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An OT Program for Amputation Individuals and Their Caregiver
Get PDFAmputation individuals and their caregivers currently lack sufficient education regarding residual limb management, limb positioning, mental health, and phantom limb pain. These gaps in health management skills ultimately result in relationship strains, technology abandonment, and decreased independence. The goal was to develop and implement an educational program for new amputation individuals and their caregivers targeting these topics. Six pairs successfully completed this four-week program, with each pair responding to pre and post surveys. Interventions included lower extremity positioning, prosthetic care management, residual limb management, mirror therapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and tactile point discrimination. When comparing the pre and post survey scores, there was an average score increase for both amputation individuals and caregivers, demonstrating the program’s effectiveness. The program emphasizes the need for a universal program to help guide this targeted population through the amputation journey.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/1001/thumbnail.jp
Employee Wellness in Acute Mental Health Settings – An Occupational Therapy Perspective
Get PDFThis poster outlines a doctoral capstone project focused on addressing the holistic factors influencing patient recovery and well-being in acute mental health settings. A comprehensive needs assessment was conducted to identify knowledge gaps, sources of staff stress, and environmental barriers impacting occupational performance. Findings informed the development of a staff-focused program aimed at mitigating stressors and enhancing therapeutic engagement. In addition, a report will be created with evidence-based recommendations for physical environment modifications to support both patient and employee well-being and occupational participationhttps://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/1011/thumbnail.jp
Exploring the Benefits of Nature-Based Occupations and Transition into Retirement
No full textThis poster outlines a doctoral capstone project that explores how nature-based occupations can support older adults transitioning into retirement, addressing their unique needs and improving their overall quality of life. The transition into retirement can be a challenging time, often accompanied by anxiety, loss of routine, and social isolation. Nature-based occupations offer significant benefits, such as improved mood, reduced stress, a sense of purpose, and increased social engagement. This poster emphasizes the importance of understanding older adults\u27 attitudes and behaviors toward nature-based occupations to maximize their benefits. It also examines how occupational therapists can integrate nature-based interventions to help older adults transition from work to retirement. By addressing the gap in research on nature-based occupations for older adults during this pivotal transition, the findings contribute valuable insights that can enhance occupational therapy practices and provide effective, evidence-based support for this population.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/1018/thumbnail.jp
Ready to Shine: A Framework for Coaching K-12 Educators to Support Diverse Learners
Get PDFThe Ready to Shine: A Framework for Coaching K-12 Educators to Support Diverse Learners is meant to guide occupational therapy practitioners in training and coaching educators to implement strategies to support students with social-emotional, behavioral, sensory, or other unique needs. Through this framework, practitioners will aim to equip educators with the confidence, self-efficacy, and competence to use tools and/or techniques that promote participation and performance among their students.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/1021/thumbnail.jp
Thriving Beyond Barriers: A Wellness Guide for Athletes and Coaches
Get PDFThis project addressed gaps in knowledge and skills among athletes and coaches regarding the social, physical, and environmental dimensions of wellness, which impact participation, health, quality of life, and overall wellness. The purpose was to create a wellness guide focused on the social, physical, and environmental dimensions of wellness, which may inhibit participation, health, quality of life, and overall wellness while fostering social inclusion and accommodating individual abilities to reduce injury risk and promote motivation. Though research on occupational therapy (OT) in sports is limited, emerging studies highlight the importance of participation for long-term independence. Environmental barriers like accessibility issues underscore the need for inclusive sports facility designs. The project focuses on short-term outcomes, including inclusive design adoption and practices that build camaraderie and self-confidence. Long-term goals involve helping athletes achieve personal objectives through enhanced sports participation, thus improving their health and quality of life. Satisfaction surveys and feedback indicated strong engagement from the sports community, showcasing the guidebook\u27s effectiveness. In conclusion, expanding OT\u27s role in sports medicine emphasizes the need for further research on the guidebook’s impact and the creation of wellness resources for specific athlete populations.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/1029/thumbnail.jp
