CARE at the UW-Madison School of Nursing
“Coming into this course, I didn’t fully understand how policy and nursing intertwined,” says Laura Vergenz, BSN, RN. Now, she sees “how engaging in advocacy, whether at the local, state, national, or international level, is part of our role as nurses. … Advocacy leverages the nursing perspective to support healthy systems and healthy communities.” Vergenz …
“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 …
In the clinic, health care professionals can warn older adults about falls. During a home visit, they can point out the loose rug in the living room or the dim lighting near the stairs. Seeing the home environment first-hand allows professionals to better support older adults’ health and quality of life. “It’s really reaching people …
“I work at a nursing home, so I see people coming in at all different ages,” says Kayla Olmstead, MS, a registered dietician who works in Wisconsin’s Chippewa and Barron Counties. “With some people, you can see the effects of poor nutrition over time. So if you can get to people before they’re that sick, …
“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 …
Direct care workers meet the daily needs of older adults in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and continuing care retirement communities, and greatly impact the care provided by hospitals and home health agencies. Yet most have limited access to educational opportunities. The CARE conference is changing that.
Today, older adults account for more than one-third of hospital stays and 15 percent of emergency room visits. These numbers will rise as the 65-plus population grows, intensifying the need for more nurses with experience in geriatric care. How can nursing schools better prepare students to work with older adults? At the University of Wisconsin–Madison …
For Yvette Egan, MS, RN, creating a learning experience that pairs nursing students with healthy, community-dwelling older adults was in the cards. Literally. Egan, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing, felt inspired after participating in the Facilitated Learning to Advance Geriatrics (FLAG) program in 2011. (Our winter 2014 issue …
In the United States, older adults have more than one-third of all operations. Each year, some 500,000 elders consider major surgery, such as coronary bypasses or organ transplants. As people are leading not only longer but also healthier lives, physicians are more likely to suggest aggressive treatment options for older adults. Many elders benefit from …
“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 …