Publications by authors named "Fawn Cothran"

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Asian American caregivers' experiences and concerns related to clinical trials and the types of information they trust, use, and prefer before enrolling their older relative in a clinical trial. We conducted an online, cross-sectional survey with Asian American family caregivers between July 2022 and April 2023. Of all respondents ( = 98), 62.

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Purpose Of Review: Preparing for pandemics requires a degree of interdisciplinary work that is challenging under the current paradigm. This review summarizes the challenges faced by the field of pandemic science and proposes how to address them.

Recent Findings: The structure of current siloed systems of research organizations hinders effective interdisciplinary pandemic research.

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Background: Four Black early-career faculty members, one Black doctoral student, and a Black senior faculty member, (herein referred to as scholars), previously engaged in cross-cultural mentoring with a White senior researcher to bolster their scholarship.

Purpose: In the years following the 2020 racial reckoning, the scholars were motivated to reconvene by the realization that traditional scholarship activities of academia ignore historical educational oppression and fail to account for the contemporary effects of racism and discrimination rooted in American colonialism.

Methods: Collaborative autoethnography, a decolonizing qualitative approach to research, was used to explicate our journeys in academia.

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The intricacies of the unique educational and leadership development trajectories of Black PhD-prepared nurse scientists are largely invisible in nursing faculty development literature. A broadened understanding of nursing leadership development and science mentorship can facilitate support for the next generation of Black nurse scientists. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) can serve as formative launch pads for nurse scientist development.

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Background: Cleaning staff in hospitals can spend an average of 10-20 min per day per patient room. Published literature shows a pattern of interactions between housekeepers and patients, and that they believe themselves to be a part of the patient care team. To date, no study about this phenomenon has been done in the United States or has framed them through the lens of patient care.

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The purpose of the current study was to identify stressors of Black family caregivers (FCGs) of persons with memory problems (PWMPs), services of interest, and barriers to use of these services. Black FCGs were recruited from the Alzheimer's family program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and affiliated geriatric clinics, media sources, and word-of-mouth referrals. Of 38 Black FCGs interviewed, 26 (68%) were female, 18 (47%) were employed, and 21 (55%) were adult children.

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Despite a national vaccination effort prioritizing frontline healthcare workers, COVID-19 vaccination rates among nurses have been lower than necessary to protect workforce and patient health. Historically, nurses have been more vaccine hesitant than other healthcare workers. To assess the vaccine attitudes and COVID-19 vaccine intent of California's registered nurses, we conducted a statewide cross-sectional survey among 603 licensed RNs working in direct patient care.

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Currently, over 16 million dementia caregivers in the US provide over 18 billion hours of care. As the number of persons living with dementia increases, so too will the number of family caregivers. Given the projected steady growth in caregivers and their health-related needs in caring for persons living with Alzheimer disease and related dementias, several initiatives are underway that focus on caregivers.

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Stress is a significant part of daily life, and systemic social inequities, such as racism and discrimination, are well-established contributors of chronic stress for African Americans. Added exposure to the stress of caregiving may exacerbate adverse health outcomes. This secondary analysis describes subjective and objective stress in African American family caregivers, and relationships of subjective and objective stress to health outcomes.

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The pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racism highlighted health inequities that have existed for decades among Black communities. Nurses are positioned to address these health inequities through innovative ideas and research. More specifically, Black nurses, because of their shared lived experience, understand sociostructural factors underpinning health inequities and how to best engage with Black communities.

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Greater family caregiver exposure to uncontrolled patient symptoms is predictive of greater caregiver psychological and physiological stress in dementia and other chronic illnesses, but these phenomena have not been well-studied in heart failure (HF) - a disease with high symptom burden. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that worse patient functional status (as reflected by increasing HF symptoms) would be associated with elevated psychological and physiological stress for the caregiver. This was a secondary analysis of data from 125 HF caregivers in the Caregiver Opportunities for Optimizing Lifestyle (COOL) study.

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Article Synopsis
  • Dementia significantly increases hospitalization risks for adults aged 65 and older, with about 25% of hospitalized patients having dementia.
  • Patients with dementia often face higher rates of hospital-acquired complications that can worsen their health and lead to nursing home placement or death.
  • The authors emphasize the need for tailored acute care strategies for dementia patients, suggesting evidence-based approaches for nurses to implement in practice.
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African American Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD) family caregivers are understudied in intervention research with discrepant evidence existing on their mental and physical health outcomes. The stress toll of ADRD caregiving, coupled with the well-documented health disparities for African Americans, place these caregivers at higher risk for morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to explore African American ADRD family caregivers' perceptions of caregiving and self-care.

