Thursday, April 14, 2011

Wilmington, N.C. - Can art decrease passivity in older adults with dementia? University of North Carolina Wilmington recreation therapy student and Honors Scholar Savonna Esker will present her research on this topic alongside other undergraduates as part of UNC Wilmington's 19th Annual Nursing Research day at 10 a.m. Friday, April 15 in McNeill Hall (Nursing Building).

Esker's research involved monitoring passive behaviors and heart rate of three dementia patients who received two weeks of individualized painting activity sessions; she will discuss the results and implications for practice at the event. Other student topics include, "Barriers to Access to Health Care: The Role of Health Literacy, Political Trust and Bureaucracy," "Caregiver Perceptions of Equine Therapy in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder," "Relationship Between Knowledge, Attitudes and Self-Efficacy of Nurses in the Management of Pediatric Pain" and more.

The poster and podium sessions are part of a two-day event sponsored by the Nu Omega Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International, the UNC Wilmington School of Nursing and New Hanover Regional Medical Center. Nursing alumni, students and health care researchers from across the state were invited to attend.

Keynote speaker Ann Quinlan-Colwell, RN, Ph.D. and pain management clinical nurse specialist at New Hanover Regional Medical Center, will deliver a keynote address Thursday evening and speak briefly Friday morning at 8:40 a.m. Research awards will be given at the close of Friday's session at 11:45 a.m. For a more detailed schedule, please visit www.uncw.edu/son/index.htm.

Media are encouraged to attend. Interviews with nursing staff and students can be arranged.

Media Contact:
Joy Davis, media relations, 910.632.3903 or davisjc@uncw.edu