Geriatric Nursing Commons^™

The Use Of Herbal Supplements On Minimizing The Clinical Manifestations Of Alzheimer's Disease, Delayna L. Donohue

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects over 5 million individuals in the United States annually. By the year 2050, the number of individuals living with AD is projected to triple (Latest Alzheimer’s Facts and Figures, 2016). Although there is no cure for AD, there are many prescriptive pharmacologic agents used to help manage the clinical manifestations of the disease. Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) and herbal supplements are also used in the treatment of AD, however indications for their use and effectiveness during the progression of AD have not been examined. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of …

Exploring The Impact Of A Training Programme On Acute Healthcare Professionals' Attitudes And Understanding Of Dementia, Orla Quirke

Theses

Acute healthcare professionals lack education and training in dementia care. This results in people with dementia having poorer outcomes when admitted to the acute healthcare setting. An overarching aim of The National Dementia Strategy (2014) is the provision of optimal care for people with dementia in all healthcare and community settings. In response to this, Dementia Elevator a national inter-professional suite of educational programmes were developed by Dublin City University and the Health Service Executive to help individuals, communities and health systems engage positively with people with dementia. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a four-hour dementia training …

A Model Of Health For Family Caregivers Of Elders, Florence M. Weierbach, Yan Cao

ETSU Faculty Works

Family members who provide care to their loved ones experience changes in their own health. The caregiver health model (CGHM) is a new model that identifies health holistically and identifies four determinant(s) that contribute to the health status of the family caregiver. The purpose is to introduce the CGHM: Hypothesis 1: the determinants of health in the CGHM contribute to the health of the Caregiver, Hypothesis 2: the determinants of health contribute to changes in the caregivers’ health at 8 and 16 weeks, and Hypothesis 3: a change in health occurs from baseline to 8 and 16 weeks. Methods: A …

Community Engagement With Older Adults To Evaluate Interprofessional Education In Allied Healthcare Students, Scott Heinerichs, Mary Beth Gilboy, Stacie Metz, Melissa A. Reed, Barbara E. Harrison

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: To examine students’ perceptions of interprofessional education (IPE) as a result of their participation in a community engagement experience with older adults. Methods: Thirty-six students enrolled in the undergraduate majors of athletic training, exercise science, and nutrition participated in an 8-week fall prevention program in two community dwelling senior centers. A one-group pretest-posttest evaluation design was used to assess the IPE experience of the students. Students completed the University of the West England Interprofessional Questionnaire pre and post intervention. Results: Both pretest and posttest student self-assessments of communication and teamwork skills ranged from slightly positive to neutral (means from …

Introduction Of A Comprehensive Modified Early Warning Scoring System In A Large Rural Hospital, Beth A. Meade

DNP Projects

PURPOSE: To develop and test a comprehensive modified early warning scoring (MEWS) system for use on two medical-surgical-telemetry units in a large rural hospital in northeastern Kentucky; to educate and train nursing staff in utilization of a new MEWS system and early identification and management of clinical deterioration; and to determine nursing satisfaction regarding education, training, and use of a new MEWS system.

BACKGROUND: Adult medical-surgical patients are at risk for clinical deterioration. Rapid response systems and MEWS systems are strategies that have been employed to assist nursing staff in early identification and management of clinical deterioration. Testing of a …

Evaluation Of A Nurse Navigator Program On The 30-Day Readmission Rate In Heart Failure Patients, Katie A. Winiger

DNP Projects

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a registered Nurse Navigator (NN) on hospital 30-day readmissions for patients with heart failure at Norton Healthcare (NHC) in Louisville, Kentucky.

