Day 1- Heart Disease Prevention

At this point in my addition as researcher to the Piper Place study, Mr. Milligan had already completed phase 1 of the project—collecting pre-implementation data. He collected heart rate, blood pressure, waist and hip circumference, weight, and height to determine body mass index and waist-hip ratio. These measurements are clinically indicative of overall health and obesity. He also administered a questionnaire to accompany the physical aspects of health as well as to measure the consumers’ perspective of his or her own health. My later post should include a copy of this survey.

                Now that the pre-experiment data has been collected, it was time to teach some classes!  On my first day at Piper Place we taught about the prevention of heart disease. Risk factors for this illness include genetics, male gender, obesity, tobacco and alcohol use, and diabetes. We also talked about the variables that affect heart disease such as cholesterol, and the difference between “bad” (low-density lipoprotein) and “good” (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol. A majority of the consumers smoke cigarettes, so it was very important to address this issue. Smoking increases blood pressure and the risk for heart attacks and decreases HDL’s. These factors can also lead to heart disease. The session ended with preventative measures such as healthy eating and exercise.

                Communicating with a group of people diagnosed with psychiatric disorders poses a few difficult, but fun challenges. The consumers are very inquisitive. We could barely speak two sentences before a question was asked. Got to love the involvement! Questions would often be unrelated to the topic, however, so the session required much redirection. When speaking, we had to use simple sentences and analogies that were easier for the group to understand. For example, “heart disease is an illness where your heart is sick. The heart pumps one gallon of blood every minute which looks like one gallon of milk from the grocery store.” Visual aids such as heart models and power point presentation helped the consumers better comprehend the information while giving them some hands-on activities. Although the communication barriers were tough, I enjoyed having to tailor my words “on the spot.” They were eager to learn, and I did my best to help them grasp the information.

Info On Mental Illness

The consumers at Piper Place have been diagnosed with a wide variety of psychiatric disorders. I gained substantial knowledge about these illnesses during second semester’s psychiatric nursing class as well as clinical. Here I will shed light on some of the disorders I witnessed and encountered.

Anxiety Disorder

                When a person cannot use constructive coping measures to combat normal levels of anxiety, higher levels can result to cause behavioral changes in the client that are often persistent and disabling. The various anxiety disorders include panic and obsessive compulsive disorders, phobias, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Patients with anxiety disorders behave in ways that endanger themselves and others while others are so fearful of social or specific contact that they may never even leave home.

Below is a clip featuring a woman living with Panic Disorder:

Bipolar Disorder

                This mood disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of depression and mania that usually emerge in late adolescence or early adulthood. The client experiencing bipolar disorder may exhibit bizarre, paranoid, and psychotic behavior during manic episodes. These incidences alternate with depressive episodes in which the client appears to lack energy and interest, personal hygiene, and concentration. Treatment of bipolar is focused on keeping the patient healthy and free from harm. Mood stabilizers such as Lithium and Valproic Acid are used as well as benzodiazepines and antidepressants.

In this video, famous actor Maurice Benard talks about his struggles with Bipolar Disorder:

Introduction

Welcome to a study in health promotion! I am Lauren Cage, a third semester nursing student at University of Alabama-Birmingham. I would love to share my experience with the UAB Honors Program, for whom I had to implement a Service-Learning project. I was blessed with the opportunity to become involved in a significant research study, and this blog follows my journey through this project development.

But Wait, What’s Service Learning?

The UAB School of Nursing has an Honors Program that comprises a select group of students. The three-semester sequence allows students to engage with other faculty and the community to eventually take part in a service-learning project. Students link up with a community partner in their personal field of interest to assist with the specific needs of the organization and surrounding community. The result is a successful learning experience in which the students as well as faculty explore the significant issues impacting the world of healthcare.

My Partner and Project

Last semester, I completed Psychiatric clinical rotations at Piper Place, a community day center for those with serious mental illness. Piper Place is located in Bessemer, Alabama and provides an interactive program for consumers to come and enjoy time away from home. They can communicate with others that share the same experience as well as talk to professionals about their circumstance. The day center is a positive environment in which I enjoyed every visit. I participated with the consumers in activities such as Bingo and cookie decorating. The fun was still educational, however, as our clinical group led important sessions on nutrition, communication, and other healthy topics. When my semester came to a quick end, I immediately knew my time at Piper Place was not up yet.

I wanted to reach out to this population even more! The psychiatric patient has life difficulties that encompass the emotional, physical, and mental aspects of well-being. A mental illness not only takes a toll on the brain, but also affects the body and spirit. I was focused on teaching the consumers at Piper Place how to better take care of themselves. To my surprise, someone beat me to the pitch! Gary Milligan, a BSN graduate of Birmingham-Southern College and MSN graduate of UAB, recently began a research study with the consumers. I am honored to be on his team of researchers as he implements the experiment. The study focuses on the effects of health promotion on people with serious mental illness, right up my alley! The research involves taking vital signs of consumers. We will then teach six courses on various health-related topics, and finally retake the vital signs. The hypothesis is that consumers will have better health outcomes as well as an improved overall view of their health as a result of health promotion teachings. My blog will further explain our research methods and the weekly classes.