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The number of older adults living with functional decline and serious illness is growing exponentially at a time when availability of both family and professional caregivers is strained. Achieving optimal outcomes for this vulnerable population involves advancing the knowledge needed to improve the quality of care delivered by families, health professionals, and community programs. Recent reports from National Institute of Health and the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine have called for the identification of gaps in key areas of family caregiving intervention research.

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This article presents a comprehensive conceptual framework designed to foster research in the changing needs of caregivers and persons with dementia as they move through their illness trajectory. It builds on prior theoretical models and intervention literature in the field, while at the same time addressing notable gaps including inadequate attention to cultural issues; lack of longitudinal research; focus on primary caregivers, almost to the exclusion of the person with dementia and other family members; limited outcome measures; and lack of attention to how the culture of health care systems affects caregivers' quality of life. The framework emphasizes the intersectionality of caregiving, sociocultural factors, health care systems' factors, and dementia care needs as they change across time.

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Background: The nursing profession will need one million more nurses by 2024, yet nursing schools are turning away applicants due to insufficient numbers of nursing faculty. Likewise, minority nursing faculty are needed in order to attract diverse nursing students who can then address health care disparities.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of a group think tank (GTT) as a mentoring strategy for supporting the recruitment and retention of minority nursing faculty.

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The aim of this study was to develop and trial a screening tool to increase palliative care referrals for hospitalized patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at a community hospital. Baseline data were collected retrospectively to determine the palliative care referral rate of patients with COPD at a high risk for readmission using the LACE index. A palliative care referral tool was developed to screen the patients who were at a high risk for readmission for palliative care referral.

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Family caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) experience long-term mental health effects. Although caregivers who place relatives in long-term care (LTC) experience increased depression, anxiety, and chronic grief post-placement, interventions to improve caregivers' mental health have focused mainly on in-home care. Current researchers previously tested a group-based Chronic Grief Management Intervention (CGMI) with ADRD caregivers of individuals in LTC, with significant effects on caregiver mental health outcomes.

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A secondary data analysis of 25,560 minutes of structured clinical observations from a longitudinal study examined the impact of time-varying background factors, social environment, and psychotropic medication use on behavioral symptoms of nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Data were collected at baseline (N = 177), 12 months (N = 138), and 24 months (N = 111). Mixed-effects regression modeling showed that at 24 months: (a) higher cognitive and physical function and having a private bedroom/bathroom had the most positive influence on resident positive behaviors; (b) use of antipsychotic medications and solitary activities had the most negative influence on resident positive behaviors; (c) higher cognitive function significantly decreased negative behaviors; and (d) care-related activities and total number of psychotropic medications significantly increased negative behaviors.

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Increased attention to the effects of the stressful demands of caregiving on the mental health of dementia caregivers has resulted in the development of numerous interventions. The current study is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial that tested a 12-month moderate physical activity intervention with dementia caregivers. Our secondary data analysis examined racial differences in caregiver mental health outcomes including subjective burden, depressive symptoms, and positive affect, as well as differences in physical activity.

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The purpose of this study was to compare program evaluation responses between African American and Caucasian caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias who completed a lifestyle physical activity randomized controlled trial. The aim was to determine if African Americans evaluated the study differently than Caucasians. Family caregivers (N = 211) were randomly assigned to a 12-month physical activity intervention or a control condition.

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Purpose: This study examined secondary benefits of an individualized physical activity intervention on improving dementia family caregivers' subjective burden, depressive symptoms and positive affect.

Design And Methods: A community-based randomized controlled trial (RCT) was implemented with family caregivers of persons with dementia (N = 211) who received the Enhanced Physical Activity Intervention (EPAI: treatment intervention, n = 106) or the Caregiver Skill Building Intervention (CSBI: control intervention, n = 105). Interventions were delivered over 12 months, including a baseline home visit and regularly spaced telephone calls.

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The purpose of the current study was to compare the association between caregiver background characteristics and care recipients' behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in Black and White community-dwelling family caregivers. Using logistic regression models, caregiver/care recipient dyad data from the Aging Demographics and Memory Study were used to describe associations between caregiver background characteristics (i.e.

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