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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 …

Examining The Effects Of Service-Learning On Students' Perceptions Of The Ches Responsibilities– A Pilot Study, Victoria M. Surratt

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a service-learning project on students' willingness, confidence, and perceived importance to incorporate the Certified Health Education Specialist, Areas of Responsibility (CHES-AOR), into their profession. It was hypothesized that students participation in a service-learning project in an undergraduate health and wellness course would be more willing, confident, and perceive it as more important to apply the CHES-AOR within their chosen health profession. Methods: Missouri State University students registered in the fall 2018, undergraduate Health and Wellness service-learning course (KIN-350-001), completed an online survey at the beginning and the end of the semester. Seven questions were …

The Fall Free Zone, Brendalyn Malimban

Master's Projects and Capstones

The fall prevention project is designed to decrease fall rates in the medical-surgical units by promoting accuracy in identifying fall risk patients and engaging patients in participating with their own safety. The project will follow Kotter’s change model to address the urgent need for reducing fall rates (Webster & Webster, 2018). A falls taskforce committee is already in place pursuing the goal mentioned. Engaging the staff members and leaders will be accomplished through reeducation of policies and procedures, admission process and the accurate use of the SCHMID Assessment Tool. These will take place during staff meetings, huddles and roving learning …

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - 2019 - 145th Commencement, Office Of The Registrar, Lsu Health Sciences Center-No

Graduation & Commencement Programs

The program for the 145th Commencement of LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans held May 16, 2019.

Adapting The Lifestyle-Integrated Functional Exercise Program For Medically Underserved Older Adults, Yi-Ling Hu

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Falls are a growing public health problem among the aging population. Structured exercise programs are effective in preventing falls, and many have been implemented for community-dwelling older adults in the U.S. However, low adherence rates for structured exercise are reported consistently for this population. The need to translate alternative evidence-based exercise programs the diverse older adult population is important. One promising alternative program, the Lifestyle-integrated Functional Exercise Program (LiFE), can significantly reduce falls but has not yet been implemented for diverse older adults residing in the US. To initiate the translation of LiFE, we targeted older adults residing in medically …

Overactive Bladder: Shortcomings Of Current Diagnostic And Treatment Approaches And A New Etiological Paradigm, Nina L. Franzen

Master's Theses

Aims: To examine the effectiveness of the current diagnostic and treatment approach of overactive bladder (OAB) and the relative impact of cognition on what is currently a bladder-centric condition. Methods: A review of the literature on OAB from the population to organ/brain level was conducted. The impact of age-induced bladder dysfunction via cognitive changes to sensory integration and attention control are discussed. Results: OAB uses bladder-centric terminology to represent a collection of symptoms with inconsistent and often unknown pathology. Proposed etiologies and therapeutic models for overactive bladder focus on the bladder organ, but evidence suggests that age-related degradation to inhibitory …

Community Living In Context: Rural, Suburban, And Urban Differences Among Older Money Follows The Person Participants, Kaleigh Ligus

Master's Theses

Older adults (65+) are a growing and significant population in the United States. Due to medical conditions and other social factors, some older adults may move to institutional settings to receive care. The Money Follows the Person (MFP) Rebalancing Demonstration is a federal initiative that offers Medicaid recipients the opportunity to live independently in the community by facilitating transitions from institutional settings. A secondary data analysis was performed using longitudinal data from a Quality of Life (QoL) survey conducted with 1,577 older adults in Connecticut (CT). The purpose of these analyses was to explore potential differences among rural, suburban and …

Risk Factors For Attrition From A Pediatric Weight Management Program, Richika Makol

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Spring Commencement [Program], May 10-11, 2019, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Commencement Programs

The program of the commencement ceremonies, including a list of institutional leadership, a list of the departments by college, awards given at the ceremonies, and a list of undergraduate and graduate degree candidates.

2019 Spring Commencement Program: Winona State University, Winona State University

WSU Commencement Programs

This is the Winona State University Spring 2019 commencement program. Commencement was on Friday, May 10, 2019.

A Rhetoric And Philosophy Of Interprofessional Healthcare Education: Communication Ethics In Action, Matthew Corr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Healthcare professionals belong to a moral community. Caring for patients is a community act carried out by healthcare professionals working in teams within complex political and organizational systems. This teamwork is crucial to quality patient outcomes; however, incivility threatens to derail necessary and effective collaboration towards the common organizational good. Necessarily, interprofessional healthcare education is becoming a required element for pre-health professionals. Currently, schools are using competency-based approaches to interprofessional education to teach ethics/values, roles/responsibilities. communication, and teamwork. For reasons explicated throughout this dissertation, the categorizing of these particular elements as competencies is problematic and cultivated within a positivistic and …

The Effect Of Meditation On Stroke-Survivor Resilience: Secondary Analysis Of Existing Data, Mary Love

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Purpose: To test the effect of meditation on resilience of community-dwelling stroke survivors, and to identify resilience predictor variables in these survivors.

