“I am a dedicated and passionate person about making a difference—not only in my community, but in the world,” says Edith Lawrence-Hilliard. “Volunteerism is one of my great loves and being active in my community is a real privilege for me. I am committed.” Lawrence-Hilliard is a lifelong Madison resident who works to uplift marginalized …
“As a caregiver, I can speak to the fact that life is intense,” says Traci Edmondson. Edmondson is the dementia care specialist for Calumet and Outagamie counties in Wisconsin. She also cared for her husband while he was living with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. “You are always on. You are always caregiving,” she says. “You don’t …
The following is an excerpt from the “Planning for your hospital” section of the Dementia Friendly Hospital Toolkit developed by CARE and clinical and research faculty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing. As we developed CARE’s Dementia Friendly Hospital Toolkit, we learned from two Wisconsin hospitals with their own dementia friendly initiatives: the …
“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 as both an outcome and as a social determinant of other aspects of health,” she says. She points out that …
“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, standing before an attentive group in a mirrored gym room. “We don’t know exactly why humans need such a long …
Charlie holds up a prescription bottle and looks at the pharmacist, confused. “You are not due for a refill on your metoprolol,” says the pharmacist. “I refilled this medication for you Tuesday. Remember?” “I need a refill,” Charlie responds. “The bottle is empty.” Charlie’s son asks, “Do you know where the bottle is that you …
“If Alzheimer’s is bad, ignorance of the disease is worse,” says family caregiver and former Wisconsin Governor Martin Schreiber. Since his wife Elaine was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s 14 years ago, Schreiber has struggled with his own ignorance. “There were moments of joy I passed up because I didn’t know about the disease. The world …
Decisions about medical treatments towards the end of life are often difficult. Patients may be in pain as they and their family members struggle to understand options and come to agreement. Poor decisions may unintentionally reduce quality of life for very ill people. As an ICU nurse and researcher, Kristen Pecanac, PhD, RN is familiar …
“I am always looking for affordable educational opportunities, but don’t find many that are close enough to attend,” said Kathryn Nachreiner, who has managed a residential care home in Plain, Sauk County, for 14 years. Kathryn was excited to participate in a one-day conference for direct care staff at Southwest Technical College in Fennimore, organized …
Each spring, several University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing undergraduate students spend three weeks in northern Wisconsin with a faculty member, to learn about public health and nursing in rural communities. This year, they also helped with tornado recovery efforts. “I spoke with the family of an older gentleman who lived on his own in …