they used. The results indicates focus areas for interventions to help informal caregivers manage their distress and caregiving skills.

Nursing Gerontology Course, Student Empathy, And Interest In Working With Older Adults: A Phased Study, Lisa Kay Murphree, Shelley P. Caswell Moore

Biennial Convention (CONV)

This is a learning activity for undergraduate health science students (nursing, and speech language pathology and audiology)designed to increase sensitivity and awareness of what it is like to be an older adult with dementia. The intervention involves sensory immersion, and students will be measured pre and post for empathy.

Companion Robots For Older People: Importance Of User-Centred Design Demonstrated Through Observations And Focus Groups Comparing Preferences Of Older People And Roboticists In South West England, Hannah Louise Bradwell, Katie Jane Edwards, Rhona Winnington, Serge Thill, Ray B. Jones

School of Nursing and Midwifery

ObjectiveCompanion robots, such as Paro, may reduce agitation and depression for older people with dementia. However, contradictory research outcomes suggest robot design is not always optimal. While many researchers suggest user-centred design is important, there is little evidence on the difference this might make. Here, we aimed to assess its importance by comparing companion robot design perceptions between older people (end users) and roboticists (developers).DesignOlder people and roboticists interacted with eight companion robots or alternatives at two separate events in groups of two to four people. Interactions were recorded, participants’ comments and observations were transcribed, and content was analysed. Subsequently, …

The Caregiver Role For A Family Member With Dementia, Theresa A. Kessler

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

There are nearly 16 million caregivers for persons with dementia. Through focus group interviews, caregivers expressed their experiences and the impact of the role on their physical, emotional, and financial lives.

An Investigation On The Core Competencies Of Professional Dementia Caregivers, Huei-Ling Huang, Yea-Ing Lotus Shyu, Hsiu-Li Huang

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the core competencies of professional dementia caregivers as a basis for establishing their core competencies and to provide a reference for the planning of dementia care training programs in schools and other related organizations.

Relationship Between A Sensory Immersion Experience Simulating Dementia And Health Science Student Perceptions Of Empathy, Shelley P. Caswell Moore, Lisa Kay Murphree

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

This is a learning activity for undergraduate health science students (nursing, and speech language pathology and audiology)designed to increase sensitivity and awareness of what it is like to be an older adult with dementia. The intervention involves sensory immersion, and students will be measured pre and post for empathy.

Family History And Genealogy: The Benefits For The Listener, The Storyteller And The Community, Anna Lima

Journal of Cape Verdean Studies

Thanks to the internet, discovering one’s ancestry is just a few clicks sway. Family histories and genealogies with intricate family trees filled with dates of birth, marriage dates, and death dates are meticulously documented for posterity. This process entails hours of research through census, immigration, baptism, and obituary records if you’re able to access them. There’s nothing greater for a genealogist to discover another generation of previously unknown ancestors and to tell the rest of your family. One would think that genealogy is a very new area of research since our ancestors obviously didn’t bother to pass this information on …

Dementia And The Role Of Alzheimer Disease, Jodi Kiessling

Nursing Student Class Projects (Formerly MSN)

Alzheimer disease is a progressive disease causing cognitive and functional decline with the hallmark sign of plagues and tangles within the brain. Genetics, inflammation, accumulation of beta-amyloid protein and breakdown of the blood brain barrier are all contributing factors in the disease. Treatment is not curative and is focused on symptom management and management of pre-existing chronic diseases.

A Toolkit For Administration Of Antipsychotic Medications In Nursing Homes, Nino Dantes Flores

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Psychotropic medications should be used with extreme caution in older adults residing in long- term care facilities. Delirium and altered mental status are associated with multiple complex underlying medical conditions and can be difficult to recognize, particularly among the elderly residing in long-term care facilities. The use of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Antipsychotic Toolkit allows for ethical and evidence- based care of the elderly within the regulations and best practice for use of antipsychotics. This Doctor of Nursing Practice quality improvement project is designed to provide a toolkit for practitioners of behavioral modification …

Risk And Resiliency Factors Related To Dementia Caregiver Mental Health, Olivia Altamirano

Open Access Theses

Prevalence rates for dementia are expected to rise exponentially as the elderly population rises. With this comes a corresponding increase in the number of family members who will become dementia caregivers. Caregivers of people with dementia have been found to experience high rates of mental illness including depression and anxiety. Identifying risk and resiliency factors that relate to caregiver mental health is necessary to develop appropriate interventions to prevent caregiver burnout. The current study explored how family functioning (measured with a latent variable that includes family cohesion, family balance, and family communication), caregiver expressed emotion, and patient symptom severity related …

The Impact Of Custodial Grandparenting On Levels Of Cognition In A Longitudinal Sample Of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Ian Timothy Mckay

Theses and Dissertations

There are currently 2.7 million grandparents raising grandchildren in the United States. As grandparenting has become more prevalent, concerns have surfaced regarding the effect of additional caregiving responsibilities placed on an aging population. The following study uses an existing dataset that interviewed individuals who graduated from Wisconsin high schools in 1957. The present study examined the impact of grandparenting on measures of cognitive ability, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, which had yet to be examined. Findings from the cross-sectional analysis show that custodial grandparents outperformed their non-custodial grandparent counterparts on the cognitive tests of word recall, category fluency, letter fluency, and …