Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Promoting Awareness And Healing In Persons In Mental Health And Addiction Recovery In Middle Tennessee, Savannah Rain Flint

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed in partnership with Healing Arts Project, Inc., also known as HAPI. HAPI exists to fill a gap in recovery and rehabilitation services by providing free art supplies and art classes at partnered facilities, by providing art exhibition and publication opportunities for HAPI program participants, and by participating in outreach events throughout the year. These opportunities help spread awareness and inclusivity of mental health and addiction recovery within the community and helps artists to externalize their personal struggles, thoughts, and feelings through various creative outlets.

My project focus was to increase community awareness of HAPI …

Adult Persistent Post-Concussion Syndrome: Occupational Therapy Practitioners’ Current State Of Practice, Megan Eisses, Megan Hicks, Megan Mitchell, Sabrina Vanderklipp

Masters Theses

BACKGROUND: Persistent post-concussion syndrome (PPCS) is a complex diagnosis involving symptoms that affect nearly all domains of occupational therapy (OT) for adults. Currently, there is a lack of clarity in PPCS symptoms and diagnosis criteria, as well as little research reflecting the best practice patterns of OT practitioners treating adults with PPCS. This study’s primary purpose was to conduct a survey to understand OT practitioners’ current state of practice for adult patients with PPCS, as well as their current knowledge of PPCS.

METHOD: This research project involves a cross-sectional design, mixed methods, 23-question survey that was distributed to OT practitioners …

Creating Home Modification Solutions For Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury, Ryan Heuer

OTD Capstone Projects

Tucker's House provides home accessibility assessments and modifications to children with disabilities and their caregivers. As a small non-profit Tucker's House is not able to tailor its process to specific conditions and diagnoses. The present project focused on creating and enhancing the evidence-based resources that Tucker's House can provide to individuals with spinal cord injury and spina bifida. These resources are designed to help this population safely participate in the home environment and improve their occupational performance and wellness.

Addressing Adherence And Barriers To Long-Tenn Elimination Diet Therapy Through Occupational Therapy In Order To Improve Quality Of Life In Adults With Eosinophilic Esophagitis, Alexis White

MOT Student Capstones

The six-food elimination diet {SFED) is an effective treatment approach for eosinophilic esophagitis {EoE), but it can be challenging and affect patients' quality of life. The aim of this study assesses patients' potential factors influencing adherence to long-term elimination diets. This project employed participant questionnaires to measure attitudes and practice regarding living with EoE; and an education presentation ppt with a pre- and post-survey for key stakeholders synthesizing research findings while aligning patient-provider interaction to promote improved diet adherence. Using data electronic surveys, analysis was conducted using electronic statistical software to determine patient barriers; and to determine accuracy and impact …

Understanding Benefits Of A Community Garden On Those Impacted By Food Insecurity, Taylor Boone

MOT Student Capstones

Occupational therapy professionals can support individual and community interventions for improved health and wellness. Occupational therapists have the unique ability to assess the multi-faceted contexts that impact an individual's and/or community's ability to participate in daily occupations and their level of occupational performance. Addressing nutrition can improve the individual's overall health and wellness and subsequently improve occupational performance, and ability to participate in daily occupations. Many community-based programs act as resources, or access, to improved nutritional intake for community members working towards food security. Occupational therapy has a role in these community-based programs to facilitate improved nutritional intake through functional …

Validating Occupational Therapy's Role To Facilitate Aging In Place: The Need To Raise Clinical Awareness, Laura B. Ferguson

MOT Student Capstones

The concept of staying in one's home as they age, known as aging in place (AIP), presents an emerging area of practice in which occupational therapy (OT) professionals can utilize their skills within the clinic and community to fill a niche that has been underserved. However, lack of awareness of occupational therapy, as well as the complex nature of aging in place, may weaken the understanding of the important role that OT holds to facilitate aging in place. A systematic review of evidence-based literature was conducted to establish a platform to validate occupational therapy's complex role to facilitate aging in …

An Occupational Therapy Approach To Developing Empowerment: Supporting The Recovery Of Women Affected By Substance Abuse In A Residential Treatment Facility, Margaret Schneider-Adams, Molly Schneider-Adams

OTD Capstone Projects

An Occupational Therapy Approach to Developing Empowerment: Supporting the Recovery of Women Affected by Substance Abuse in a Residential Treatment Facility Capstone project poster and presentation in fulfillment of Doctorate of Occupational Therapy Program at Belmont University.

