Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Exploring Leisure, Social Participation In Older Adults, Zahra Fatina

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Older adults often face challenges in meaningful occupations in their neighbourhoods, often tied to place-based barriers and changes including neighbourhood decline or gentrification. The objectives of this study are to draw on findings from an ethnographic study exploring older adults’ lives in their neighbourhoods, in order to contextually situate the diverse experiences of older adults as they engage in community occupations, focusing on social participation and leisure. We employed an ethnographic methodology with 38 older adults living in two neighbourhoods in a mid-sized Canadian city. Participants engaged in narrative interviews, photo elicitation interviews, go-along interviews, and activity-space mapping with follow-up …

Exploring The Environmental Factors That Shape The Experiences Of Risk For Older Adults, Bernice Chung

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

When a young adult wants to go mountain climbing, rarely do people think it is “too dangerous”. The same cannot be said for older adults. Although life frequently involves risk-taking, older adults are too often positioned as ‘at risk’ and therefore, in need of protection. The problem lies in the way risk is conceptualized as an individually located phenomenon. This narrow view negates the environmental factors that exist outside the control of older adults and that shape risk in older adulthood. I wanted to address this gap, so my research explored the environmental factors that shape experiences of risk for …

An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Exercise Training-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation To Improve Aerobic Fitness, Rojin Gharaezibaei

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

On intake to exercise-training based cardiac rehabilitation, an incremental CPET is performed to identify V̇O2peak and establish baseline exercise capacity. In individuals who provide a symptom-free and maximal effort, V̇O2peak provides a reasonable estimate of the maximal ability of the body to take up, transport, and utilize O2 and the ceiling of aerobic capacity. However, in those unaccustomed to exhaustive exercise, such an effort is challenging to obtain. In clinical atmospheres, CPET testing is commonly symptom-limited due to breathlessness and fatigue. Thus, many patients voluntarily terminate exercise before reaching their maximal physiological limit of O2 delivery and utilization. As a …

Discovering The Brain Activation Patterns Associated With Somatosensory Stimulation In The Lower Extremity In Healthy Adults At Rest: Preliminary Results For A Systematic Review, Siying Luan

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Stroke, which is the leading cause of disability and the third leading cause of death in adults in North America, burdens millions of people as they age. When people experience the long-lasting consequences of stroke, such as limited mobility, the rehabilitation process becomes critical. The mechanism behind walking is supported by a complex system, the somatosensory nervous system. This system transmits information that is essential for one to complete daily tasks, which means the relationship between the somatosensory system and walking is critical to understand for future innovative rehabilitation interventions. Thus, we are investigating the brain activation patterns associated with …

Development Of A Low-Cost Algometer, Thomas D. Naish, Ana Luisa Trejos, Dave M. Walton

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Many people suffer from chronic pain, the reasons for which are not always well understood. Algometers are instruments that can help clinicians understand the nature of pain by determining the force at which pain becomes noticeable or unbearable. Algometers can also be used to determine the effects that external influences can have on pain tolerance in healthy people.

The goal of this project was to develop an algometer that can measure the normal range of pain thresholds and tolerances of most patients, which ranges up to 35 lbs. Also, the result needed to be accurate to about 1% and made …

Investigating Adherence To Screening Guidelines For Cardiometabolic Disease In Persons With Spinal Cord Injury At The Parkwood Institute Outpatient Clinic, Luxshmi Nageswaran

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) are at an increased risk of developing cardiometabolic disease (CMD) and related complications. To address this, the Paralyzed Veterans of America released a set of clinical practice guidelines with screening recommendations for CMD risk factors such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes.

Clinical data indicated that 25 patients out of a total of 48 (52%) are at an increased risk of developing cardiometabolic disease, as defined as having three or more risk factors present. In addition, a review of 30 intake forms from the Parkwood Institute Outpatient Clinic showed that hypertension and weight screenings …

Understanding The Impact Of Covid-19 On Physical And Mental Fatigue In Youth With Cerebral Palsy, Nathan Wc Yang Mr.

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This explorative study examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns, and social distancing on mental and physical fatigue and life role participation of youth with CP. Quantitative data included results from the Fatigue Impact and Severity Self-Assessment (FISSA), Child & Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP) and the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY).