Browsing by Author "Bednarski, Julie"

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    Caregiver Burnout Prevention at a Midwest Parkinson's Foundation
    (2024) Goyke, Madison; Bednarski, Julie; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Williams, Kim
    Parkinson’s Disease is a rapidly growing neurological condition that can affect participation in everyday activities. As more individuals become diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, the number of those caring for people with Parkinson’s Disease also increases. Caregivers can become susceptible to caregiver burnout, which is a stress that accumulates over time, produces a negative outlook on caregiving, and affects many areas of one’s life. Literature suggests that key areas to caregiver burnout prevention are daily care hours, education on disease, social support, and mindfulness. Through a needs assessment of a midwest Parkinson’s organization, a gap was identified between where the organization wanted to be with caregiver burnout prevention and where it was. The goal of this capstone project was to equip the organization with caregiver burnout prevention resources and strategies to promote caregiver health, well-being, and quality of life. Based on the needs assessment, two educational sessions were created and delivered to participants at three caregiver support groups over the topics of mindfulness, medication management, Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT), and respite. Program outcomes were measured via pre- and post- surveys, and this data was analyzed through independent t-tests. There was a statistically significant difference with a large effect size for mindfulness, medication management, and respite educational sessions. Outcomes suggested that caregiver confidence and satisfaction in applying burnout prevention strategies greatly increased following the educational sessions.
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    Doctoral Capstone Report: Understanding Cravings and Triggers in Students Attending a Recovery High School in a COVID-19 Era
    (2022-05-01) Wisser, Breanna; Bednarski, Julie; DeRolf, Annie; Chase, Tony; Wilburn, Victoria; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Wilburn, Victoria
    The adolescent population continues to be one of the most vulnerable at-risk populations for developing a substance use disorder (SUD), however only 0.3% of diagnosed adolescents receive the necessary treatment to begin the journey of recovery (National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, 2020). To date, there is limited literature surrounding the real-life barriers to recovery individuals face daily. Accurately understanding recovery in the context of the daily lived experience would assist in person-centered evaluation and intervention. By utilizing a daily data collection method, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), researchers are able to identify and assess barriers to recovery in a timelier manner. The identified objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using EMA as a data collection method and how well it works to richly understand the lived experiences of adolescents in recovery and inform effective supports for this population.
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    Doctoral Capstone: Determining and Implementing Effective Occupational Therapy Education
    (2021-05-09) Sego, Daniel; Petrenchik, Terry; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Bednarski, Julie
    . In pursuit of entering the academic realm of occupational therapy, one must establish an expert-level understanding of adult learning theory and effective teaching styles but must also gain skills necessary to adjust when presented with changes in academic environments, standards and student populations.The primary purpose of this project is to familiarize the author with and apply effective and proven-successful teaching philosophies, styles and strategies, as well as gain the skills needed to adjust aforementioned elements of a successful educator in the presence of student population, standard-based, and environmental changes so as to ensure effective education of occupational therapy students in the unpredictable future.
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    Doctoral Capstone: Rise Up for Fall Prevention
    (2023-05-04) Green, Samantha; Bednarski, Julie; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Reed, Rob
    Literature shows that fall incidents among the aging population continues to increase despite the fact that they can be prevented. Falls are not a normal aspect of aging and can be put to a stop with proper education and programming. The capstone student collaborated with Cypress Cove, a life plan community located in Fort Myers, Florida where they identified a gap in programming for fall prevention services. The capstone student aimed to close this gap by creating and implementing a dynamic six week fall prevention program called, “Rise Up for Fall Prevention”. The educational lectures and group fitness classes were taught in-person at the capstone site. Overall, this project improved the lives of the residents and provided them with tools to decrease their risk of falls. Results of the study indicated that residents were satisfied with the program and felt confident utilizing the strategies they learned and implementing them into their daily lives.
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    Environmental Adaptations to Enhance Leisure Participation and Mobility for Senior Program
    (2024-04-23) Hughes, Kelsey; Bednarski, Julie; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; White, Debra
    Providing adequate leisure and social engagement opportunities for the older adult population is a key part to healthy aging. Flanner House is a local community center that has a Senior Program, and their goal is to provide the local older adult population with the means to be active within the community. After assessing the current program, the need for environmental modifications to promote leisure and social participation as well as recruit new members was established. This capstone project used occupational therapy-based models to guide the purpose of the research. Then environmental changes made created a safe environment for the seniors to actively engage in leisure and social activities.
