Digital Commons Network^™

Crafting Character: Exploring Elder Identity Through Story, Cameron Fontes

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The following thesis is a culmination of several key activities I have engaged in as a creative writer with a single focus: to create fiction that employs the perspectives, the voices, of persons at later stages of their lives, a population vulnerable to disease and, more insidious, loneliness. First, I discuss my experiences reviving the Western Kentucky student organization Companions of Respected Elders. C.O.R.E. allowed undergraduates to work with local residential centers (nursing homes) by engaging their residents in the collaborative act of creating stories from picture prompts and encouraging questions, following the training and paradigm of TimeSlips^TM. …

Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate Bulletin [2021], Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Graduate bulletin for Virginia Commonwealth University for the academic year 2021-2022. It includes information on academic regulations, degree requirements, course offerings, faculty, academic calendar, and tuition and expenses for graduate programs.

The Influence Of Patient Age And Schizophrenia Diagnosis On Providers’ Decision-Making, Michael Vriesman

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Stigma is a complex issue that can significantly affect people with serious mental illness (SMI) and older adults due to their increased risk of cognitive deficits and somatic conditions. Both of these populations can experience stigma from healthcare providers, which may serve as a barrier to seeking and remaining in treatment, and contribute to inequality in the amount and quality of treatment these populations receive. The present study partially replicated previous research by assessing if healthcare providers have more stigmatizing attitudes and are less likely to provide referrals to patients with SMI compared to patient’s without SMI. This study also …

Cognitive And Motor Functions During Driving In Parkinson’S Disease, Amy Reaser

OT Student Capstones

Driving is a complex activity that requires dual-task behaviors involving attention shifting, multi-limb control, and task prioritization strategies to safely navigate a dynamic environment. Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is characterized by motor and non-motor deficits that can affect driving safety and performance. Experiencing a decline in cognitive and motor functions that are required for driving can put this population at risk for driving cessation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of implicit and explicit cues on attention during driving performance and behavioral effects of medication on drivers with PD in a quasi-experimental study, as well as identify …

Fatigue And Its Relationship With Disease-Related Factors In Patients With Systemicsclerosis: A Cross-Sectional Study, Hazal Yakut, Sevgi̇ Özalevli̇, Ahmet Meri̇h Bi̇rli̇k

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Fatigue is very common symptom in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and adversely affects health-related quality of life and the ability to perform daily living activities. This study aimed to determine the severity of fatigue, and its related factors, in patients with SSc. Materials and methods: A total of 35 patients with SSc (6 males and 29 females, mean age of 50.71 ± 10.09 years) and 35 healthy control subjects (8 males and 27 females, mean age of 54.14 ± 9.51 years) were included in this study. The Fatigue Impact Scale for fatigue, Modified Medical Research Council Scale for …

2021-2022 Graduate Catalog, Wku Graduate School

Graduate School

Graduate School catalog regarding admissions, curriculum and policies.

Clemmer College Extramural Funding Research Impact Report - 2021, Clemmer College, East Tennessee State University

Clemmer College Research Impact Reports

No abstract provided.

Changes In Time Usage And Time Management During Emerging Adulthood, Victoria Holmes

Undergraduate Review

With a focus on emerging adulthood, the data from this study provides insight into the way people use their time and how their time management skills change as they age. Past research has looked at time usage throughout life, providing evidence that age can impact how a person might use their time for different activities, such as work, school, socializing, and social media, and shown that there are patterns that certain people tend to follow in their daily life. It has also been documented that the way people use their time correlates with their well-being. I was interested in learning …

Benefits Of Dance For Geriatrics, Eve Robinson

Dance Department Best Student Papers

Drawing from recent related research, this paper analyzes the cognitive, physical, and social benefits of dance for geriatrics. By comparing studies involving both dance and geriatrics from around the world, as well as collecting original data, this work suggests significant positive effects when people age 65 and older participate in regular dance activity. Given the U.S. Census Bureau’s estimate that the number of people age 65 and older will outnumber children under 18 for the first time in U.S. history by 2034, the need for dance for older people is reaching an all-time high. As more long-term care facilities, community …