Program for Caregivers Caring for Children with Juvenile Arthritis
Get PDFThis capstone program aims to educate and support children with juvenile rheumatic diseases (JRDs) and their caregivers, addressing the lack of educational resources available for families. The program conducted a needs assessment, developed targeted educational content, and covered topics such as flare management, treatment options, and caregiver support. The initiative was evaluated for its effectiveness in improving caregiver knowledge, reducing stress, and enhancing the quality of life for children with JRDs.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/1013/thumbnail.jp
An Independent Living Skills Training Guide for Direct Support Professionals Working With People With Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities
Get PDFDirect Support Professionals (DSPs) serve an important role in assisting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in many aspects of their lives through the provision of care and support. Despite lacking in knowledge and training to support the potentially complex and varied presentation of people with IDD, DSPs are in a position to help their clients address and improve on their independent living skills that are important for autonomy and overall well-being. The capstone project developed the Independent Living Skills Teaching Guide (ILSTG), as a tool for DSPs, containing activity plans related to independent living skills, activity modifications based on cognitive functions, motor functions, as well as language and communication functions. The ILSTG was also designed to be expandable by DSPs to ensure longevity in relevancy. The capstone project sheds light on how the field of occupational therapy can support DSPs’ endeavors of bettering the lives of their clients with IDD.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/1051/thumbnail.jp
The Importance of Well-being for College Students
Get PDFProvided education on well-being, enabled independence, and improved quality of life, specifically for college students in this setting. Advocate for Sustainable Programs: Advocated for more programs to address the needs of college students and integrated all 8 dimensions of wellness into their current lifestyle Support Academic Advancement: Addressed college students\u27 needs for overcoming occupational adversities which affects the longevity and academic success of college students Motivate College Students: Provided accessible and occupation-based resources that supported participating college students in independently improving their occupational roles Advance Holistic Based Strategies: Incorporated holistic based strategies that apply to each occupational role affecting participating college students.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/1048/thumbnail.jp
Sleep Program for Individuals with Sleep Issues in a Counseling Center
Get PDFSleep is essential for rest, restoration, and the ability to perform everyday occupations. Sleep provides numerous health benefits when an individual receives adequate sleep. Unfortunately, many individuals sleep poorly due to work demands, childcare responsibilities, and health-related issues. An inconsistency in sleep can negatively impact an individual’s physical and mental health and overall quality of life. The purpose of this project was to develop a sleep program that provides a counseling center with strategies to help improve sleep quality in individuals with sleep issues.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/1047/thumbnail.jp
Discovering the Cultural Impacts on Asian American, Pacific Islander (AAPI) Occupations from Adolescent Experiences
Get PDFBackground: Among the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) population, there is a gap in mental health (MH) utilization and seeking support for anxiety and depression (Wu et al., 2021). Adolescents experience a higher risk for self-isolating behaviors and struggle to find appropriate support (Ai et al., 2022; Santos & Kawabata, 2023). Based on cultural and socio-political contexts, what is the occupational impact on AAPI adolescents? How do cultural factors impact the utilization of community-based MH services?
Method: A convergent mixed methods study of unobtrusive data (n = 14), surveys (n = 29), and interviews (n = 4) was conducted to assess the occupational harmony between occupational performance and MH supports. Reflexive thematic analysis of the unobtrusive data and interviews provided overlying themes, whereas graphical analysis of survey responses provided visual descriptors.
Results: Family and cultural values have a strong relationship affecting how adolescents develop their values. Most AAPI adolescents are not familiar with MH supports (41%) and rarely sought external support (38%) or resources (83%). The rate of occupational harmony is skewed left with a moderate alignment of roles (mean = 6.69, SD = 1.58) and harmony (mean = 6.41, 1.52).
Conclusion: The cultural impact on occupations and responsiveness to mental health services are significant in supporting adolescents to find belonging and community. Occupational therapists within MH settings may acknowledge the cultural and spiritual differences to provide appropriate services to promote mental wellness resources.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesspring2025/1061/thumbnail.jp