Gerontology Program
Spring 2016 Community Project Presentations #1
April 29, 2016 ~~ 8:30-4:00 ~~ Hinde Auditorium
Introductions
8:30-8:35
Dr. Cheryl Osborne
8:35-8:55
The City of Woodland Telephone Reassurance Program
Kim Tornincasa
Agency: Woodland Sr. Center
Agency & Faculty Supervisors: Dallas Tringali & Dr. Donna Jensen
The Woodland Senior Center is known for their efforts in promoting older adult health and well-being by providing opportunities for recreation, socialization, nutrition, health
education and access to vital social services. With the aging population growing exponentially, there are a growing number of older adults who are living longer in their
homes and out of reach of such services. The Telephone Reassurance Program is designed to help homebound elders and/ or disabled individuals remain independent in
their own homes for as long as possible by providing reassurance, social support, safety checks, and community resource information. This program hopes to reduce
isolation and help recipients feel safer and more connected to their community. Over the last two semesters the student proposed, developed, and implemented a
Telephone Reassurance Program as an outreach program to support at-risk- seniors over 50 who typically live alone, are homebound, and/or have little or no caregiver
support. Along with the development of the Telephone Reassurance Program the student developed a volunteer training handbook, procedure and policy manual and
other program forms to supplement the program. The student collaborated with an aging professional community partner to help conduct training sessions for new
Telephone Reassurance volunteers. The student evaluated the training program in order to assess the impact it had on the volunteers. Eight volunteers were trained and
eight surveys were returned. Results indicated that the training was well received and surveys indicated that volunteers were provided all of the information in an
understanding and engaging manner. Many of the surveys indicated that new things were learned and the volunteers feel they are better prepared to make reassurance
calls. In order to improve the training, it was indicated that training could be of shorter duration.
8:55-9:15
Adult Creative Coloring
Jenny Brimhall
Agency: Chateau @ Capitol
Agency & Faculty Supervisors: Jennifer Maurer & Professor Lisa Harris-Chavez
The Chateau on Capitol Avenue provides independent, assisted living, and respite care services focusing on quality of life. Within The Chateau, the life enhancement
department schedules activities for their residents based on social engagement by providing a program calendar full of games, guest lectures and seminars, live musical
performances by local artists, and excursions to attractions for all interests including live theater, museums, and award-winning restaurants. The student intern created an
Adult Creative Coloring project for the residents with a goal to support the life-enhancement department by meeting residents’ needs and to encourage meaningful
relationships. The project utilized Activity Theory to focus on life satisfaction and well-being to keep the residents participating, engaged, and social with the goal to
decrease loneliness and increase health while actively aging. The coloring classes were scheduled during already calendared Creative Connections Activities on
Saturdays. The activity included use of vibrant colored pencils and markers, drawings on card-stock paper, in a healthy and social inspiring environment. The residents
were recruited by the monthly calendar, elevator ads, receptionist signage, and word of mouth. There were 5 regular resident participants and 2 other residents who used
the time and space to work on other craft connection activities while enjoying the company of the other residents. The project also included a community coloring tub
located in the card room game armoire for those who would like to color outside of the scheduled activity or share the activity with friends and family. The student intern
surveyed 4 of the 5 regular coloring class participants and 1 of the 2 other activity crafters, to determine if they enjoyed the activity and if they wanted to keep the activity in
the future. The results indicated all who participated in the coloring activity said “yes” they enjoyed the activity and would like to keep the activity in the future. The other
crafter who used the time to do a latch-hook craft said “no” to both questions regarding coloring, but enjoyed the time in the activity for their craft. The Chateau will retain
this activity on their calendar as a regular Craft Connection Activity, but as an “open crafting” activity, allowing participants to choose their craft.