Effect Of Acute Sleep Fragmentation Upon Inflammatory Response Of Brown And White Adipose Tissue In Male Mice, Zach Wriedt

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Sleep is an important process required for vertebrates, including humans, to function. When sleep is disrupted, it leads to deleterious effects such as inflammatory responses throughout the body. Past studies have shown that acute (24 h) sleep fragmentation (SF) leads to an inflammatory response in white adipose tissue. However, whether brown adipose tissue responds in a similar fashion is unknown. Male adult (>8 weeks of age) C57BL/6j mice were subjected to SF for 24 h using a cage outfitted with a bar that moves horizontally across the cage every 2 min to periodically awaken mice (N =10). Controls were …

Np’S Perception Of Preparedness And Self-Efficacy Between Novice Nps That Participated In A Post Graduate Training Program And Those That Did Not, Tasha Bruner-Hill

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

The role transition from a registered nurse (RN) to a nurse practitioner (NP) can be challenging and stressful as the RN moves from often expert status back to novice status as an NP. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive study was to explore if role transition was easier for novice NPs that participated in a post-graduate training program, then for those that did not. Following IRB approval for the study, a self-report tool consisting of 18 questions was emailed to a national sample of NPs who graduated 2014-2020 and practiced at least one year but not more than five years …

Age Differences In Emotional Reactivity To Subtypes Of Sadness And Anger, Ryan M. Muskin

ETD Archive

Emotional reactivity has been commonly studied through the discrete emotion approach model (DEA) that categorizes emotions as singular unique experiences (sadness, fear, disgust, anger, etc.). Reactivity to a discrete emotion is related to the contextual relevance of the emotional elicitor, and thus, may result in variable reactivity profiles across different age groups. While prior research has typically associated older age with sadness and younger age with anger, there may be contextual subtypes within these discrete categories that are more or less relevant to either age group. Characteristics of older age are associated with themes of loss (death, diminished physical ability, …

Covid-19 Related Physical And Mental Health Stressors In Families Using A Social Determinants Lens., Elizabeth Vasquez, Erin Bell, Melissa Tracy

Understanding and eliminating minority health disparities in a 21st-century pandemic: A White Paper Collection

Racial and ethnic minorities, those of lower socioeconomic status (SES), and older adults have experienced higher rates of infection, severity of illness, and mortality from COVID-19 than other groups. These populations are also disproportionately affected by financial and social disruptions caused by the pandemic, including job loss, reduction in community services, and disconnection from supportive networks critically important for the health and well-being of families. Further, these same populations often live in multi- generational households and rely on a family-dependent caregiver model. The aim of this project is to beta test an online questionnaire to identify individual and household risk …

Balance In Life As A Prerequisite For Community-Dwelling Older Adults’ Sense Of Health And Well-Being After Retirement: An Interview-Based Study, Catharina Gillsjö, Maria Nyström, Lina Palmér, Gunilla Carlsson, Ann-Charlotte Dalheim-Englund, Irene Eriksson

College of Nursing Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study aimed to describe community-dwelling older adults’ perceptions of health and well-being in life after retirement.

Methods: This study is part of a larger project using a mixed-methods design to address lifestyles’ influence on community-dwelling older adults’ health. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 older adults in age 70 to 95 years. Data were analysed according to a phenomenographic approach.

Results: The results encompass four categories describing variations in community-dwelling older adults’ perceptions of health and well-being after retirement: feeling well despite illness and disease, interacting with and being useful for oneself and others, independently embracing opportunities …

Preferences Of Seniors Living In Selected Baltic Sea Region Countries Towards The Use Of Indoor Public Space Furniture, Beata Fabisiak, Anna Jankowska, Robert Klos, Catharina Gillsjö, Igor Kuprienko, Lyudmila Vidasova, Anja Poberznik, Vineta Kreigere

College of Nursing Faculty Publications

Demographic changes can be observed all over the world. The number of seniors located in the societies of well-developed countries continues to rise. Both enterprises and governments need to be prepared for such changes. Consequently, public spaces need to evolve to reduce problems related to ageism and be friendly to all. Much attention is currently being paid to finding solutions for redesigning public spaces and adjusting them to the needs and requirements of senior citizens. To identify the preferences of seniors in relation to the characteristics of furniture in indoor public spaces, a survey study with 1539 respondents aged 60+ …