METHODS: This study involved two phases. Phase I was a retrospective descriptive design utilizing a medical record review of 159 patient charts. Group 1, 54 charts, included patients with heart failure who were discharged from NHC for heart failure related illnesses and were seen in a primary care clinic that utilized a NN after discharge from the hospital. Group 2, 105 charts, included patients with heart failure …

A Systems Approach To Moral Distress In Long Term Care, Margaret Lemley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract: The question that this dissertation seeks to answer is whether or not a Systems Approach to Moral Distress can serve to positively address issues of moral distress within the Long-Term Care setting. Because moral distress has largely been understood as a phenomenon of the individual, efforts to address and reduce incidents of moral distress have focused almost entirely on the individual and his or her reaction to specific triggers. Building upon the existing literature this dissertation argues that previous efforts to understand moral distress within the healthcare setting have been limiting in two very important aspects. The first …

Holistic Self-Care: Tai Chi, Qigong Training For Caregivers At An Alzheimer Disease Assisted Living Facility, Sunny Alperson, Christianne Fowler

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

With the growing number of older persons with chronic illnesses, the demand for professionals who can provide complex care is increasing as well. However, evidence shows that health professionals’ burnout rate has been consistently increasing for the last 3 decades. In an effort to alleviate some of the issues associated with caregiver burnout, we conducted mind-body training of self-compassion for professional caregivers at an Alzheimer disease (AD) specialty center for 5 weeks. The intervention combined seven simple centering movements of tai chi and qigong in a context of mettā (loving kindness meditation) language mindfulness. Data showed significant improvements in caregiver …

Remembering Time, Jonathan Carey

Capstones

My parents were dressed in their Sunday best, heading to a church revival. I was 12 and still the baby of the family, so staying home alone was out of the question. My grandmother Lillian, who preferred to be called Nana, came to babysit me. She relished a little time away from the doldrums and senior citizen gossip that engulfed the high-rise building where she lived,five minutes from my house in Petersburg, Virginia. That evening, as the sounds of “The Young and the Restless” echoed through the house, I tiptoed downstairs to give Nana a playful scare.

A Resident-Centered Dementia Care Staff Education Project To Reduce Challenging Behaviors At A Long-Term Care Facility, Margaret Huryk

Seton Hall University DNP Final Projects

Frequent use of antipsychotic medication (APM) for behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) persists at high levels in long- term care (LTC) facilities despite extensive evidence of modest clinical benefits, serious adverse effects, public health advisories and a national initiative to improve dementia care. There is a gap between best-practice evidence and actual clinical practice related to pharmacological and nonpharmacological care for persons with dementia (PWD) and BPSD and/or neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) of dementia. The literature shows that clinicians often ignore FDA (Food and Drug Administration) warnings, CMS (the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) initiatives and expert opinion …

Self-Care Among Older Adults With Heart Failure, Sumayya Attaallah, Kay Klymko, Faith Pratt Hopp

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: It is estimated that 5.7 million Americans are living with heart failure (HF) today. Despite the fact that HF is one of the most common reasons people aged 65 years and older are admitted into the hospital, few studies describe the self-care in this older adult population. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to review the current literature on self-care in this population to better understand the influence of selected factors on self-care and health outcomes. Methods: A literature search was completed and resulted in including 28 studies. Results: Multiple factors have been reported as barriers to self-care …

Approach To Safety Improvement: Focusing On Better Care (Fall Prevention In Medical Surgical/Intermediate Care Unit), Jose Fox Caballes Jr

Master's Projects and Capstones

Patient safety is one of the major concern of any healthcare provider during their patient’s hospital stay. This project addressed the steady trend of fall incidences compared to last fiscal years’ data of an average of 4 falls per month. This trend created urgency to envisioned a plan for solutions to prevent this circumstance from happening. This Clinical Nurse Leader led a project in creating a process in identifying all patients that are high risk to fall (HRTF) prior to their admittance or transfer to Medical Surgical/Intermediate Care Unit and throughout their hospital stay until they are discharged. In addition, …

Ihss: Repackaging Consumer Information, Deloras N. Puran

Master's Projects and Capstones

Currently, qualified Californians with disabilities and aging individuals can receive consumer-directed care through the IHSS program. Despite the strong demand for the program, new consumers are still struggling to begin their service after enrollment.

