Psychology Essays (UOP)

Untitled Part 7

Poster Presentation

Alyssa Allen, Gregory Clott, Jessica Shaulis, Kristan Harrison, Samantha Craig

PSY/305

January 17, 2015

Instructor: Kellie Gray-Smith

Dr. Clott, Gregory

Quality of Life for Nursing Home Residents

Quality of life in a nursing home is important to the residents who live there. Is the facility clean? Does it smell like human waste? Is there good food to eat? What activities do they do with the residents? Is the psychiatrist on staff or local? How often do the residents bathe or get new bed clothes? Medications? All are important things to consider when a family decides to place an elderly family member in a nursing home. Several nursing homes in the North Florida area have been evaluated.

Nursing Home Resident Testimonials

Sixty-five percent of residents in an 80 bed nursing home were interviewed by me to see how they felt about their nursing home and the care that they receive. Several of those interviews will be discussed during the seminar. Thirty-five percent of the residents have Dementia or Alzheimer's and were not able to participate in the study. Only the nursing staff and personal observations by me of the care during the interviews are available for data about the severe residents.

Family Interview

Several family members were interviewed to give their impression of the facility their family member resides. Their answers will be discussed in detail.

Nursing Staff/Care Giver Interviews

The day shift nursing staff and care givers were interviewed to get an idea of how they cope with Government and State standards regarding elderly care. Several mentioned long hours and heavy lifting as their number one complaint. We discussed physical stress and mental stress related to their job and how to cope with these problems.

Depression, Alzheimer's and Dementia

All are debilitating diseases and all are mental issues that the doctors, nurses, certified nurse's assistants and psychiatrists have to deal with and manage on a daily basis. Coping with these disorders such as violent behaviors or inability to communicate among some of the residents. Discussions will be made on how these patients are managed through medication. A final discussion on this subject will be about costs involved to care for these individuals and the stress it is placing on the government, Medicare and Medicaid funds.

Video of Quality of Life in Nursing Homes

Video is from the University of Minnesota and covers several points associate with this section.

Dr. Harrison, Kristan

Art Therapy

What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is a method of expressive therapy that practices the creative process of making art to improve a person's physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Individuals have the ability to express oneself through any form of art (Art Therapy, 2015).

Who is Art Therapy for?

You do not need to be a talented artist to receive relaxation. Art therapy can be used for counseling by therapists, healing, treatment, rehabilitation, psychotherapy, and it can be used to massage one's inner-self in a way that may provide the individual with a deeper understanding of themselves. Art therapy can benefit children tremendously; it can also be helpful to adults. Younger individuals are less capable and less comfortable articulating themselves with words (Art Therapy, 2015).