草莓污视频导航

Oct. 1, 2018

Improving the lives of people living with dementia and their family caregivers

Dr. Gwen McGhan, assistant professor, 草莓污视频导航 Nursing is trying to improve outcomes for caregivers and the older adults they care for
Dr. Gwen McGhan, assistant professor
Dr. Gwen McGhan, assistant professor, 草莓污视频导航 Nursing Colleen De Neve

Gwen McGhan wants to improve outcomes for caregivers and the older adults for whom they provide care in various settings, including the community. Working with 草莓污视频导航 nursing instructor Kimberly Shapkin and Kinesiology鈥檚 Jessica Power Cyr as her co-investigators, she believes their 12-week feasibility study, which began in July, will shed light on what the person living with cognitive impairment and the family caregiver need to promote the best quality of life possible.

鈥淭he study is made up of two components for the person living with dementia 鈥 one is cognitive; the other is physical,鈥 explains McGhan. 鈥淔or two hours a day, two days a week there will be a series of activities in a group setting. A recreational therapist will examine what happens to the mood, for example, and a certified exercise psychologist will study fitness and measure it throughout the 12-week period. During the same time period, we will also be examining the family caregiver鈥檚 perception with the program.鈥

Understanding that 鈥渙ne size doesn鈥檛 fit all,鈥 volunteers will help individuals in the group based on their level of comfort with various exercises, says McGhan.

Based out of the Glencoe Club in southwest Calgary with a preexisting group that is already part of that community, McGhan is hopeful that results will prove such a program is valuable and that it can be adapted for many diverse communities. 鈥淎fter the three听months are over, we will bring everyone together for a focus group to discuss the acceptability of the program from the perspective of the participants. Was this a resource for them? Was it helpful in their daily lives? We need to capture the experience and see if it was beneficial.鈥

What's next:We would like to develop a toolkit or guide that can be used in many different areas of a city, for different kinds of groups to boost that quality of older adults鈥 and their caregivers鈥 lives.