Methods: Sub-study with secondary analysis of existing data from the parent study, MEditatioN for post stroke Depression (MEND). Paired samples t-test was used to evaluate the effect of meditation on resilience of stroke-survivors (n=20) in the intervention group. Bivariate analysis and general linear modeling (GLM) were used to identify demographic, clinical, and psychological predictor variables of baseline resilience for all stroke survivors (n=34).

Results: The increase in stroke-survivor resilience scores from baseline (mean 3.46, SD=.81) to intervention completion …

Kasserian Injera: And How Are The Children? The Lived Experiences And Perceptions Of Participants, Black And White, Who Attended Both Segregated And Desegregated Schools, Sherman Whitfield

Theses and Dissertations from 2019

This study was guided by the following research question: What are the perceptions and experiences of participants, Black and White, who attended both segregated and desegregated schools? This phenomenological research study was conducted using two focus groups divided homogeneously into one Black focus group and one White focus group. The Black focus group consisted of three Black females and two Black males. The White focus group consisted of six White females. The findings related to the research revealed that the Black focus group and the White focus group looked at this phenomenon differently along racial lines. These former students actually …

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 Benefits Of Interaction With Environments Created For Attracting Birds On People Living With Dementia, Mahsa Yari

Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses - Archive

In consideration of the increasing growth of people living with dementia, researchers have started to look at different interventions that help enhance their health and well-being. While the search for medical interventions is important, it is critical for other professions to consider how to contribute to the quality of care that dementia patients receive. Therapeutic landscapes can improve the overall care process for older adults with dementia living in long-term care facilities (i.e., dementia care homes) (Bossen 2010). While the landscape should be designed to help older adults with dementia, it should also create natural environments that attract birds that …

Outcome Evaluation Of An Interdisciplinary Care Model For Children With Cystic Fibrosis, Roberta P. Pawlak

Dissertations

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a life-limiting, autosomal recessive inherited disease that affects approximately 30,000 individuals in the United States. Health problems of children with CF tend to be complex, requiring specialty health services. Often children with CF are cared for in CF Care Centers, where an interdisciplinary care team addresses these needs. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) recommends specific Clinical Practice Guidelines be applied to all patients with CF. A major gap in the CF literature is evidence of guideline application results on health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of an interdisciplinary care model …

Widowhood: The First Anniversary Spousal Bereavement-Related Stress, Coping, And Well-Being In Older Women, Mary Elizabeth Minton

Dissertations

By 2020 approximately one million individuals will experience spousal bereavement annually, primarily older women. However, little is known about the survivor's well-being around the first year death anniversary. This study examined spousal bereavement-related stress, coping, and well-being in widows 65 years and older at months 11, 12, and 13 following the death of the spouse based on Lazarus and Folkman's transactional approach and Schaefer and Moos' model of life crises and transitions. Using a prospective, longitudinal, correlational design, data were collected from 47 widows.

The Feasibility Of Standardized Cognitive Assessments For Vestibular Patients, Brynn Morales

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Vestibular dysfunction, or impairments in the inner ear and/or brain structures that process sensory information and help control balance, has a high correlation with cognitive deficits, or problems with mental processes. This relationship negatively affects daily activities and quality of life in persons that live with vestibular dysfunction. Though there is sufficient research proving the relationship, few studies have applied that information in ways to better help the population with vestibular dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of a cognitive assessment battery (a set of correlated assessments delivered in one session) tailored to measuring performance …

School Of Law Commencement: May 4, 2019, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND School of Law Commencement program from May 4, 2019.

University Of Montana Commencement Program, Spring 2019, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of The Registrar

University of Montana Commencement Programs, 1898-2020

Commencement program from the University of Montana.

Understanding Awareness And Completion Of Advanced Care Directives: An Exploratory Study, Katherine Anna Chiu, Katherine Grace Topf

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Background: Advance Care Directives (ACDs) are forms that are beneficial for expressing end-of-life wishes during Advance Care Planning (ACP); however, few studies have focused on awareness and completion among college-aged populations. Completion of ACDs are more common among populations forced to think about potential of death, such as the elderly and chronically ill.

Methodology: This research is comprised of two parts in order to explore the availability of resources on four-year public institutions’ official websites (institutional level), and college-aged students’ beliefs and values. The institutional level took inventory of information available on the official websites of four-year public institutions (n=1,642). …

Visual And Verbal Serial List Learning In Patients With Statistically-Determined Mild Cognitive Impairment., Victor Wasserman, Sheina Emrani, Emily F Matusz, David Miller, Kelly Davis Garrett, Katherine A Gifford, Timothy J Hohman, Angela L Jefferson, Rhoda Au, Rod Swenson, David J Libon, Consortium For Clinical And Epidemiological Neuropsychological Data Analysis (Cenda).