9:15-9:35
Tell Me a Story: An Intergenerational Interview Project
Danette Paskaly
Agency: Mercy Housing
Agency & Faculty Supervisors: Erica Plumb & Sarah Simmons & Professor Deon Batchelder
Mercy Housing is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating affordable housing and services to low income families and seniors. Through a collaboration of the
Resident Services Offices from Mercy Village and Creekview Manor, this project brought together different generations to share, in audio recordings, their thoughts and
feelings about where they live. This project took place at Mercy Village Folsom and Folsom Gardens. This project created sharable audio interviews between the youth
and older adults from these properties, to be featured on the webpages of Mercy Housing properties as testimonials. This intergenerational project has created valuable
relationships that improve the overall wellbeing of all the participants. Specifically, this project was created to give older adults a chance to participate in a meaningful
activity, to support and strengthen self-esteem, while doing the same for the youth. Older adults were given the chance to share their time, stories, and talents with the
youth. There were five group meetings, over five weeks, focusing on getting to know group members, while sharing life experiences, ultimately leading to interviews
facilitated by the youth. This project was in harmony with the desire that Mercy Housing has to enrich the lives of the residents, because it built relationships and gave
seniors an opportunity to give back, and to feel valued and important, creating better life satisfaction. In total, three Creekview volunteers and ten youth participated
sessions leading up to interviews. Eight interviews were created. Evaluations confirmed that the project was enjoyable and valuable, and served as a way to bridge the
generation gap experienced by many in today’s society. The youth and the older adults involved looked forward to their time together and have stated that they would be
willing to participate in future intergenerational programs. The older adults involved felt valued and important because of their interactions with the youth, and they were
willing to give back to this younger generation by sharing their knowledge and skills. Enjoyment level was high for both the older adults and the youth. Resident Services
coordinators saw the project as a great way to build a sense of community between Mercy properties, and to engage different generations in relationships they might not
otherwise have, specifically noting that the youth were getting much appreciated positive attention.
9:35-9:55
Life Experiences of Caregivers and Care Recipients
Chia Moua
Agency: Asian Community Center
Agency & Faculty Supervisors: Linda Revilla & Professor Melinda Westland
ACC Senior Services is a non-for-profit organization that aims to enhance the lives of seniors and caregivers by providing them with special and culturally diverse services
and programs. Seeing that seniors and caregivers are the main focus groups at ACC, an oral history interview project was created to gather personal narratives about
caregivers and care recipients. Each individual is unique based on the different experiences they have had. Although many people may associate caregiving with negative
experiences, not all of these experiences are bad. Whether or not their personal experiences affected them in a negative or positive light, it may have increased their
knowledge about the roles they had to take on. Similarly, care recipients shared their experiences about accepting care from friends or families and how that affected their
life. The interview process involved three caregivers and three care recipients. Interview questions were created and slightly modified for each group of interviewees
depending on their roles. The interviews were video recorded and held at ACC or in their homes, based on their preference. The duration of each interview was between 12 hours. After the interview, the interviewees were asked to fill out an open-ended evaluation form. The student mailed an “Appreciation” letter along with four DVD copies
to the interviewees. The results showed how some viewed the interviews as being valuable and therapeutic and while many said they would share their experiences so
they can help someone else. In addition to the positive feedback, interviewees can pass down the DVDs to close family or friends to help others understand their specific
roles and provide insight as to what one could expect and learn through this process. Similarly, ACC may gain a better understanding of the adversity individuals had to
overcome and what services best fit their needs in the future.
9:55-10:30
BREAK
10:30-10:50
Advocacy Page Development for The Alzheimer’s Association for The Northern California and
Northern Nevada Chapter
Aislinn Botones
Agency: Alzheimer’s Association
Agency & Faculty Supervisors: Michele Johnston & Dr. Cheryl Osborne
The Alzheimer’s Association has many chapters throughout the nation. In each Chapter, advocate volunteers refer to their chapter’s web page for information and duties.
The project’s goal is to revitalize the Alzheimer’s Association Northern California & Northern Nevada Chapter’s advocacy page. The project aimed to increase its efficiency
with additional information. Through collaborated efforts of the student, Program Assistant and Policy Specialist, a punch list was created which indicated certain additions
to be made. These included the addition of the federal policy research-funding piece, a link to state policy platform, advocacy volunteer opportunities, and Alzheimer’s
Congressional Team member information as well as advocacy videos. Furthermore, the treatment and savings cost document for Alzheimer’s was added, the link to the
trajectory report, as well as the 2016’s Alzheimer’s Association Facts & Figures. Sustained by the agency’s current advocates and Regional Director, their responsibilities
is to advise volunteers, staff, and the public to review the web page; to increase the web page’s services, and inform the importance of the Alzheimer’s Association’s
advocacy efforts. The project involved extensive research of the Federal and State policy pieces. Information was then placed into Convio, a software solution for
Nonprofits as a mock page. When the project was live, it notified agency’s staff and volunteers for view and asked to reflect though a survey. Results of this survey
reflected the website as informative and effective.
