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Have Objects, Will Travel: Object-Based Outreach To Solstice Independent Living At Fairport, New York, Taylor Carpenter

Theses

This thesis details my process in designing and delivering a program, “The Evolution of the Erie Canal,” to residents of the Solstice Senior Living at Fairport, New York, utilizing objects from the Rochester Museum & Science Center’s teaching collection. Given the ever-increasing population of American adults aged 55 and older, it is more important than ever for museums to create engaging programs aimed at this sector of the population. The goal of this project was to create a meaningful object-based experience for participants through discussion and reminiscence. My sources include findings from similar projects, literature on working with adult audiences, …

Perceptions Of Dementia In Faith-Based Organizations, Megan Elizabeth Kooker

Honors Program Theses

Dementia is a public health concern. The number of people who will have some form of dementia is expected to rise in the coming years (Brookmeyer, 2011). Around 50 million people have dementia worldwide. Every year, this number increases by about 10 million (World Health Organization, 2019). Because this is such a prevalent issue, each part of the community should be educated about dementia as well as how to best interact with people living with dementia (PLWD). In order to educate these individual community sectors, it is important to first research the existing perceptions about dementia among the community. Faith …

Can Spiritual Experiences Promote Empathy In The Context Of Past Adverse Childhood Experiences?, Alison Ickes

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Previous research suggests that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can greatly impact a child’s physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing later in life. ACE exposure has been associated with lower levels of empathy in the literature. Spirituality is often associated with a number of positive outcomes, including those associated with empathy, like prosocial behaviors. The present study examines spirituality as a buffer against reduced empathy in those with exposure to adverse events in childhood. Participants for this study were recruited through the SONA research platform at East Tennessee State University as part of a larger research project, the REACH (Religions, Emotions, and …

Comparing Heatwave Related Mortality Data From Distressed Counties To Affluent Counties In Central And Southern Central Appalachia, Miranda Taylor Pardue

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Appalachian Mountains are home to some of the most culturally rich places in the United States, but also some of the most impoverished communities as well. Several recent events support climate change across the globe. It is expected that Appalachian communities may suffer more dire consequences, as many communities lack strategies to help relieve some of the worst effects of climate change. Heatwaves are predicted to increase in duration and frequency over time, and communities that are not well prepared for the damaging effects of heatwaves can suffer unduly. This study aims to quantify the likelihood that people living …

Determinants Of Long-Term Care Insurance: Are Spouses Substitutes?, Jacob Harold-Matthew Haag

Honors Program Theses

As the U.S. population continues to age due to medical advancements and the aging of the largest generation in the history of the U.S. (baby boomers), the number of people in long-term care facilities has increased significantly; however, the percentage of people with long-term care insurance is small. Research conducted in the early 2000s focused on factors such as availability of children, risk aversion, health status, age, having Medicaid, and other variables that describe personal attributes to explain why the market is so small. This paper will use recent data from the Health and Retirement Study to determine whether or …

The Collaborative Health Objectives In Combatting The Effects Of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (Choice): A Second Chance To Change Diabetic Destiny, Alishia A. Claibourn

Doctoral Projects

The Collaborative Health Objective in Combatting the Effects of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (CHOICE); A Second Chance to Change Diabetic Destiny, is a research pilot study that will test the validity of The Diabetic Foot Book. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) affects 60-70% of the diabetic population. The CHOICE project will use The Diabetic Foot Book, a patient education booklet, created explicitly for the DPN population. The goal of the pilot study is to evaluate the effectiveness of The Diabetic Foot Book to increase health literacy and affect behavior change in the DPN population.

Staying Alive! Reengaging Boomers In Second Adulthood Ministry: Guidance For 21st-Century Church Leaders, Hilery L. Ward Jr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Never before in American history have five generations lived together within the same time period. In 1900, the average life span in the United States was 48. Since 2015, the average life span in the U.S. has expanded to 79. The advances in technology, healthcare breakthroughs, and scientific discoveries in medicine have increased longevity, creating two new, life stages: emerging adulthood and second adulthood. Emerging adulthood is the life stage that encompasses the expanded development of young adults from late teens through mid to late twenties. Second adulthood, primarily a Baby Boomer experience, begins around age 65 and continues to …

Does Gender Affect Subjective Well-Being? The Case Of Turkey, Seda Şengül, Kenan Lopcu

Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Economies

Significant differences in social and economic resources exist between genders in the world as well as in Turkey. These differences have definite potential to affect life satisfaction, a specific aspect of subjective well-being. Measuring and analyzing the impact of gender differences in subjective well-being are very significant for societies in defining efficient and effective policies to reduce social inequalities and to dampen the gap in the quality of life between genders. Hence, the purpose of this study is to estimate the effect of gender difference on subjective well-being between men and women in Turkey, using panel ordered probit models, and …

Dim Sum And The Chinese Diaspora, Ashley Lee

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Dim sum originated from the southern states of China, mainly Hong Kong and Guangdong. The Chinese cuisine has traveled to many places in the world today where Chinese immigrants have settled since the Chinese diaspora circa the 1960s. At the time, Chinese immigrants who came to America had to assimilate to the American culture by situating themselves in areas that had already existed, creating ethnic enclaves in Chinatown, Los Angeles. The heavy population of Chinese immigrants poured into the San Gabriel Valley, which created a bigger community for the Chinese and preserved the Chinese identity. It was easier for them …

Professional Perceptions Of Microaggressions And Verbal Or Emotional Abuse Toward Aging Women: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Kim Kozina-Evanoski

Education Doctoral

This purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the phenomenon of microaggressions and verbal and/or emotional abuse occurrence(s) toward aging women through the perceptions of trusted professionals. Using seven participants from diverse regions of the United States, interviews capturing rich data from the lived experiences of Aging Life Care Association (ALCA) experts, an interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to describe the meaning of ALCA professionals’ experiences and perceptions regarding abuse occurrence(s) from their involvement or observations of those most marginalized or oppressed population, aging women. Five themes emerged from this study: (a) insidious transactions, (b) definition interpretation, …

Nutritional Supplementation And Skeletal Muscle Health In Chronic Diseases, Hexirui Wu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prevalence of chronic diseases in the United States keeps increasing in recent years. There are approximately four in ten adults having chronic diseases in America. Chronic diseases include obesity, aging, heart diseases, cancer and many others. This thesis mainly focuses on obesity and aging. Skeletal muscle performance is impaired in obesity and aging conditions. One common reason causing this could be higher fat mass and lower muscle mass. However, there is no study showing what pathways are involved in the imbalance of body composition. Therefore, the first objective of the thesis is to determine gene expression of selected pathways in …

Life Course Pathways From Childhood Socioeconomic Status To Later-Life Cognition: Evidence From The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, Emily A. Greenfield, Sara Moorman, Annika Marie Rieger

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

ObjectivesA growing body of research indicates that older adults are at greater risk for poorer cognition if they experienced low socioeconomic status (SES) as children. Guided by life course epidemiology, this study aimed to advance understanding of processes through which childhood SES influences cognition decades later, with attention to the role of scholastic performance in adolescence and SES in midlife.MethodWe used data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), which has followed a cohort of high school graduates since they were 18 years old in 1957. Childhood SES was measured prospectively in adolescence, and measures of memory and language/executive functioning were …

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The Past, Present, And Future Of Ecological Climate Warming Experiments, Cori Johanna Speights

Theses and Dissertations

Predicting the net effect of climate change on communities requires understanding how increasing temperatures alter interactions between predators, herbivores, and plants. Over the last several decades, warming experiments have provided important information about how species and their interactions will respond to increasing temperatures. These studies typically examine climate warming by experimentally increasing temperature at a constant level (24 hours) or asynchronously during the daytime, relative to unwarmed control treatments. However, advances in climate models now project that increases in mean global temperatures have been disproportionately driven by increasing nighttime (minimum) temperatures rather than daytime (maximum) temperatures. The timing of warming …

We Are Here To Assist All Individuals Who Need Hospice Services: Hospices' Perspectives On Improving Access And Inclusion For Racial/Ethnic Minorities, M. Courtney Hughes, Erin Vernon

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Background: Racial/ethnic minority populations in the United States are less likely to utilize hospice services nearing their end of life, potentially diminishing their quality of care while also increasing medical costs. Objective: Explore the minority hospice utilization gap from the hospice perspective by examining perceived barriers and facilitators as well as practices and policies. Method: Qualitative surveys were conducted with 41 hospices across the United States. Qualitative data analysis included performing a limited content analysis, including the identification of themes and representative quotations. Results: Commonly reported barriers to hospice care for racial/ethnic minorities included culture/beliefs, mistrust of the medical system, …