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Background and Objective: Prior research with patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) suggests that visual versus verbal episodic memory test performance may be more sensitive to emergent illness. However, little research has examined visual versus verbal episodic memory performance as related to MCI subtypes.

Research Design and Methods: Patients were diagnosed with non-MCI, amnestic MCI (aMCI), and combined mixed/dysexecutive MCI (mixed/dys MCI). Visual and verbal episodic memory were assessed with the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R) and the 12-word Philadelphia (repeatable) Verbal Learning Test (P[r]VLT), respectively.

Results: BVMT-R and P(r)VLT scores yielded similar between-group patterns of performance. Non-MCI patients scored …

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 …

The Effects Of A Yoga Intervention On Reactive Balance In Older Adults, Haley M. Hayes

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Research into successful aging has shown that the ability to control balance is a key part of maintaining an independent lifestyle. Given the increased proportion of older adults in society, the development of effective strategies to promote successful aging are critical. One promising form of activity that could effectively sustain and/or improve balance in addition to other health markers is yoga. Although studies have been done showing yoga's benefits on mobility, mood and cognition the vast majority of these studies lack scientific rigor. The main purpose of this thesis project was to examine the efficacy of a 6-week yoga intervention …

Subjective Differences Between Premium And Mid-Level Digital Hearing Aids, Dakota Sharp

Dissertations, 2014-2019

This study compared perceptual differences between premium and mid-level hearing aids from a major manufacturer in normal hearing listeners. Limited literature currently exists comparing perceptual differences between premium and mid-level digital hearing aids. This information is highly important in decision-making for clinicians and patients alike. Barry et al. (2018) evaluated four major hearing aid models’ noise reduction properties and determined that one manufacturer’s premium and mid-level devices demonstrated significant differences in noise reduction gain in frequencies associated with human speech. We programmed this device for a mild sloping to moderately-severe SNHL using the manufacturer’s proprietary fitting formula and noise reduction …

Affective Disturbance In Mild Cognitive Impairment, Jason Greenhagen, Emily Matusz, Sheina Emrani, David Libon, Sherry Pomerantz

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an identifiable, prodromal stage of cognitive impairment and has been further defined into subtypes: amnestic, language, executive functioning, and multi domain/mixed MCI (Jak et al. 2009 ). The purpose of this study is to (1) examine the differences in depression, anxiety, and apathy between MCI subtypes; and (2) assess the relationship between the neurocognitive domains (executive functioning, language, and memory and affective symptoms. We hypothesize that apathy will be greater in dysexecutive/mixed MCI (dys/mixed MCI) and be more highly correlated to neurocognitive deficits compared to depression or anxiety. This is a retrospective study of 113 …

The Use Of Behavior Skills Training And Behaviorally Based Interventions In Memory Care, Claire Gallagher

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Abstract

The current study examines the effects of using Behavior Skills Training (BST), an evidenced-based practice for teaching, to train direct care staff members in a Memory Care Community to employ a multi-component, behaviorally-based intervention with residents that have a memory impairment. This study utilizes single case methodology with a stacked AB design replicated across three staff members, three residents, and three transition environments. The design is comprised of a baseline condition, training with BST, a post-training condition with in-vivo coaching, and a maintenance probe. Results include an increase in the percent independence with which staff participants accurately complete the …

Expanding Instruction Of Human Sexuality In Counselor Education, Rachel Willard

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Though counselors are expected to be familiar with human sexuality and its impact on clients’ mental health, as well as sensitive to diverse identities and expressions, training in these topics is often overlooked in counselor education. This project advocates for the inclusion of a human sexuality course in the curriculum of graduate counseling programs and provides an overview of the relevant literature. It then offers a sample training curriculum for a three-credit graduate level course in human sexuality aimed at counseling students and provides additional resources for the instructor. Special considerations for the potential instructor and classroom environment are also …

Let The Church Say Amen! A Qualitative Study Exploring The Experiences Of African American Pastors Providing Mental Health Support, Tiffanie D. Sutherlin

Dissertations, 2014-2019

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how African American Pastors experience their role as mental health supporters. Researchers are continuing to conduct research to better understand some of the challenges and barriers African Americans may experience that impacts their attitudes towards mental health services. Many African Americans identify as spiritual or religious and implement coping skills based on their spiritual or religious connection to a High Power. This researcher focused on four male and four female Pastors who identified as African American and were located in the Eastern Region of the United States. The participants engaged in …

Publication Citations (Calendar Year 2018), Valparaiso University

Valparaiso Scholarship and Creative Works Reception

No abstract provided.