Predictors Of Potentially Suboptimal Treatment Of Urinary Tract Infections In Long-Term Care Facilities, Haley J. Appaneal, R. Caffrey, Vrishali V. Lopes, Vincent Mor, David M. Dosa, Kerry L. Laplante, Theresa I. Shireman

Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Research Faculty Publications

Background: Suboptimal antibiotic treatment of urinary tract infection (UTI) is high in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) and likely varies between facilities. Large-scale evaluations have not been conducted.

Aim: To identify facility-level predictors of potentially suboptimal treatment of UTI in Veterans Affairs (VA) LTCFs and to quantify variation across facilities.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 21,938 residents in 120 VA LTCFs (2013–2018) known as Community Living Centers (CLCs). Potentially suboptimal treatment was assessed from drug choice, dose frequency, and/or treatment duration. To identify facility characteristics predictive of suboptimal UTI treatment, LTCFs with higher and lower rates of suboptimal …

Catalog | 2021-2022, Jacksonville State University

Announcements, Bulletins & Catalogs | Undergraduate

(2021-2022). In its early years as the State Normal School, JSU produced a variety of publications (announcements, bulletins, and catalogs) that contain course information combined with the types of information that would later be found in yearbooks. Examples include historical information about the school, lists of enrolled students and club officers, photographs of athletic teams and literary clubs, notes on alumni, faculty and campus facilities, and more.

Graduate Bulletin & Catalog | 2021-2022, Jacksonville State University

Bulletins & Catalogs | Graduate

Jacksonville State was granted University status in 1966 and began adding graduate programs to its curriculum at that time. Graduate bulletins and catalogs contain information on the academic calendar, policies and procedures, faculty, scholarships and tuition, and degree requirements for graduate programs.

Office Of The Vice Provost For Research Annual Report - 2021, Office Of The Vice Provost For Research, East Tennessee State University

Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Smart-Object-Based Reasoning System For Indoor Acoustic Profiling Of Elderly Inhabitants, Jeannette Chin, Alin Tisan, Victor Callaghan, Tai Wai, David Chik

Staff Publications

Many countries are facing significant challenges in relation to providing adequate care for their elderly citizens. The roots of these issues are manifold, but include changing demographics, changing behaviours, and a shortage of resources. As has been witnessed in the health sector and many others in society, technology has much to offer in terms of supporting people’s needs. This paper explores the potential for ambient intelligence to address this challenge by creating a system that is able to passively monitor the home environment, detecting abnormal situations which may indicate that the inhabitant needs help. There are many ways that this …

2021-2022 Nursing Graduate Msn-Fnp Handbook, Morehead State University. Nursing Department.

Nursing Department Publications Archive

2021-2022 Graduate Student Handbook for the Department of Nursing at Morehead State University.

Relationship Between Cannabis Use And Immediate, Delayed, And Working Memory Performance Among Older Adults, Madison H. Maynard

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Cannabis is increasingly accessible in the United States for recreational and/or medical use. Additionally, the Baby Boomer birth cohort exhibits a greater prevalence of cannabis use than prior generations of older adults. Past research has most frequently addressed the potential cognitive effects of cannabis use in populations of adolescents and young adults. Some of these studies suggest that cannabis use is chronically associated with worse performance on tasks of verbal working memory and executive functioning, however, due to methodological variation and a wide variety of potential confounds including duration of abstinence and frequency of use, results are still inconclusive. Through …

The Role Of Ms-818 In Altering Age-Related Characteristics Of An In Vitro Model Of Senescence In Neural Stem Cells, Sandeep Sreerama

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Aging of the brain is the leading risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases and brain cancers and has deleterious effects on brain functions. It follows that attempts to reverse the aging process may be therapeutically valuable. Neural stem cells (NSC) have been shown to play a critical role in maintaining brain functions, and their number is severely decreased with age. The development of senescence-like characteristics and declining functions in NSCs have been proposed to be responsible for brain aging and tumorigenesis. MS-818 is a pyrrolopyrimidine that has been shown to increase the NSC population and reverse the decline of behavioral function …