10:50-11:10
Animals Helping People with Dementia
Danielle Dawes
Agency: Alzheimer’s Association
Agency & Faculty Supervisors: Denise Davis & Dr. Cheryl Osborne
The Alzheimer’s Association is a national organization that aims to help all those affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. They do this through information
and referral services, various programs that support those with dementia and their care partners, education and training, and public policy and advocacy. They are a
national organization that has chapters in every state. The goal of the project was to inform people of the potential that animal therapies have to help those with dementia
and their care partners. Caring theory supported the fact sheet and presentation because the project addresses the person as a whole and not just their illness. This
project is in alignment with the mission of the Alzheimer’s Association because it is helping to provide more information on how to help all those effected by dementia. The
project was able to help care partners and those with early stage dementia. The student collaborated with their supervisor, other Alzheimer’s Association staff, and their
faculty supervisor. The support group presentations were 20 minutes long and were given to one early-stage dementia groups along with the care partner groups and a
Lewy Body support group for caregivers. The presentation discussed how animal therapies can help people with dementia and their care partners and included a fact
sheet. It was handed out at the support groups and put on file in the office so that it can be used at future events. The project was evaluated through a questionnaire that
was handed out to participants. Results from the evaluations were positive and participants liked the information give and some planned on using it. The biggest issues
were the student not speaking loud enough, needing more confidence and there being a lack of community resources on the fact sheet. Plans for sustainability include
hard and digital copies of the fact sheet that can be handed out at events and educational events and the student’s presentation notes.
11:10-11:30
What to Do? An Advice Card for Individuals with Early Stage Dementia
Samantha Najera
Agency: Alzheimer’s Association
Agency & Faculty Supervisors: Alexandra Weisgerber & Dr. Donna Jensen
The Alzheimer's Association works to help those who have been unfortunately affected by Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. There are multiple services offered to
help support individuals and their care partners and families. The disease is incurable, unpreventable, and not treatable. But, there can be assistance with preparation and
support through the journey. This study examined current research about beneficial activities for those who have early stage dementia and applied real life experiences
from those who live with early stage dementia and their care partners. Applying the transtheoretical model theory to those with early stage dementia and their care
partners, an Advice Card was created. The Advice Card has suggestions for simple obtainable activities for the day and is detailed with options for those with the disease
to do alone, and also options to do with others, such as family members, friends, and other care partners. The Advice Card was distributed during support group sessions
held at the Alzheimer's Association office in Sacramento, California. The project was evaluated through the facilitators of the Early Stage Support Group after conversing
with the participants of the persons with diagnosis and the participants of the care partner support groups. The evaluation from the persons with diagnosis group rated the
card very good, very organized, better than expected and utilized 1-3 times. The care partner group rated the card very good, very organized, and commented that it was
easily accessible, which was one of the main goals.
11:30-11:50
Music and ME: Evaluation Tools for the Music and Memory Program
Elaine Chan
Agency: Revere
Agency & Faculty Supervisor: Kimberlee Alsup & Professor Melinda Westland
Revere Court, formerly known as Primrose, is an assisted living community caring for adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia. As a part of the nonprofit Music and Memory organization, Revere Court is also one of the few local communities that have been certified to create and provide personalized playlists using
iPods. Through the use of individualized music, adults living with dementia are now able to reconnect with the presence as well as recreating a purposeful meaning and
existence back into their lives. The primary goal of “Music and ME” is to create a set of evaluation tools that is feasible for the staff to assess the effectiveness of Music
and Memory Program. Once the Music and ME evaluation tool was approved by staff and management team, a four-week intervention was established to implement the
evaluation tools with eight participants engaging in Music and Memory program. Data were also collected during the intervention to illustrate the effectiveness of the
program by observing the changes in participant’s behaviors. A summary from the intervention was crafted together after thorough analysis of the collected data.