Environmental Interventions And Modifications For Individuals With Down Syndrome: Creating An Assessment Tool And Social Story For Increased Participation, Erica Williams

OTD Capstone Projects

This poster is part of the doctoral capstone project completed with Tucker's House, an agency whose mission is to create safer and more accessible homes and environments for children and young adults with disabilities. This project focused on creating an assessment tool for individuals with Down Syndrome to be used during the home assessment process. A social story was also created to explain the home assessment process in an age appropriate manner to children.

Culminating Capstone Project: Development Of An Experiential Learning Framework For Graduate Occupational Therapy Students, Daniel S. Pereira

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

The following capstone project was completed within an educational setting, consisting of education and program development focus areas. The objective was to construct a framework outlining standards and protocols required to implement an experiential learning program. The experiential learning framework would be adaptable to ensure efficacy among various intervention courses. Entry-level doctor of occupational therapy students at Nova Southeastern University were surveyed and identified a desire for experiential learning. Experiential learning for occupational therapy students improved evaluation skills, critical thinking, and inductive and deductive reasoning (Coker, 2009; Doucet & Seale, 2012). Furthermore, experiential learning for occupational therapy students improved student …

Creating Bridges Of Interprofessional Education: Opportunities For Collaborating Across Multiple Disciplines And Campuses, Norman Cadiz Belleza, Jim Mathews, Leiselle Pilgrim, Kaitlyn Cremer, Maureen Johnson, Elisabeth Mcgee, Evan Pucillo, Kathy Wheat, Vibhor Agrawal

Education Collection

Introduction and Purpose: The purpose of this special interest report is to discuss strategies used by to integrate simulation activities across multiple campuses and programs to foster inter- and intra-professional education. Inter-professional (IP) simulations were done between multiple campuses of a large scale, multi-state, health science university. These simulations utilized Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), and Master of Science Speech/Language Pathology (MS-SLP) students and faculty. IP simulations involved DPT students and faculty from the health sciences university in one state and physical therapist assistant (PTA) students and faculty from a different university in that same …

Exploring Animal Assisted Therapy As A Therapeutic Tool For Use In Occupational Therapy, Malia Proveaux

MOT Student Capstones

Occupational therapy (OT) is an evidence-based and effective therapeutic approach; however, patient compliance and participation are the most significant factors determining outcome measures. Animal Assisted Therapy (AA T) is a therapeutic approach used for various disorders and medical diagnoses and has been showing strong growth in recent years. Animal-assisted therapy is the interaction of a patient and a trained animal to aid the patients' progress toward their functional goals and is a valuable complement to OT. The purpose of this study is to examine the evidence-based research supporting the inclusion of AAT during skilled OT interventions to improve clinical impact. …

Establishing Ot Programming Within A Local Correctional Facility, Kayla Kennedy

OTD Capstone Projects

This OTD capstone project was completed in collaboration with Davidson County Sheriff's Office in Nashville, TN. The criminal justice system is an emerging practice area for occupational therapy with limited established OT programs in jails and prisons. Individuals who are incarcerated have limited social interaction promoting positive behaviors, limited access to quality rehabilitative services, are separated from family/friends, may be placed in isolation and overall experience occupational deprivation. This capstone project aimed to establish OT programming in a local correctional facility using the Recovery Model and MOHO to address needs of residents of the Behavioral Care Center in a long-term …

Strategies For Promoting Engagement In Youth Advocacy Program, Dana Murray

OTD Capstone Projects

The focus of this capstone project was to increase participation in and awareness of Thiiirdspace, a youth program through Family Voices of Tennessee. This was primarily done through the use of Instagram and the creation of a marketing procedure.

