Train to Move: A Sensory Approach to Functional Fitness to Promote Movement and Play in Youth

The Center for Disease and Control (2022) have implemented guidelines for over a decade suggesting a recommended amount of daily physical activity, however a high proportion of children and adolescents in the United States are physically inactive (Mitchell, 2019). Encouraging lots of movement and play can help build a strong foundation in which children understand that being physically active can and should be a healthy habit throughout their lives. Incorporating use of sensory-based occupational therapy can provide a fun and enjoyable approach to functional fitness and promote movement and play, especially for youth who may have special sensory needs. Therefore, the purpose of this capstone was to explore use of sensory-based approaches to functional fitness.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesfall2022/1011/thumbnail.jp

Occupational Therapy Return to Work Program For Individuals Following a Traumatic Brain Injury

Individuals with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) often experience difficulty returning to the workforce and lack the necessary resources to facilitate a successful return to work. This capstone project focuses on developing a resource that equips occupational therapists with tools and resources to provide valuable and effective return to work services for this population.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstones-spring2022/1049/thumbnail.jp

Pharmacologic inhibition of RGD-binding integrins ameliorates fibrosis and improves function following kidney injury

Fibrosis is a final common pathway for many causes of progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD). Arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD)-binding integrins are important mediators of the pro-fibrotic response by activating latent TGF-β at sites of injury and by providing myofibroblasts information about the composition and stiffness of the extracellular matrix. Therefore, blockade of RGD-binding integrins may have therapeutic potential for CKD. To test this idea, we used small-molecule peptidomimetics that potently inhibit a subset of RGD-binding integrins in a murine model of kidney fibrosis. Acute kidney injury leading to fibrosis was induced by administration of aristolochic acid. Continuous subcutaneous administration of CWHM-12, an RGD integrin antagonist, for 28 days improved kidney function as measured by serum creatinine. CWHM-12 significantly reduced Collagen 1 (Col1a1) mRNA expression and scar collagen deposition in the kidney. Protein and gene expression markers of activated myofibroblasts, a major source of extracellular matrix deposition in kidney fibrosis, were diminished by treatment. RNA sequencing revealed that inhibition of RGD integrins influenced multiple pathways that determine the outcome of the response to injury and of repair processes. A second RGD integrin antagonist, CWHM-680, administered once daily by oral gavage was also effective in ameliorating fibrosis. We conclude that targeting RGD integrins with such small-molecule antagonists is a promising therapeutic approach in fibrotic kidney disease

Women’s Health Occupational Therapy and Quality of Life as Related to Pregnancy-Induced Dysfunction

The following project explored the understanding of Urinary Incontinence (UI) by those experiencing the condition. An educational website was created to assist with the education of those experiencing UI while pregnant. The website was made available to the public via links and social media.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonessummer2023/1006/thumbnail.jp

The Importance of Addressing Sleep as an Occupation Within Assisted Living Communities

Around 40-70% of older adults have difficulty sleeping (Sheth & Thomas, 2019). This poster presents an occupation-based sleep intervention program developed for residents of an assisted living community and serves to inform OT practitioners on addressing sleep in their own practice.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonessummer2023/1051/thumbnail.jp

Health Literacy Barriers and Occupation Based Education for Healthcare Providers serving Hispanic Americans

The purpose of the program was to shed light on addressing health literacy barriers and provide occupation-based education for healthcare providers serving Hispanic Americans, specifically in rural areas. Additionally, the purpose of the program was to close the gap by providing healthcare practitioners with tools and resources to assist in combating the barriers faced to include the lack of occupational therapy services. The pre-and post-survey during the needs assessment helped determine the participant\u27s baseline understanding of various aspects related to health literacy and guided the development of the educational modules and informative resources. Based on the outcomes of the survey, the program serves as a valuable resource for healthcare providers with limited resources and translation services due to geographical location.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonessummer2023/1009/thumbnail.jp

Brain Injury Clubhouse Model and Perceived Impact on Occupational Performance

This project explored the impact that the brain injury Clubhouse model has on occupational performance through a qualitative research design method. Individuals with traumatic brain injury experience a disruption in occupational performance due to changes in physical, cognitive, or emotional factors from the injury (CDC, 2021). Even after the acute stage of rehabilitation, individuals with TBI may still experience difficulty participating in daily occupations. The brain injury Clubhouse model serves as a bridge between traditional rehabilitation services and community reintegration by giving members a safe environment to practice the skills needed for community-based occupations such as independent living and work (BIND, n.d.). The theory guiding this project was the Person-Environment-Occupation-Performance (PEOP) model. According to the model, the interactions between person factors and the environment affect occupational performance (Christiansen & Baum, 2005). The Clubhouse model manipulates the environmental aspect to better match an individual’s changed abilities, or person factors, since their injury. The PEOP model therefore predicts changes in occupational performance, which is what this study explored. To fully understand the impact of the brain injury Clubhouse model, this project focused on qualitative data to explore the rich, lived-experience narrative of changes in occupational performance from members of a Clubhouse.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstones-spring2022/1005/thumbnail.jp

The Effects of COVID-19 on Cognition in the Pediatric Population

Coronavirus disease or COVID-19, is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. COVID-19 can affect adults and children by causing long-term symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, anxiety, depression, long-term breathing problems, and even heart complications. Children represent about 19% of all reported COVID-19 cases since the pandemic first began. Children also can have trouble concentrating, which can impact their ability to attend school and do their daily activities that require concentration, such as dressing, showering, and social participation. Cognitive deficits due to COVID-19 can impact the pediatric population as they may have decreased occupational performance in desired occupations, such as activities of daily living, or ADLS, instrumental activities of daily living, or IADLs, and social participation. This presentation focuses on the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on cognition in the pediatric population by discussing what areas of cognition are affected and how to improve these areas. Activities and interventions are provided to improve areas of cognition affected by COVID-19, at the clinic and home.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonessummer2023/1002/thumbnail.jp

A Call for Occupational Justice: Amending Medicare Policy

This advocacy project titled, A Call for Occupational Justice: Amending Medicare Policy focuses on advocating for increased access to occupational therapy (OT) services for elderly individuals within home health settings and bridging the health equity gap. The student was able to collaborate with the AOTA Federal Affairs Department throughout their capstone advocacy experience. They began the process of addressing Medicare home health policy serving as an environmental barrier for quality of life within this population through preparing to introduce legislation amending Medicare policy. This Medicare home health legislation would allow OT to be recognized as a Medicare qualifying home health service, meaning that OT could provide home health services to Medicare recipients standing alone. The student created a white paper as the final product discussing chronic condition mismanagement, the impact within home health settings and OT’s role in mitigating this crisis through effective chronic condition management with this new legislation. The white paper consisted of a culmination of anecdotes, and evidence from the literature to maximize advocacy efforts to support this legislation. The AOTA Federal Affairs Department will utilize this resource to further legislative efforts toward this bill.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstones-spring2022/1011/thumbnail.jp

The Sandwich Generation of Aging Parents With Dementia: An Occupation-Based Caregiver Program

Despite the high prevalence of caregiver burnout, caregivers’ needs are unrecognized because the focus is on caregiver quality of life, experience, or service utilization (Frankenstein & Jahn, 2020). This program aims to identify ways to provide specific support to promote caregiver ADL participation through the use of a web-based training and education program.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonessummer2023/1008/thumbnail.jp