Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Long Covid: An Evidence-Based Practice Project, Sydney Beard, Haley Bender, Aubrey Lemon, Valerie Josephson, Lauren Mccaughtry, Grace Palubicki, Jordyn Tuchtenhagen, Taylor Wolff, Julie D. Bass

Graduate Occupational Therapy Research and Projects

No abstract provided.

Using Social Media To Examine Disabled Veterans’ Adaptive Sports Lived Experience At The National Veterans’ Wheelchair Games, Heather Harding

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Considered the world’s largest annual rehabilitative wheelchair games event for Veterans in the United States, the National Veterans Wheelchair Games (NVWG or the Games), co-hosted annually by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Paralyzed Veterans of America, is a long-standing event that offers a view into how adaptive sports and recreational activities can impact Veterans with disabilities. This hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative study sought to discover if the Veteran athletes, who participated in the NVWG between 2017 and 2021, described their lived experiences through the lens of their public social media posts on Instagram, and if so, what can be gleaned …

Wellness And Longevity Program For Adults And Older Adults, Oliver D. Fay

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

There are many areas of practice to choose from in the field of Occupational therapy (OT). OT has an incredibly diverse career path, with new opportunities being created every day. I completed my doctoral capstone experience at Iridium Enterprises with Dr. Aaron Green, who has a wealth of experience in business and entrepreneurship. My ACOTE focus areas were administration and program development. I wanted to learn how a business was properly developed and managed from the ground up.

Through this experience, I learned how to methodically approach market research and how to narrow in on a business idea. Our goal …

Improving Self-Report In Quality Of Life Reporting For Individuals With Dementia, Elizabeth Grace Grade Redford

Theses and Dissertations

People with dementia (PWD) are one of the fastest growing clinical populations for speech-language pathologists. Self-reported quality of life (QoL) assessments are critical patient-reported outcome measures that align with person-centered care principles. However, proxy- report is most often used due to assumptions that PWD cannot provide reliable self-report. Visual analogue scales (VAS) have been successfully used with people with expressive and cognitive deficits to measure subjective constructs, such as QoL, mood, and pain. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of a VAS QoL assessment tool.

Twenty healthy older adults were assessed using the QoL-AD …

Enhancing Physician Perspectives Of Skilled Occupational Therapy Services For Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Valerie S. Trinidad

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

This Capstone Project, with a focus in research, sought to identify a relationship between self-reported functional performance and participation restriction as described by satisfaction with one’s execution or participation in a described occupation. A correlational study design was employed under the mentorship of Dr. Thomas Decker, EdD, OTD, OTR/L who oversaw all IRB processes, documentation, study development and deployment, as well as co-authored and provided mentorship for creation of a publishable manuscript of this project. The established Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) and the newer Keele Assessment of Participation (KAP) were the two outcome measures of focus for surveying …

Rehabilitation Through Reintegration: Supporting Survivors Of Stroke, Alexander T. Wiemann

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

After returning home from inpatient care, survivors of stroke have several ongoing needs related to this transition that are not always fully addressed, leading to poor community reintegration and psychosocial well-being. The purpose of this capstone project was to modify a community-based occupational therapy program to improve community reintegration and psychosocial well-being among survivors of stroke. One significant modification was the implementation of a survivor support group focused on psychosocial topics. Interviews and formal assessments conducted with participants indicated several perceived benefits from the support groups as well as a decrease in depression and anxiety and an increase in community …

Hula As A Protective Factor That Improves The Quality Of Life To Those Who Dance In A Hula, Pepper T. Lum-Lung

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

This research study investigated hula, the traditional dance of Native Hawaiians as an occupation that promotes health and wellness and improves quality of life. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to gain insight about reasons for dancing hula and if dancers’ viewpoints are a protective factor that promote quality of health for those living on the mainland (continental United States). This work was guided by the Native Hawaiian diaspora and culturally appropriate health and wellness interventions. Qualitative data regarding reasons for dancing hula and experiences with dancing hula revealed general themes: Developing a connection to the Hawaiian culture …

Effects Of Exercise On Parkinson's Symptom Relief, Brooke Burnett

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this review of twenty research articles, the effects of moderate exercise therapy on the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease will be explored. Appropriate literature was located using the research question, “In older adults with a Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis, how does moderate exercise influence the symptoms of this disease?” Twenty peer-reviewed research articles were examined for the impact of different forms of exercise on various symptoms associated with Parkinson’s. Nineteen of the articles reviewed provide substantial evidence in support of exercise therapy as a treatment option for people with Parkinson’s, and one of the articles found inconclusive evidence neither in support …

Ability360 Program Evaluation And Modification, Tim Filion

OT Student Capstones

Health care in the United States has shifted over the past several decades, from an emphasis on addressing morbidity and mortality to health promotion and overall quality of life (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2018a). As a result, clinicians in various fields have begun to incorporate considerations for wellness initiatives in addition to preventive strategies. The phrase health-related quality of life (HRQOL) refers to “an individual’s or group's perceived physical and mental health over time” (CDC, 2018a, p. 7). As specified in that definition, HRQOL can be viewed at an individual or community level. For individuals, this includes …

Establishing Test-Retest Reliability And Internal Consistency Of The Occupational Resilience Measure, Kara Gore

OT Student Capstones

Without a clear understanding of the dynamic relationship between resilience and occupation, occupational therapy has lacked the tools necessary to optimize resilience in research and clinical practice.

Occupational resilience is defined as “the capacity for persistence in the performance of an occupation, whereby capacity is reflected in both duration and intensity of engagement in a specified occupation” (Muriithi et al., 2022).

Occupational Resilience Measure 1.0 (ORM) and the Occupational Resilience Individual Perception Scale (ORIPS) to be used as the primary assessment tools for measuring resilience in individual occupations.

Aim: Establish the test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the ORM; establish …

The Effects Of A Teletherapy Follow-Up Education Program On The Quality Of Life And Self-Care Management Of Lymphedema Among Breast Cancer Patients: A Doctoral Capstone Experience, Victoria Tanyag

OT Student Capstones

Background and Purpose. The primary purpose of this doctoral capstone research project was to evaluate the effect of a teletherapy follow-up education program on the participants’ quality of life in lymphedema management. A secondary objective was to determine whether an increase occurred in compliance and independence in the following recommended lymphedema management protocols within the home setting. Methods. A 14-week prospective study design was conducted at Banner Gateway Medical Center (BGMC). Eight female subjects (mean age of 61.88 years) were recruited and randomized into two treatment groups. The control group resumed care as usual. The intervention group participated in a …

Occupation And Time-Use: The Narratives Of One Individual With Tetraplegia, Amanda Balser

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Successful health-management habits of individuals with tetraplegia have correlated with better quality of life and occupational engagement. Objectives: Little is known about the experience of time-use during these practices and the influence these routines have on participation in other meaningful occupations. This study aimed to explore the stories an individual with tetraplegia has about time-use in health management practices, influences on time-use, and feelings about quality of life and life satisfaction. Methodology: Narrative inquiry was used to explore the stories of time-use of one individual living with tetraplegia. Findings: Eleven interpretive stories were thematically represented illustrating the complexity of …