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Hello and Welcome to Creating Meaningful Moments!
My name is Natasha Menard, I am the creator and author of this website.
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Before delving into the purpose of this website, a little about me! I am currently working towards my doctoral degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. I have obtained my Bachelor's degree from California State University, San Marcos, with a major in Kinesiology and a minor in Business Administration. I also have an Associate's degree in Early Intervention and Early Inclusion Teaching. I worked as a preschool teacher for 3 years, with students with a wide range of abilities. I hope to continue working on this project after graduation, whether that is in a facility or to continue to provide this education to other practitioners!
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This website is created and developed as part of my doctoral capstone project to fulfill my degree requirements. My capstone focused on identifying Occupational Therapy's role in incorporating reminiscence therapy into traditional treatment interventions for older adults diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias. My main focus also included this application within a skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care center (LTC). However, I also explored reminiscence in practice at an immersive reminiscence-based adult day center, Glenner Town Square in Chula Vista, CA.
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My hope for this website is to act as a living, breathing resource for current and future occupational therapy practitioners, and all who wish to learn more. I have a presentation, which I hope to provide in person or via remote presentations to facilities and practitioners. However, I have also made it available here, to continue to disseminate my project. I also have created handouts that supplement my presentation and offer suggestions for adaptive techniques to use in treatments. There will also be a section that details the references I used in the development of this process and updated as I find appropriate references. I want to keep this website and program rooted in evidence.
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I look forward to learning and growing as a practitioner with you all.
WHAT FUELED THIS PROJECT...
To get a good idea of what this project is, I feel it is also important to discuss what lead to its development.
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When I was 8, my Grandma got diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Throughout my childhood and my teenage years, I watched her slow decline into the disease. I quickly was no longer her granddaughter, but her younger sister, who I resembled when she was young. She remembered how to take care of me, give me treats, and spoil me as any Grandma should. However, in my later teen years, the decline became more rapid. She struggled to remain at home with my Grandpa who was her primary caregiver, they had hired caregivers to offer respite care, my Dad and Uncle assisted as needed. But there was still the cognitive decline, increased dependence, and falls. Eventually, she was placed into a home as she was no longer able to care for herself, and my family didn't have the means to provide 24-hour care by ourselves.
Throughout her decline, I was never quite satisfied with the level of care she got. But, I was a kid. What did I know?
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Fast forward a few years, after she passed, my Grandpa's diagnosis with Dementia became more prevalent. He had been diagnosed years before my Grandma passed, but his progression was much slower. He was able to remain at home fairly longer than my Grandma. There was still plenty of concerns for safety and his general ability to care for himself, as with any neurodegenerative condition. He recently moved into a care home, because he was no longer safe at home.
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So what does this have to do with my project?
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Well. After my Grandma passed away, I found Occupational Therapy and decided to pursue my OTD degree. I went into school wanting to be a pediatric occupational therapist. I had worked with children for years, it's what brought me to OT. When deciding what topic I wanted to focus my capstone project on, I was also taking my Level 1 Fieldwork class for Geriatrics. We learned about Glenner Town Square in Chula Vista, CA. I toured it, and instantly knew what my topic would be. This was the level of care my grandparents needed, and deserved.
It promoted and highlighted the individual's strengths and abilities, rather than the disability or the things they have forgotten. But, this is not typical in OT treatments throughout the United States.
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That's what this project aims to fill. I hope to fill this gap and expand on the general understanding of the benefits of utilizing reminiscence therapy into traditional occupational therapy treatments for older adults with Alzheimer's diease and related Dementias who reside within a Skilled Nursing Facility or Long Term Care center. This approach is within our scope of practice, as it focuses on occupations and promoting ability, but treating within the client's reality, rather than our own.
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Thank you for joining me in learning about my capstone, which has truly become a passion project for me.
Special Thank You to...
Drs. Becki Cohill, Susan MacDermott, and Karen Park for your support and guidance throughout the OTD capstone experience.
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Dr. Mindy Baker and Professor Kathy Elgas for your mentorship, guidance, support, encouragement, and expertise. You both provided me with such valuable information and insight into your respective fields.
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Glenner Town Square, The George G. Glenner Alzheimer's Family Centers in Chula Vista, CA for allowing me to complete observations and a clinical experience at your facility during the COVID-19 pandemic. The information I gained during my time, greatly influenced my program development.