Browsing by Author "Long, Ryane"

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    Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy Interventions to Promote Social Participation and Quality of Life in Older Adults: A Rapid Systematic Review
    (2021-05-05) Adams, Alexa; Horsford, Caitlin; Jones, Paige; Long, Ryane; Pflugradt, Dana; Chase, Anthony; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences
    This systematic review discusses the evidence of 24 studies to identify the effectiveness of various evidence-based interventions that could be utilized within the scope of occupational therapy (OT), as they aim to improve social participation and health related quality of life in adults over 60 years of age. Older adults often experience difficulty with social engagement, increasing their risk for social isolation which is correlated to decreases in health-related quality of life, functional mobility, as well as increased loneliness, cognitive declines, or other adverse physical and psychological effects. Social participation can facilitate increased health-related quality of life, mitigate loneliness, as well as slow cognitive decline and other adverse physical and psychological effects related to aging and late life transitions. Overall, this review found strong evidence for the effectiveness of physical activity interventions, moderate evidence for the effectiveness of emotional and personal based interventions, and mixed evidence for external support interventions that aim to improve social participation in older adults. Additional research should be conducted to further identify objective aspects (rather than typical subjective aspects) of evidence-based interventions that clinically correlate to increased health-related quality of life and well-being as related to social participation for therapeutic utilization within the domain of occupational therapy for older adults.
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    Evaluating the Implementation of Virtual Reality to Improve the Quality of Life of Individuals with Dementia
    (2023-05) Long, Ryane; Sego, Daniel; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Smith, Jessica
    Falls are the leading cause of morbidity and disability in the geriatric population. Although falls and fall-related injuries are highly prevalent, they are preventable. Through research, virtual reality has been identified as a promising tool used in cognitive and physical assessments and therapeutic interventions. The goal of the capstone project was to gain clinical knowledge and hands-on experience related to program development and the implementation of novel therapeutic technology, consisting of virtual reality (VR) during therapy treatment sessions. Additionally, the student analyzed and addressed cultural and economical facility specific barriers to the implementation of facility-wide programming with the goal of decreasing falls and improving the quality of life of the residents with cognitive deficits. Although the product quality and logistical barriers observed limited the use of MyndVR as a clinical tool, the project results found the use of virtual reality with the geriatric population to have positive outcomes. The capstone student led an in-service where the project findings were presented and the therapists were educated on other virtual reality devices and important features offered on more established systems. Additionally, a quick-start guide was created to increase the competence and confidence of staff members while operating the MyndVR system. The therapists at Heritage Pointe were receptive to the information presented and the resource created based on the increased confidence demonstrated through the survey results.