Browsing by Author "Bednarski, Julie A."

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    Dementia Care from an Occupational Therapy Perspective for CICOA: Aging & In-Home Solutions
    (2023-05-02) Taylor, Abigail R.; Bednarski, Julie A.; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Stinson, Kelsey
    Dementia is a growing condition among many seniors all over the world. This condition impacts not only individuals with the diagnosis but also their family caregivers. The numbers of seniors with dementia being cared for by family members within their homes are drastically increasing. Having the appropriate education and training about how to care for loved ones with dementia is crucial to the health and well-being of individuals with dementia and their caregivers. A literature review was conducted in order to explore the most current research regarding occupational therapy and how it relates to supporting individuals with dementia and their caregivers. This information was used to determine the gaps in caring for this population and to aid program development and implementation for a doctoral capstone project. Twenty articles were appraised and included in this review based on relevance to the project’s purpose, focus, and goals. The occupational therapy student used the information collected throughout her literature review to create evidence-based material regarding dementia care for staff members at her capstone site placement to strengthen their knowledge regarding dementia care from an occupational therapy perspective to assist them in providing specialized education to caregivers.
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    Home Modification and Adaptation Educational Seminar for Individuals with Parkinson Disease to Reduce Risk of Falls
    (2022-05-02) Kidwell, Hannah R.; Bednarski, Julie A.; Bednarski, Julie A.; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Williams, Kim
    Clients with Parkinson’s disease have high rates of falls within their homes due to the movement disorders typically associated with the disease. This study used quantitative methods to determine the program evaluation of educational seminars on home modifications and adaptations to reduce the risk of falls in Parkinson’s disease (PD) clients. Two educational seminars were given to PD clients and caregivers on how to make modifications and adaptations to their homes and included resources for where to find adaptive equipment and services for providing installations and modifications. Data was collected through pre and post-surveys and analyzed using an independent samples t-test analysis. There was a significant difference in the knowledge of how to make living spaces, bathrooms, and bedrooms safer to reduce the risk of falls in the home. There was also a significant difference in the overall satisfaction of participants’ knowledge on how to complete home modifications and adaptations and for their knowledge on resources/places to find adaptive equipment. Recommendations included continuing to provide home modification education to people with Parkinson’s to ensure further safety and help reduce the risk of falls within the home. The results propose that PD clients are not receiving education on home modifications at rates that would be of benefit to them.
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    Occupational Therapy’s Role in Low Vision: A Doctoral Capstone Experience
    (2021-04) Wolford, Charly L.; Bednarski, Julie A.; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Riccio, Linda
    Low vision is a prevalent condition found in the aging population. Occupational therapists hold a unique skillset in which they are able to assess and treat low vision, however due to lack of education, training, and confidence it is often dismissed in practice. Therefore, the purpose of this doctoral capstone was to develop and implement a low vision program to increase the quality of low vision care being provided to residents in subacute low vision programs. In order to determine program specifics, the capstone student designed and implemented a low vision survey via Qualtrics. From the results of the Qualtrics survey the student designed the “Low Vision Assessment and Treatment Resource for Occupational Therapists” which included topics surrounding eye anatomy and age-related conditions, low vision assessments, low vision interventions, sample goals, community resources and a case study. Five narrated PowerPoints surrounding the same topic were also designed and distributed via Email. After distribution of the designed program a post survey was completed to determine program success. Respondents reported knowledge on low vision causes increased from a mean of 3.56/5 to 3.72/5, while confidence assessing and implementing low vision interventions increased from 3.03/5 to 3.07/5 and 3.28/5 to 3.52/5, respectively. Successful implementation of the capstone process was the first step in narrowing the gap of high-quality low vision care being provided. Additional training and education in low vision is needed in occupational therapy curriculums in order for practitioners to feel more confident in addressing low vision in the occupational therapy process.