What do direct care staff need to know to support older people’s health and well-being? The quotes above are what direct care staff participants say was the most useful thing they learned during recent CARE U workshops. Since 2014, the Center for Aging Research and Education (CARE) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing …
“In the world of research, we usually get asked [for input] after the questions are already formed,” says Mary, a member of the Madison Board of Older Adult Advisors (BOAA). “So, to include us from the very beginning of the process—I just feel it’s imperative!” The Madison BOAA—like their colleagues on the Rural BOAA in …
Nursing home residents are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. They are mostly older adults, often with medical conditions, who live in close quarters with many other people. To curb the impacts of the virus on this population, strict controls were implemented limiting visitors and oversight. Langlade County Healthy Aging in Rural Towns (HeART) Project member Paul …
“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 Healthy Aging in Rural Towns (HeART) coalition in Iowa County, Wisconsin. For three years, HeART coalitions in Iowa County, Langlade County, and …
“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 …
Rural communities are aging more rapidly than are other areas, in Wisconsin and across the country. Nearly everyone wants to stay in their community as they age. Increasingly, rural leaders are asking how they can help older residents to thrive. Some are pioneering age-friendly approaches that other communities can learn from. In Wisconsin, three coalitions—in …
“How are you feeling today, Esther?” asks Sarah Endicott, DNP, APNP, GNP-BC. Endicott is starting her rounds at the rural skilled nursing facility where she sees patients once a week. “I’m Sarah, the nurse practitioner, and I’m just checking in with you today,” she says as she kneels before Esther’s wheelchair so Esther (not her …
“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 …
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 …