Additionally, protocols were created to ensure the proper usage of the evaluation tools in the future. Family members, staff, and management team members gave positive
feedback to the student researcher that Music and ME was helpful and easy to use. Overall, the creation of the evaluation tools was found to be feasible and beneficial for
daily use, and the protocols were straightforward and easy to follow.
11:50-12:30
LUNCH
12:30-12:50
Allowing Elders to Age in Place: More Than Just the Physical Environment
Janette Nguyen
Agency: MSSP
Agency & Faculty Supervisors: Terese Ogan & Professor Lisa Harris-Chavez
The Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP), under the California Health Collaborative agency, is a complex case management program dedicated to serving the
frail and low-income elderly of the Sacramento, Yolo, and Placer Counties. Its mission is to provide holistic services to elders who are eligible for nursing home placement
in hopes that these elders will maintain their independence, continue to live at home, and experience an improved quality of life. Over the past five years, the budget of the
MSSP has been reduced by over 20%, causing the program to serve the same amount of participants on a smaller budget. In addition, the aging population continues to
grow, and with it, the desire to maintain independence, privacy, and security. This reduced budget limits the amount of participants the MSSP can assist, thereby creating
a waitlist of over nine months long. This proposal introduced a series of brochures that cater to varying levels of eligibility, which were sent to individuals on the
waitlist. These brochures provided information and connections to resources, which allowed these individuals to improve their level of person-environment fit and to
independently remain in their homes. The project was presented to the agency staff where feedback from the supervisor, social work case managers, and nurse case
managers, was utilized in developing the final draft of the project. The agency staff members gave positive feedback towards the final brochure and approved the draft to
be sent out to over 30 individuals on the waitlist.
12:50-1:10
Artist in You
Irina Rotaru
Agency: MSSP
Agency & Faculty Supervisors: Terese Ogan & Professor Lisa Harris-Chavez
When people age, so much focus and energy is placed on longevity of life, that quality of life is overlooked. Older adults require as much attention on the social aspect of
life as they do on the physical aspect. The Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) utilizes the holistic approach to serve the participants of the program. MSSP is a
statewide program available in over 30 sites within California. MSSP is a non-profit, community-based program that provides case management services to the frail and
low-income seniors in Sacramento, Placer, and Yolo Counties. The project: Artist In You aimed to close the gap between the physical aspect and the social aspect of care
by connecting participants to a cohort of older adults that grants them the chance to socialize, establish friendships, and activate muscle memory. The project is designed
to be held as a quarterly event. The event will be open to participants from the MSSP program as well as their caregivers, friends and family. Members of the Renaissance
Society associated with California State University of Sacramento (CSUS) will be invited to attend. The activity consisted of an instructor leading a group of people on how
to create a preselected step-by-step painting. The artist provided guidance and support as well as facilitated socialization between the participants. The results of the
activity were gathered using a qualitative survey. The survey results revealed the goal of the activity was met. Responses of the survey disclosed a pattern of increased
socialization and quality of life.
1:10-1:30
Strategic Tools to Engage Cognitive Impaired Individuals during Activities
Pacoua Thao
Agency: Chateau @ Rivers Edge
Agency & Faculty Supervisor: Kim Adams & Deon Batchelder
The Chateau at River’s Edge is an independent living facility that meets the needs of each resident through a variety of services which includes holistic activities, meal
options, medication assistance, and housing services. The Garden, is the memory care unit, and provides similar activities, but the residents don’t always engage in the
daily routines. The project was designed to increase participation among the eight older individuals who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. The
goal was to implement diverse strategies, which included task-focused verbal and nonverbal communication and reminisce during the scheduled activity time. These
activities involved physical exercises, arts and crafts, music, and other activities that benefitted the wellbeing of these older adults in The Garden. A brochure was
designed and presented to the staff at the Garden, which included several strategies that would work and not work with cognitively impaired individuals. Through research
and evidence-based articles, the student has shown how these strategies prove to be successful in engaging residents during activities in order to create a healthier
lifestyle. The project was evaluated with a survey provided to five staff members to determine its effectiveness. The evaluations show positive results in how these
strategies were effective in engaging residents in activities through social interaction and improving memory. Overall, older individuals with cognitive declination will be
able to be more benefit from these various strategies and reminisce, which will help engage them in activities by lowering agitation and enhancing their life.
