“How can we address healthy aging within these communities in ways that are feasible, achievable, and relatively inexpensive, but also have a great impact?” asks Geana Shemak, MS, ATC, the community coordinator and educator for the …
Newsletter
Maintaining Connections While Fighting Infections: Long-Term Care During COVID-19
From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, long-term care staff knew they were facing multiple challenges. “When we closed the doors of nursing homes and visitors were no longer allowed, I went home, I packed …
Care, Culture, and Community: Working Towards Equity for Older Adults
“This is part of Black Lives Matter,” says Tracy Schroepfer, MSW, PhD, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work. “Racism and discrimination are embedded in systems. We need to …
Taking Stress in STRIDE: Learning How to Support Brain Health
“Almost everyone experiences stress,” says Megan Zuelsdorff, PhD, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing. “Stress is an underlying construct for a lot of my research. I think of it …
The Importance of Being Open: One Alumna’s Transition to Practice and Beyond
Five years ago, Kathryn Gerber, BSN, RN was a junior at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing, volunteering with the Watertown Dementia Awareness Coalition. “Before this experience, I knew what dementia was, but I …
Fully CAPABLE: Expanding an Aging-in-Place Program
Nearly all of us want to stay in our home as we age. There are benefits to doing so. Our family and friends are more likely to be nearby. We know where to find our …
Public Health, Partnerships, and Prevention During the Pandemic
Public health practitioners across Wisconsin can now estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in their communities. By looking at color-coded maps based on health care data, they can tell how many people in a single …
Ombudsman Advocacy and Nurse Leadership in Long-Term Care
“An ombudsman is the voice of the people—that’s the literal translation of the word,” Kim Marheine tells some 150 undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing. Marheine oversees Wisconsin’s long-term care ombudsman …
Flex that Memory Muscle: Three Partners Promote Healthy Aging
“Today we’re continuing to focus on strategies that help us maintain and even improve our brain health,” says University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing student Laura Block. “Today’s brain health strategy is sleep,” says Block, …
Unleashing the Force of Transitional and Home Care
Dwayne Dobschuetz, APRN, Geriatric Nurse Practitioner at Northwestern Medicine and University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing alumnus, remembers the day his career changed. He had worked in Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s emergency department for nearly 20 …