Caregiving: A Journey of Grace.

Caregiving is a fundamental nursing role. However, when providing care to parents, the nurse experiences caregiving in a completely different way. The stresses and challenges the nurse experiences can be used to support others in similar caregiving experiences.

"I Got Laughed at for the Shuffle Noise I Make": Parkinson's Disease and Stigma.

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) are at risk for stigma. The stigma theory suggests four stigma types: public stigma, self-stigma, stigma by association, and structural stigma. The purposes of this study were to understand how people with PD and caregivers perceived and experienced stigma, review the literature and scan social media for evidence of stigma and PD, and examine the interrelationships between stigma types.

Counterpunching to improve the health of people with Parkinson's disease.

Background: Boxing programs designed specifically for people with Parkinson's disease (PD) can be beneficial in improving the physical, mental, and functional health of persons with PD.

Purpose: This study examined the effect of a boxing program, Rock Steady Boxing (RSB), on the health of people with PD from both the boxers' and their caregivers' perspectives as well as evaluated balance, quality of life (QoL), and depressive symptoms after 12 weeks of RSB.

Methods: A mixed methods, one-group experimental design with focus groups were embedded within an intervention study.

Parkinson's disease: Addressing health care practitioners' automatic responses to hypomimia.

Hypomimia/reduced facial mobility in individuals living with Parkinson's disease can lead to negative impressions and judgments by nurse practitioners and other health care practitioners. Negative impressions and judgments can affect the quality of an episode of care. To attenuate automatic judgments, nurse practitioners must self-monitor and correct, recognizing that hypomimia is due to an underlying neurological condition and does not provide information on the personality or character of the person living with Parkinson's.

Simulation to Enhance Empathy of Nursing Students Toward Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Background: Empathy can be challenging when caring for individuals with alcohol use disorders (AUDs).

Purpose: This study examined the effectiveness of simulation for enhancing the empathy of nursing students toward patients with AUD.

Methods: A mixed-methods study used a pretest-posttest intervention measurement of empathy with the Comprehensive State Empathy Scale (CSES) and focus groups.

Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema in Hispanic Women: A Phenomenological Study.

Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL), a long-term side effect of treatment, can occur at any point in time. With the extensive physical and psychological effects of BCRL, few studies have focused on the lived experience. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of Hispanic women dealing with BCRL, particularly women of Mexican descent or origin.

Influence of Tai Chi on Self-Efficacy, Quality of Life, and Fatigue Among Patients With Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy: A Pilot Study Brief.

While exercise is an effective intervention used to minimize side effects associated with chemotherapy, tai chi (TC) exercise for persons actively receiving chemotherapy remains understudied. The purposes of this study were to (a) evaluate the effects of TC on self-efficacy, quality of life (QOL), and cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and (b) understand the experience and perceived benefits of patients taking chemotherapy involved in a TC program. An explanatory sequential mixed methods study with a dominant qualitative strand was used to explore the differences between an intervention group participating in TC ( = 3) and a nonexercising, wait-listed comparison group ( = 3).

Engaging Older Adults With Parkinson's Disease in Physical Activity Using Technology: A Feasibility Study.

Parkinson's disease (PD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, presents unique and daily challenges. Living with PD may limit one's physical activity and negatively affect quality of life (QOL). No studies were identified that utilized online technology to promote health in this population.

Impact of Tai Chi on Peripheral Neuropathy Revisited: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Exercise may be beneficial to older persons living with peripheral neuropathy (PN), but maintaining an exercise program is challenging. After participating in a 12-week tai chi (TC) study, 12 participants requested classes continue. A mixed-methods design was used to explore long-term engagement of older persons with bilateral PN enrolled in a TC class for 18 months beyond the original 3-month study.

Building God's Kingdom Through Strengths-Based Teaching.

Teaching nursing students using a strengths-based instructional framework provides an encouraging and positive learning environment. The authors advocate learning one's own strengths and gifts through the Strengthsfinder tool, then applying that self-understanding to teach in a way that instills confidence in students.

Incorporating Exercise Into the Cancer Treatment Paradigm.

Background: The benefits of exercise for patients with cancer are well documented. However, exercise is still not a standard of care for this population. Several factors contribute to the lack of exercise prescriptions for patients with cancer, including challenges posed by treatment-related side effects, lack of knowledge among healthcare providers and the laypeople, and inadequate resources.

Making Lemonade Out of Life's Lemons: A View Into the World of Aging With Parkinson's Disease.

Pictures can aid in understanding individual perspectives of an experience. Photovoice, a visual elicitation research approach, was used to engage nine participants with Parkinson's disease in taking photographs that, for them, represented important aspects of living with the disease. Participants' descriptions of their photographs revealed perspectives that can be theoretically linked to two psychosocial stages of development: (a) generativity versus stagnation and (b) integrity versus despair.

From Dissertation Defense to Dissemination: Jump Start Your Academic Career With a Scholar Mentor Group.

Problem: The dissertation provides an excellent source of scholarly productivity for new doctoral faculty, yet is often neglected because of the demands inherent in the faculty role.

Methods: The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of a scholar mentor group composed of three graduates of a PhD nursing program and their shared dissertation chair, who acted as a senior scholar mentor to the group.

Findings: By working together, we have been able to enhance our scholarly productivity by disseminating our dissertations through presentations and publications.

The role of exercise in cancer treatment: bridging the gap.

In recent years, there has been a burgeoning amount of evidence-based scientific data demonstrating the benefit of exercise during and following cancer treatment. This compelling evidence has resulted in major stakeholders in cancer management, including the American College of Sports Medicine, American Society of Clinical Oncology, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, American Cancer Society, Oncology Nursing Society, and the Commission on Cancer, advocating exercise as an integral component of cancer care. Despite the acknowledgment of exercise as an essential component, it remains virtually absent in routine cancer treatment.

The invisible and visible stigmatization of Parkinson's disease.

Purpose: To discuss the visible and invisible stigma shared by seven men and seven women with Parkinson's disease (PD), a chronic, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder characterized by overt physical and covert psychological manifestations.

Data Sources: An ethnographic approach using interview data, participant observations, and fieldwork was used. Field data were generated from a 2-year exposure to two PD support groups in east Texas.

Community-based FitSTEPS for life exercise program for persons with cancer: 5-year evaluation.

Purpose: To determine the effects of a community-based program of exercise on quality of life (QOL) of persons with cancer over time.

Methods: Participants were referred by their physician to participate in an individualized program of exercise at one of 14 community centers. The Medical Outcomes Survey, Short Form, version 2.

Name that neurotransmitter: using music to teach psychopharmacology concepts.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the use of music (i.e., two original songs, "Neurotransmitter Twitter" and "Parkinson's Shuffle") to teach aspects of psychopharmacology to students in the course Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing.

Biopsychosocial and spiritual aspects of Parkinson disease: an integrative review.

The purpose of this study is to systematically examine the scientific literature and report the biopsychosocial and spiritual aspects of persons with Parkinson disease and their adaptation to the disease, to discuss methodological challenges associated with researching this phenomenon, and to propose future research. Synthesis of the literature will reveal the state of the science on the holistic approach to care in persons with Parkinson disease. An exhaustive review of the English language peer-reviewed literature published from January 1961 to July 2011 was conducted utilizing Academic Search Premier, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Psych Articles, Psych Info, PubMed, Wiley InterScience, the Cochrane Center Register for Control Trials, Health and Psychosocial Instruments, and SpringerLink databases.