Equine-Assisted Activities: Increasing Participation And Quality Of Life For Individuals With Disabilities, Melissa Mabry

OTD Capstone Projects

The author partnered with a nonprofit organization, Saddle Up!, to incorporate an occupational therapy perspective in its work with children with disabilities and equine-assisted activities as part of the OTD capstone project.

Reimagining Room In The Inn’S Housing Readiness Program: Providing Teaching Strategies To Reach All Participants, Kara Reed

OTD Capstone Projects

The intent of this project was to provide housing readiness skills to obtain and maintain permanent housing for individuals transitioning off of Nashville's streets. This housing readiness project focused on improving Room In The Inn's current "Housing Power Week" program through updating content, expanding educational tools, and providing teaching strategies/ training to staff. The project expanded three primary modules including "Life Skills: Kitchen Readiness," "Grocery Preparation," and "Basic Budgeting." Each of these primary modules has between one and three subsections to further explore skills required for success in the home.

Developing Power Skills And Effective Partnerships With Individuals With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Madison Mclean

OTD Capstone Projects

This project partnered with Friends Life Community of Nashville, TN, in effort to advocate for, increase meaningful participation in, and promote independence in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through the implementation of several training tools. Staff and families at Friends Life expressed a need for more classes in a virtual capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to tools to guide Friends Life staff from an occupational therapy perspective. An occupational therapy-based training module was introduced to promote inclusion and teach activity analysis, goal-setting, and how to adapt tasks and the environment to maximize engagement and independence in …

Acknowledgement Of Implicit Bias In Occupational Therapy Practitioners, Kellie Sawyer

Doctor of Occupational Therapy Capstone Projects

Background: The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has identified health and wellness as a key practice area in the 21st century, which includes a focus on health care disparities (AOTA, 2019). AOTA has explicitly stated its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (AOTA, 2020b). To our knowledge, there is no evidence discussing the acknowledgement of implicit bias among occupational therapy practitioners, which leads to disparities in health care when left unrecognized and unmanaged.

Objective: To understand the level of awareness of implicit bias among occupational therapy practitioners.

Study Design: Descriptive qualitative.

Participants: Three post-professional occupational therapy doctoral students.

Methods: Participants …

Advocacy For Older Adults At A State Unit On Aging, Nicki Richardson

OTD Capstone Projects

As Tennessee’s state unit on aging, the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability (TCAD) advocates for the health, dignity, independence, and security of older adults through an array of programs and services that address multiple population needs. This doctoral capstone internship and project primarily consisted of activities to support the implementation, management, and sustainability of TCAD’s grant-funded statewide falls prevention program. Project outcomes included but are not limited to: completion of a grant proposal, analysis of data obtained from falls prevention program participants and presentation of results to stakeholders, and creation of resources to support the recruitment and training of …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In The Multi-Tiered System Of Support Framework To Address Overall School Performance, Carolina Miller

MOT Student Capstones

The multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) framework is an evidence-based approach utilized in school settings to address academic and behavioral concerns for students. In the MTSS framework, early intervention is key to reducing the need for more intensive services in the future. The purpose of this capstone project is to determine the role of occupational therapy in the MTSS team. Unfortunately, occupational therapy practitioners are often not included in the multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) framework nearly as much as they should be. This can be due to many factors such as lack of knowledge of the scope of practice …

The Effects Of Teacher Education On Children With Sensory Feeding Difficulties, Heather Eager

MOT Student Capstones

Background: 3 According to recent studies, there is strong evidence to support the effectiveness for education over feeding therapy interventions and its link to promoting carryover within a client's environments. However, there is limited literature concerning the effects that teacher education over sensory feeding can provide to the pediatric population. This Capstone project was developed to provide evidence-based support for teacher education over this therapeutic concept and the positive outcomes it can have on student's goal progression. Furthermore, when a student's occupational performance is being negatively impacted by feeding aversions and behaviors, he/she is unable to successfully engage in meaningful …