Early Detection Of Mild Cognitive Impairment With In-Home Sensors To Monitor Behavior Patterns In Community-Dwelling Senior Citizens In Singapore: Cross-Sectional Feasibility Study, Iris Rawtaer, Rathi Mahendran, Ee Heok Kua, Hwee-Pink Tan, Hwee Xian Tan, Tih-Shih Lee, Tze Pin Ng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Background: Dementia is a global epidemic and incurs substantial burden on the affected families and the health care system. A window of opportunity for intervention is the predementia stage known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Individuals often present to services late in the course of their disease and more needs to be done for early detection; sensor technology is a potential method for detection.Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to establish the feasibility and acceptability of utilizing sensors in the homes of senior citizens to detect changes in behaviors unobtrusively.Methods: We recruited 59 community-dwelling seniors (aged >65 years …

Determining Age-Related Visual Memory And Line Length Perception In Children And Adults, Katie Exline

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

There is little research in the field of visual memory and perceptual abilities of children as compared to adults. This thesis seeks to understand and provide new perspectives to this field with potential implications in the fields of optometry and education. Through two basic experiments, this thesis evaluates the abilities of individuals to perceive a visual stimulus and compare it other visual stimuli, while also observing their abilities to learn and remember various visual stimuli. Through experimentation using line length as the visual stimulus, the method of constant stimuli (MCS) evaluates subjects’ visual perception and the method of single stimuli …

Evaluation Of Potential Drug Interaction Of Analgesic In Cancer Patient Receiving Palliative Care In Dharmais Cancer Hospital, Eme Stepani Sitepu, Atika Wahyu Puspitasari, Nuriza Ulul Azmi, Lila Nilam Sari

Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research

Analgesics are mostly used in cancer patients receiving palliative care to improve the quality of life of patients. Besides analgesics, cancer patients receiving palliative care were also given other drugs in combination to overcome other symptoms of cancer, and this combination could potentially cause drug interactions. This study was aimed to analyze the potential of drug interactions with analgesics in cancer patients. The study design was cross-sectional with a retrospective method and descriptive study. The sample of this study was cancer palliative care patient’s prescription at Dharmais Cancer Hospital in the period of January – December 2017. The sample analyzed …

Assessment Of Depression Among Older Adults Staying In Old Home Care In Klang, Malaysia, Muhammad Qamar, Nurul Zahirah, Sohail Ahmad

Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research

Mental disorders such as depression are widespread, often underdiagnosed, and usually inappropriately treated. The early recognition of factors that may promote depression with the help of depression screening aid can help to plan better care for the patient. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the depression prevalence among the older adults staying in old home care, to explore any association and differences of depression across various socio-demographic variables, and to study the predictors of depression among study subjects. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a convenience sample of 141 elderly by using the validated tool. The study instrument was divided …

Evaluating Outcomes Of Medication-Related Interventions From The “Seniors At Risk For Falls After Emergency Room Visit” (Safer) Pilot Project, Ling J. Zhan, Sharon Leigh, Mary E. Kuebrich, Clara Mikhaeil, Kevin Hom, Colleen M. Casey

Providence Pharmacy PGY1 Program at Providence Portland and Providence St. Vincent Medical Centers 2020

Primary Author: Ling J. Zhan, PharmD

Co-Authors: Sharon Leigh, PharmD BCPS, Mary Beth Kuebrich, MS, AGPCNP-BC, Clara Mikhaeil, PharmD, BCPS, Colleen M. Casey, PhD, ANP-BC

Location: Providence Health & Services, Portland, Oregon

Title: Evaluating outcomes of medication-related interventions from the “Seniors At risk for Falls after Emergency Room visit” (SAFER) pilot project

Purpose: Falls are the leading cause of injury in older adults, resulting in decreased mobility, loss of independence, and increased health care costs. Even a single fall puts an older adult at higher risk for future falls. Despite numerous studies showing evidence that multifactorial fall risk interventions are …

Rapamycin Rejuvenates Oral Health In Aging Mice., Jonathan Y An, Kristopher A Kerns, Andrew R Ouellette, Laura Robinson, H Douglas Morris, Catherine Kaczorowski, So-Il Park, Title Mekvanich, Alex Kang, Jeffrey S Mclean, Timothy C Cox, Matt Kaeberlein

Faculty Research 2020

Periodontal disease is an age-associated disorder clinically defined by periodontal bone loss, inflammation of the specialized tissues that surround and support the tooth, and microbiome dysbiosis. Currently, there is no therapy for reversing periodontal disease, and treatment is generally restricted to preventive measures or tooth extraction. The FDA-approved drug rapamycin slows aging and extends lifespan in multiple organisms, including mice. Here, we demonstrate that short-term treatment with rapamycin rejuvenates the aged oral cavity of elderly mice, including regeneration of periodontal bone, attenuation of gingival and periodontal bone inflammation, and revertive shift of the oral microbiome toward a more youthful composition. …

Ucc Minutes 4-27-20, Angela Brock

UCC Agendas/Minutes

No abstract provided.