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    Exploring Faculty Attitudes Toward the Use of Virtual Reality within an Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program
    (2024-04-25) Morehead, Samuel; Breeden, Lori; Breeden, Lori; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Bednarski, Julie
    Virtual Reality (VR) is an emerging evidence-based practice within the world of rehabilitation, with a significant body of research demonstrating the efficacy of VR as an intervention tool for occupational therapy (OT) practitioners in treating a variety of diagnoses. Researchers suggest VR as an effective tool to facilitate healthcare student education, including use in OT graduate programs. Despite this body of evidence, VR content can remain underutilized in OT student education. This capstone project sought to explore faculty perceptions toward VR classroom integration and facilitate its use in an OTD curriculum. Following a review of current literature, the capstone student created an educational intervention for faculty which consisted of written materials examining the evidence for the use of VR in the OT profession as well as hands-on VR experiences for the faculty to engage with. Various outcomes, including attitudes toward and confidence in using VR, were measured via a mixed-methods approach consisting of a pre-intervention and post-intervention interview and survey. Results indicated that the educational interventions increased faculty confidence in their knowledge of VR in higher education, comfort in integrating VR content into coursework, and anticipated integration of VR content into future coursework. These project results have implications for future attempts at integrating VR content as an evidence-based practice into educational opportunities for OT students and practitioners.
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    Fall Prevention at a Local Fitness Center
    (2022-05-01) Parker, Kirsten; Bednarski, Julie; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Armstrong, Isabel
    Abstract Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries in adults over the age of 65 with 1 in 4 experiencing a fall in their lifetime (Stark et al., 2018). With a growing number of community-dwelling older adult clientele returning to the gym following the Covid-19 pandemic, the leadership at a fitness center in Fishers, IN found a gap in their services. A collaboration began between an Indiana University Doctor of Occupational Therapy capstone student and this a fitness center in Fishers, IN club to develop and implement an evidence-based fall prevention program through an occupational therapy lens to meet the needs of the older adult clients at a fitness center in Fishers, IN An eight-week program was administered, and results suggest an increase in group members’ balance-related self-confidence scores utilizing the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale as a pre and posttest. Program satisfaction was measured through use of a nonstandardized survey and analyzed for sustainability purposes of the program.
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    Improving Multidisciplinary Approach to Complex Discharge Patients: An Evidence Based Approach
    (2021-04-23) Din, Noor; Bednarski, Julie; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Tom, Lauren
    Eskenazi Hospital’s rehabilitation therapists have identified a gap in how complex discharge patients care is approached. With increased caseloads and high role demands, the therapy team is not able to provide this population with the level of services they may benefit from during their stay. Moreover, a defined approach to discharge planning for this population is needed to identify barriers to discharge from admission. This capstone student worked collaboratively with identified stakeholders to complete an in-depth needs assessment and propose a multidisciplinary guideline for providing the best level of care for this population. A proposed method to facilitating patient routines during hospitalization was created through multiple rounds of feedback and implementation.
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    Increasing Technology Supports for Individuals with Disabilties
    (2023) Harris, Braegan R.; Bednarski, Julie; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Renie, Colleen
    Occupational therapists (OTs) are qualified to recommend forms of technology based on an individual’s specific needs to enhance occupational performance. If technology is facilitating and promoting independence, it is referred to as assistive technology (AT). The use of technology, specifically smart devices within a home, provides an environment where an individual can easily be successful without the help of a physical person. It is determined that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities that utilize smart technologies have positive work-related outcomes, increased self-determination and well-being, and participate in more activities, which is supported by literature. Thus, the capstone site identified that they would like to incorporate smart technologies more frequently in the lives of adults with I/DD to facilitate independence when staff and/or family is not available. However, barriers to technology include the lack of time, the lack of awareness of devices, and the lack of appropriately identifying technologies for an individual’s skill level. The purpose of this project was to identify technology supports and increase the use of technology in the everyday lives of individuals with I/DD. The capstone student provided the capstone site with educational resources, technology supports based on assessment outcomes, and in-services to increase the knowledge and awareness of technology within this setting. The technology programming was supported by positive responses from the post-survey following the in-service. Based on the barriers, the capstone student recommends additional in-services and technology sessions for hands-on learning experience to sustain the technology program.
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    IU Occupational Therapy Doctorate Students’ Perceived Experiences on CarFit Training
    (2024-04-26) Instenes, Haley; Bednarski, Julie; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Breeden, Lori
    This paper describes the Doctoral Capstone Experience (DCE) by providing an overview of a comprehensive initiative focused on integrating CarFit training into the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) curriculum at Indiana University. CarFit is a program designed to optimize vehicle safety features and enhance driver comfort, for older adults, addressing the pressing concerns surrounding their increased vulnerability to injuries while driving. This initiative stems from the recognition of occupational therapists’ role in promoting older adult driver safety and aligns with the IU OTD program's mission of socially responsive healthcare, leadership, and advocacy. The project aims to equip second year OTD students with the necessary skills and knowledge to participate in CarFit events, assess older adult drivers' needs, and provide personalized recommendations to enhance their driving experience. Evaluation methods include a post-survey to assess students' perceptions and learning outcomes. Results from the post-survey indicate students provided high responses in areas associated with CarFit being beneficial to the older adult population, understanding the purpose of CarFit, real life experiences increasing their confidence as a therapist, and CarFit being beneficial to receive certifications while in school. There were more neutral results towards continued CarFit education and event participation. With the overall results of the capstone indicating favorable outcomes for CarFit within the curriculum. The completion of this project resulted in CarFit being added to the curriculum in the Older Adults class for the upcoming year, 2025.