1:30-1:50
Zesty Zumba
Megan Badger
Agency: Carlton Plaza
Agency & Faculty Supervisors: Marilyn Royce & Professor Melinda Westland
Carlton Senior Living Center is known for their welcoming, family like atmosphere. With a wide variety of activities and resources for its residents, it is seen as one of the
top Assisted Living Facilities in Sacramento. With the exception of happy hour, physical fitness classes are high on the chart of resident interests. With the collaboration of
the Activities Director and student, and multiple research articles discussing the importance of physical activity in your later years, the student felt this was a great
opportunity to increase this population’s physical activity. Due to the desire of a new exciting class the student felt it necessary to implement a different, fun, upbeat form of
exercise. The best class she felt to accomplish this would be a chair Zumba class with an array of song choices and body movements. The classes lasted for
approximately thirty minutes and included warm up/cool down portions. Attendance varied from seven to 18 residents for each class, with a handful of weekly attendees.
The class was evaluated through two separate surveys that were given to the participants at the end of class that asked how many times they have been to the class, what
they enjoyed most and what they thought could be improved. The student received positive feedback for how the class was structured and about the movements and
songs she used as well as a desire for more leg movements, they proved that the class was enjoyable and thought to be a fun form of exercise.
1:50-2:10
Spanish Culture Class
Melissa Alvarez
Agency: Carlton Plaza
Agency & Faculty Supervisors: Marilyn Royce & Professor Melinda Westland
The student interned in the activities department at Carlton Plaza. She created a Spanish Culture Class along with a binder. The binder was useful to refer back to any
lesson plans the residents would like to review or for another instructor to take over. The class was taught in the P.E room consisting of tables, chairs, and a whiteboard
with markers. This class allowed the residents to have a simple conversation in Spanish when they desired. The Spanish class was held once a week for thirty minutes.
After each lecture, the residents were given an activity to reinforce what they did in classes and for them to have something to review during the week. During each class it
was important to repeat topics to allow a little more time for residents to process what they were learning and really grasp the concepts and ask questions. There were two
restaurant outings with two different experiences that let the residents to see how older adults are treated in different settings as well as allowed them to try out their
newfound language skills. The student conducted an evaluation in March, which consisted of five question. Residents provided good feedback on how she was doing a
good job teaching but need to keep repeating for them because it was really working for them. The evaluations let the student know that the residents wanted more
opportunities to be able to use Spanish more often. In the evaluation the residents stated they were having a good learning experience.
2:10-2:20
BREAK
2:20-2:40
Healthy and Aging Wellness at The YMCA Sacramento Central
Lisa Nguyen
Agency: YMCA
Agency & Faculty Supervisors: Amy Byerhoff & Dr. Teri Tift
The YMCA Sacramento Central has a range of classes for all members to attend daily. Morning classes’ primary focus on the gerontology demographic. The YMCA
Sacramento Central encourages senior members to age-well by providing classes to improve quality of life. In the study of Gerontology, Activity theory, proposes
successful aging occurs when older adults stay active and maintain social interactions. It takes the view that the ageing process is delayed and quality of life is enhanced
when older people remain socially active. Therefore, the goal for the project was to provide a brochure to inform new and current members a description of the class as
well as the physical benefits related to taking the class. For the evaluation process, the student intern set up a health fair presentation in the lobby about the brochure.
During this period the intern administrated a survey for the brochure. There were many positive feed-back statements from the members of The YMCA. Ten members filled
out the survey, in response in how informative and clarity of the content. Members were even more interested in attending other classes as they learned more about
classes to take to enhance their skills. Since some of the seniors were unable to complete the survey on site, the intern decided to create another survey online for The
YMCA of Sacramento Central Department of Health and Wellness to collect data for future evaluation. Further evaluation of the brochure will be determined as new and
current members decide on whether it is informative, easy to read and beneficial tool through the online survey.