Assets And Unmet Needs Of Diverse Older Adults: Perspectives Of Community-Based Service Providers In Minnesota, Hayley R. Mccarron, Alana Wright, Rajean P. Moone, Traci Toomey, Theresa L. Osypuk, Tetyana Shippee

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This paper examines assets and unmet needs of diverse older adults and highlights the need for programs and policies that address the social determinants of health. The United States is undergoing an unprecedented demographic shift, becoming increasingly diverse and aging rapidly. Given these changing demographics, it is important to understand the strengths and needs of our diverse population of older adults. This study captures perspectives of diverse service providers who work with older adults in communities, to identify existing assets as well as unmet needs and challenges facing diverse older adults in Minnesota. Qualitative data were collected using key informant …

Effects Of Brain Training On Brain Function, Jeanae Williams

Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

Over one million Americans are diagnosed with brain diseases or disorders each year. This means brain disease is very common, and because most brain diseases are incurable, it is vital that more information on prevention is provided. Brain training is a program of regular activities that claims to maintain or improve one’s cognitive abilities. Cognitive abilities are brain-based skills required to perform various mental tasks, from the simplest to the most complex. This presentation will discuss the effects that brain training activities have on cognition and brain function.

Aromatherapy As An Intervention To Manage Chronic Pain In A Long-Term Care Facility: A Quality Improvement Study, Jay Friedrichs, Katie Long, Abby Jansen

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Managing pain effectively is a widespread issue in healthcare, particularly in the elderly population. Good Shepherd Lutheran Community in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota reports high levels of chronic pain in their long-term care patients when compared to the nationwide average. This could be due to an inaccurate pain scale, inappropriate medication management, or the lack of non-pharmacological intervention. Students from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University investigated this issue. Current nonpharmacological strategies in the facility include heat or cold application, mindfulness, and range of motion exercises. Pain medication, particularly opioids are used to maximize comfort. A review of …

Decreasing Falls In The Elderly Population Living In Long Term Care Facilities, Brianna Griffin, Anna Kessler, Katie Luckraft, Hailey Monroe, Amelia Richardson, Anna Smisek, Hannah Wohletz

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

No abstract provided.

Promotion Of Quiet Hours To Decrease Fatigue Induced Falls In A Long-Term Care Facility, Moira Kelly, Megan Novak, Aubrey Shephard

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Concurrent Validity Of The Indoor Mobility Pre-Driving Screen (Imps): A Comparison Of The Imps And Ef-Car Motion Driving Simulator., Nicholas T. Bolen

Student Capstone Papers

This paper details the results of a non-experimental assessment comparison study of concurrent validity in which the Indoor Mobility Pre-driving Screen (IMPS) is compared to an EF-Car Motion Driving Simulator. 36 participants completed both assessments concurrently. Collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson's r correlations. Results show low to moderate correlations between the compared assessments.

Decreasing Falls Through Music Therapy In A Long-Term Care Facility, Natalie Rannells, Kayla Thorsten, Riley Leblanc, Kalli Kuhlmann, Casey O'Hern, Jessica Marolt

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Falls are a continuous problem in long-term care facilities. Elderly people are at an increased risk of falling because of age related deterioration, changes in mental health status, neurological problems, polypharmacy, changes in vision and hearing, musculoskeletal problems or environmental factors. Although many facilities advocate for fall prevention, falls are still the number one cause of accidental death in older people. Over the past several months, a long-term care facility has noticed that a majority of falls happen on the dementia unit around the time of shift change (1900-2100). The goal of this quality improvement project was to decrease the …

Examining The Role Of Social Support In The Relationship Between Intimate Partner Violence And Depression, Breanna Lynn Free

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

The purpose of the current study was to assess perceived social support as a moderator of the association between intimate partner violence (IPV) and depression. An additional facet of the current study included examination of how IPV measurement might impact results. Participants included 151 racially diverse female survivors of IPV. Two separate path analyses were conducted to assess social support as a moderator of the association between IPV measured both as a unitary construct and as three subtypes (physical IPV, sexual IPV, and psychological IPV) and depression. We expected that differences in findings would emerge based on how IPV was …