The Benefits Of Creative Art Therapy For Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review Of The Literature, Jazlyn Marie Akridge

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder typically diagnosed during childhood. The primary symptoms of ASD include language impairments and deficits in social skills, which can negatively affect the overall quality of life. Traditional treatment for ASD includes medication, applied behavior analysis, physical therapy, and occupational therapy; however, these treatments may have unwanted side effects and fail to address the psychosocial challenges that may result from ASD symptoms. There has been increasing interest in alternative forms of therapy, such as creative art therapies; however, the types of creative art that have been used during therapy and their benefits are …

The Development Of Self-Perceptions Of Aging: The Interplay Between Society And The Self Across The Lifespan, Jordan Desman Boeder

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Our thoughts and beliefs about our own aging, known as self-perceptions of aging, are found to greatly impact our health and well-being across the lifespan (Wurm et al., 2015). A large body of research suggests that positive and negative views on aging are associated with long-term health benefits and detriments, respectively. According to stereotype embodiment theory, stereotypes are incrementally internalized across the lifespan, forming our aging stereotypes, which then become self-stereotypes once we identify as older adults, eventually shaping our self-perceptions of aging (Levy, 2003b, 2009). Based on the postulates of this theory, it is unclear how individuals develop positive …

University Of New Hampshire Graduate Academic Catalog, 2021-2022, University Of New Hampshire

Graduate Catalog

No abstract provided.

2021 Faculty Accomplishments Reception, University Of Richmond

Faculty Accomplishments Reception Programs

Program for the 2021 Faculty Accomplishments Reception

In Honor of University of Richmond Faculty Contributions to Scholarship, Research and Creative Work, January 2020 - December 2020.

March 4, 2020, 3:30 - 4:00 p.m. via Zoom.

Epigenetic Clock And Methylation Studies In Elephants, Natalia A. Prado, Janine L. Brown, Joseph A. Zoller, Amin Haghani, Mingjia Yao, Lora R. Bagryanova, Michael G. Campana, Jesús E. Maldonado, Dennis L. Schmitt, For Complete List Of Authors, See Publisher's Website.

College of Agriculture

Age-associated DNA-methylation profiles have been used successfully to develop highly accurate biomarkers of age ("epigenetic clocks") in humans, mice, dogs, and other species. Here we present epigenetic clocks for African and Asian elephants. These clocks were developed using novel DNA methylation profiles of 140 elephant blood samples of known age, at loci that are highly conserved between mammalian species, using a custom Infinium array (HorvathMammalMethylChip40). We present epigenetic clocks for Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), African elephants (Loxodonta africana), and both elephant species combined. Two additional human-elephant clocks were constructed by combining human and elephant samples. Epigenome-wide association studies identified elephant …

A Wisdom-Based Salesforce Development Model: The Role Of Wisdom In Salesforce Training And Well-Being, Joon-He Oh, Hunhui Oh

Faculty Publications - College of Social Work

The prevalence of various salesforce job stressors call for an alternative to the current salesforce training and management strategy to secure the balanced proficiency development in job skills, prosocial abilities, and personal well-being. Specifically, we compare the well-being of 258 salespeople with 153 non-sales adults. We also investigate the relationship between wisdom and life satisfaction among salespeople, and moderation effect of age on the relationship. In regression analysis, wisdom scores of salespeople were positively related to life satisfaction moderated by age. The association between wisdom and life satisfaction was significantly stronger for older rather than younger salespeople. The findings suggest …

Motivational Interviewing: A Strategy To Improve Health Professional's Communication, Lanita James

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Miscommunication between patients and healthcare professionals is common in U.S. hospitals and is considered one of the chief factors in reduced patient satisfaction with care. Collaboration with the nurse researcher who reviewed the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (HCAHPS) data for a local hospital noted that negative ratings were directly related to the miscommunication between the patient and care providers. Further identified that the nursing staff was not knowledgeable about evidenced-based strategies needed to communicate effectively with the patients. The purpose of this DNP project was to develop an education program to increase nurses' knowledge about …