2:40-3:00
Bridging the Communication Gap: A Physical Therapy English-Russian Language Handbook
Vlad Shakhunov
Agency: Capitol PT
Agency & Faculty Supervisors: Wendy Voss & Professor Melinda Westland
Capitol Physical Therapy (PT) is an independently owned outpatient physical therapy practice with four clinics located throughout the greater Sacramento region. Capitol
PT served many Russian-speaking patients, who often times attended their appointment without an interpreter. As a result, the communication between the therapist and
the patient was disrupted. This disruption in communication led to complications, especially when the therapist tried to relay an important message to the patient. For this
project, the student created a Physical Therapy Russian-English Translating Handbook that helped to bridge the communication gap. It included basic but essential
words, phrases, commands, and small-sized illustrations that pertain to physical therapy language. The Language Theory states that patients are able to not only
understand what is being said to them but they also feel a lot more comfortable when they hear or see their native language. The intern collaborated with a foreign
language professor at UC Davis who aided in reviewing the handbook for any grammatical errors. The student evaluated the project by surveying the Russian-speaking
patients. Nine out of twelve patients found this tool to be “extremely helpful” and the remaining three patients found this tool to be “helpful.” These patients now can
understand what’s being told to them at the time of their visit. Capitol PT staff is now relieved because they have this handbook, which is a resource that will aid them on
their job. Capitol PT gained recognition from the Slavic clientele and the student benefited by learning the anatomical terminology in a different language.
3:00-3:20
Let’s Connect
Hye Jin Kim
Agency: Sutter SeniorCare PACE Center
Agency & Faculty Supervisors: Kathy Harrison & Lisa Harris-Chavez
Sutter SeniorCare PACE is a non-profit, community-based, adult day healthcare facility for older adults who have chronic disabilities and are of low income. Majority of
their funds comes from the participants’ Medi-Cal and Medicare coverage. Their ultimate goal is to maximize the participants’ activities of daily living and taking
preventative measures from institutionalization. The purpose of this project was to analyze and discover an effective solution to fulfill the needs for both participants and
staff. Over a period of time, the student intern observed a noticeable decline of a sense of community. As discussed with the staff and participants, one of the possible
variables could be the increase of enrolling participants who are unable to speak the English language fluently. Due to language barriers, participants who sensed the lack
of community affected their quality of care. The project, “Let’s Connect” emphasized the importance of building a stronger relationship between the staff and participants,
with activities such as singing a familiar song together. Through this event, there was also time provided for the participants to connect with one another by either
attempting to learn a new language or facilitating an intimate circle time together. “Let’s Connect” was intentionally developed to fulfill, if not all, but most of the holistic
parameters, spiritual, psychological, social, cultural, environmental, and gender. The evaluation process was based on interviews and distributed surveys to both staff and
participants. The staff interviewed indicated a dynamic shift to a more positive, inviting, upbeat interaction with one another than before. The survey distributed appears to
agree with the observations of student intern and staff.
3:20-3:40
Minority Faculty Recruitment for Collaboration in Research
Madeline S. Marroquin
Agency: UCD Alzheimer’s Diagnostic Center
Agency & Faculty Supervisors: Jayne La Grande & Dr. Donna Jensen
Latinos are under-represented in research on cognitive decline. They suffer disparities in risk factors for cognitive health decline. The Latino Aging Research Resource
Center (LARRC) is a center that focuses on conducting impactful and community-engaged research addressing Latino cognitive health and aging in order to advance the
cognitive health and well-being of Latinos and other minority groups. In conducting research, the LARRC provides pilot funds and mentors to junior faculty to conduct
research on issues related to health issues of the Latino population. The Minority Faculty Recruitment for Collaboration in Research (MFRCR) project recruited California
State University, Sacramento (CSUS) faculty members, with a focus on minority faculty, to collaborate with faculty at the University of California, Davis. This collaboration
is of great benefit to the Latino and other minority populations, their families, caregivers, and healthcare providers. The main goal of this research collaboration is the
creation of new scientific knowledge, which goes hand-in-hand with the purpose of the program and the mission of the LARRC. The MFRCR project was not successful in
regards to recruiting but we were successful with disseminating the information to the Sac State faculty in various departments. We evaluated the project itself by
contacting prior scholars via email and having them fill out a survey with feedback on the poster flier. We had great constructive feedback on the poster flier, such as
adding some examples of potential research topics that can be worked on and stating if the grants are only for UC, Davis faculty only or if anyone can apply. This feedback
will be used to be able to enhance the flier for future use and dissemination of the information.
Conclusions
Dr. Donna Jensen