CARE at the UW-Madison School of Nursing
“I had never considered working with older adults because I thought it would be sad and depressing, but now I have completely changed my mind.” That was the impact on one University of Wisconsin–Madison undergraduate of volunteering with the Music and Memory Program, as part of her independent study with the School of Nursing’s Center …
Whether you’re a health care professional, direct care worker, or housing or service provider, the conversations that you have with older adults can help identify potential mental health issues. “It’s about forging relationships,” says Earlise Ward, PhD, a licensed psychologist and faculty director of the Cancer Health Disparities Initiative at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Carbone …
Asked what services the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Central Wisconsin provides in Marathon, Wood, Langlade and Lincoln Counties, two of the agency’s community health educators laugh. It’s a long list. “We offer healthy living classes and evidence-based programs,” says Ciara Schultz, MS. “We do Meals on Wheels and congregate meal sites. We …
“People love to feel ‘normal,’” says Betty Lefebvre-Hill, MSE, the Fox Valley Memory Project’s Program Coordinator. “They want to get out and have the type of experiences they’ve enjoyed their whole lives, but then felt that they had to put aside. Re-engaging is joyful, and it’s heartwarming to be a part of that.” For an …
How can I communicate effectively with health care providers? What does healthy aging look like? How can I safely stay in my home? These are important questions for anyone. For the growing number of older adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) and their caregivers, they are crucial. More people with ID are living longer, thanks to …
The world of the certified nurse assistant (CNA) is full of contradictions. They describe their work as monotonous, stressful and dangerous—but also rewarding. They provide nearly all the direct care for older adults in long-term care settings, and frequently wind up being the main liaison between family members and licensed care providers. Yet they are …
If the discussions during CARE’s Careers in Aging Week event on April 9th could be summarized in one sentence, Suzanne Purvis did so. “What we do to fix our communities for older people fixes it for everybody,” stressed Purvis, a clinical nurse specialist in geriatrics at UW Hospital and Clinics. The same is true of health …