This study assisted San Francisco In Home Supportive Services Public Authority to understand how new consumers can navigate the IHSS program services after enrollment. Focus group and semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted to gather feedback from consumers regarding what type of information would they need after enrollment, and how would they want to receive the information. Based on the feedback, written and virtual deliverables were designed …

Nonpharmacological Approaches In Dementia Care, Gay Lynn Warren

Master's Projects and Capstones

The 6A acute care unit has been seeing a higher number of patients that are afflicted with dementia. Often times, these patients display challenging dementia-related behaviors. It is commonplace for these patients to be medicated with a psychotropic medication in order to halt the challenging behavior. The global aim of this project is to improve dementia care on the 6A acute care unit. The specific aim, educating staff members about the benefits of nonpharmacological approaches in the management of challenging dementia-related behaviors and to encourage their use, is relative as the education is necessary before improvement can be expected to …

Nurse Shift Handoff Report At The Patient's Bedside: Improving Nurse-To-Nurse Communication, Francis R. Estrella

Master's Projects and Capstones

The purpose of the CNL project is to develop a standardized approach to communication during nurse shift handoffs through utilization of bedside shift reporting (BSR). Shift handoffs are integral to nursing practice; therefore, this process must be accurate, effective, and consistent in order to ensure the delivery of safe and quality care. The project focuses on the CNL curriculum element of Quality Improvement and Safety, under the role of an Outcomes Manager. Prior to BSR implementation, shift handoffs in the sub-acute unit were being conducted at the nurse’s station or by the medication carts. Nurse shift handoffs were often rushed, …

Older Adults Perspectives Of Bed Bathing, Nikki D. Sumner, Katherine C. Hall Phd

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this qualitative pilot study is to explore the patient perspectives about what it is like to receive a bed bath. Examining studies of bath basins versus alternative methods has shown a decrease in the spread of nosocominal infections. However, there is not sufficient evidence evaluating the patient perspectives of assistive bed bathing and interactions with nurses and nursing support staff. This information can provide healthcare providers, especially nurses, with a better understanding of patient perspectives and values. It also supports the national healthcare approach towards patient-centered care.

Evaluating The Likelihood Of Use Of Bispectral Index Guided Anesthesia As A Strategy To Reduce Postoperative Delirium In Surgical Patients 65 Years Of Age Or Older, Simon Jack Gibson

Doctoral Projects

Postoperative delirium (POD) is the most common postoperative complication in the elderly, accounting for approximately $164 billion in costs per year in the United States (Inouye, Westendorp, & Saczynski, 2014, p. 911). This complication occurs in as many as 50% of elderly patients, but can be prevented as much as 40% of the time (Inouye et al., 2014). The use of processed encephalographic monitoring, such as Bispectral Index (BIS) monitoring, to guide anesthetic dosage is the single intraoperative intervention with enough evidence to support it as a recommendation for use to reduce POD (American Geriatrics Society, 2015). There were two …

Decreasing Cost Associated Medication Nonadherence, Shawn E. Raymond

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Project

An Abstract of the Scholarly Project by

Shawn E. Raymond

Medication cost is a major contributor for patient medication nonadherence. Take in the fact that a large population lives in poverty, many cannot afford to pay the retail prices associated with purchasing their medications. By incorporating wholesale medications into a charitable health clinic, the reduced cost of medications for treatment of both acute and chronic illnesses could be passed on to those in need thereby decreasing cost associated medication nonadherence. Nurse Practitioners in the state of Kansas are not afforded the privilege to purchase, repackage and distribute or resell wholesale …

Strategies To Prevent Hospital Transfers In The Snf Environment, Vinai P. Decena

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project focuses on the CNL curriculum element of Care Environment Management. The purpose of this project is to reduce hospital readmissions in geriatric patients who are currently having any changes of medical condition within the SNF microsystem. In this project, the CNL functions as the team manager and care coordinator. The CNL facilitated, and utilized patients’ outcome data to make changes in care processes to reduce acute hospital transfers in the skilled nursing facility. The CNL lead the interdisciplinary team and was resource or point of contact for this project. The CNL educated nurses to utilize (Interventions to Reduce …

Standardized Blood Transfusion Documentation, Kelly A. Hill

Master's Projects and Capstones

The aim of this project was to improve nurse satisfaction through the use of a standardized blood administration documentation template. The goal was to reduce the time that nurses spend charting by offering a structured documentation template and to ensure that the procedure is correctly recorded in the patient’s electronic record. The leadership theme that supported this project is Information Manager, as the clinical nurse leader (CNL) uses information systems and technology at the point of care to improve health care outcomes. The selected microsystem is a medical/surgical/telemetry unit, which has 38 beds with 38 registered nurses (RNs). When surveyed, …