Tanya Packer and Joan Versnel (front, L-R) with the LINC study team.
The LINC Study was profiled in a recent issue of Brainwaves – the Brain Repair Centre (BRC) publication. Click here to read more.
LINC Study profiled by BRC
Search Results for: linc
The LINC Study
The LINC Project Team - First Row (L-R) - Beth McDougall, Chanh Stevens, Joan Versnel, Grace Warner, Leslie Penner, Kerstin Roger. Second Row - Michelle Villeneuve, Susan Hutchinson, Jocelyn Brown, Lori Weeks. Third Row (L-R) - Diane MacKenzie, Sharmila Vas, George Kephart, Robin Stadnyk. Missing from photo - Tanya Packer, Marshall Godwin.
Congratulations to Tanya Packer and Joan Versnel, co-principal investigators from the School of Occupational Therapy who were awarded $813,424 over three years from the Public Health Agency of Canada for their research project “The Everyday Experience of Living with and Managing a Neurological Condition (The LINC Study).”
This research project seeks to understand the everyday lives of people with neurological conditions who strive to go to work, go to school, raise families and participate in their communities. The support and resources that make everyday life possible and meaningful for people with a neurological condition will be explored. It is anticpated that the findings of this research project will inform service and policy development for people with neurological conditions across Canada.
Co-investigators and research associcates for this project (all from Dalhousie, unless otherwise indicated) include:
- Susan Hutchinson (School of Health and Human Performance)
- Robin Stadnyk (Occupational Therapy)
- Grace Warner (Occupational Therapy)
- Diane MacKenzie (Occupational Therapy)
- Jocelyn Brown (Occupational Therapy)
- George Kephart (Community Health and Epidemiology)
- Lori Weeks (UPEI)
- Marshall Godwin (Memorial)
- Michelle Villeneuve (Queen’s University)
- Kerstin Roger (University of Manitoba)
Dr. Jane Gillett Award
LINC study co-investigator Michelle Villeneauve receives the Dr. Jane Gillett award on behalf of Dr. Tanya Packer and Dr. Joan Versnel
Congratulations to Dr. Tanya Packer and Dr. Joan Versnel of the School of Occupational Therapy who are the recipients of the 2012 Dr. Jane Gillett, MD Research Award. Named for Dr. Jane Gillett – a paediatric neurologist who was a pioneer in programs for children with brain injury and championed programs for community integration across the globe – the award is granted to an individual or organization for their outstanding contribution in research to advance the cause of acquired brain injury in Canada. Tanya and Joan received the award in recognition of their work on the LINC study, which strives to understand the impact of a neurological condition on everyday life. Composed of three studies – a population study, a cohort study and a qualitative multiple perspective case study – the results will contribute to the National Populations Study of Neurological Conditions that aims to predict the burden of the disease 5, 10 and 20 years into the future in Canada.
Celebrating Teaching and Research Excellence
At the recent Spring Full Faculty Meeting, awards were given to three individuals in recognition of their contributions to teaching and research in the Faculty:
The Faculty of Health Professions Teaching Excellence Award – Dr. Carolyn Campbell – Social Work – this award honours an outstanding teacher who embodies the finest aspects of exemplary teaching. Carolyn has been an exemplary teacher, a leader in the development of the School’s curricula and has published widely in the area of pedagogy. She has been extensively involved in committees at both the School and Faculty level during her career at Dalhousie, and is also involved in community development work.
The Faculty of Health Professions Senior Research Excellence Award – Dr. Gail Tomblin-Murphy – Nursing – this award reccognizes outstanding research that leads to significant progress in the understanding and/or management of a health-related problem, contributions to a health related field and overall excellence. Gail has developed an extensive program of research in the area of Health Human Resources with funding from several national and international agencies. Gail is also the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Health Workforce Planning and Research, Associate Director – Research and International Affairs, School of Nursing.
The Faculty of Health Professions Early Career Research Excellence Award – Dr. Joan Versnel – Occupational Therapy – this award is given to a faculty member who, in the first seven years of their appointment at Dalhousie, has demonstrated outstanding research that leads to significant progress in the understanding and/or management of a health-related problem. Joan’s research focuses on adolescent/young adult self management with particular interest in the learning principles, families interest in the learning principles and how families negotiate self-management responsibilities. Joan is co-principal investigator on the PHAC project “The everyday experience of living with and managing a neurological condition: The LINC Study.”
The Faculty of Health Professions Graduate Student Award for Excellence in Research – Mr. Mark Issa – Pharmacy – this award is to reward excellence in research performed by graduate students within the Faculty of Health Professions. Mark will defend his thesis in the summer of 2012 and will have the distinction of being the first MSc Pharmaceutical Science student to graduate from the College of Pharmacy. Mark received his award at the conclusion of the IHRTP Graduate Research Day from Dr. Anita Unruh who noted that Mark had shown remarkable enthusiasm, ability and initiative throughout the course of his program in Pharmacy.
KABAM – Helping Seniors Stay Active
Participants in the KABAM activity program at Middleton Adult Day Program.
What better way for students to learn about working together as an interprofessional team than with an interprofessional experience (IPE) during their fieldwork placements? At Soldiers Memorial Hospital (SMH) in Middleton, NS, Kristin Crocker, an Occupational Therapy student at Dalhousie University, and Mark Ponikvar, a Therapeutic Recreation Assistant student at Nova Scotia Community College, had the opportunity to complete an IPE project of their choice to learn more about each other’s professions and how they can work together to benefit their clients. Not only did this project reflect the value of IPE in the curriculum for Dalhousie University and the special agency project for NSCC, but it also served as the first formal IPE project at Soldiers Memorial Hospital.
The project that was created for this IPE is called the Keeping Active Bodies And Minds (KABAM) Activity Program. The students tailored this program to meet the needs of seniors who are looking for a way to stay healthy in a fun and unique way. The program consists of a warm up activity, six stations with a different activity at each, and a cool down activity. The activities were designed to target commonly used muscle groups and areas of the brain to maintain or improve the participants’ general level of functioning. The stations alternate from a body activity to a mind activity; this allows participants the opportunity to rest their body at every other station while they exercise their mind. Each copy of the program includes all materials necessary for each activity, and the only additional equipment required is a chair for each participant for every activity. Music is recommended to add excitement to the warm up activity and a sense of relaxation to the cool down activity. Each participant is provided with an activity record sheet at the end of the program to track their individual progress. Participants are also encouraged to celebrate the completion of each activity by fist pumping and cheering “KABAM!”
One significant feature of the program is its flexibility to be used with a wide range of participants in a variety of settings. Not only does each activity include two modifications to increase or decrease its level of difficulty, but the stations can also be set up in any way to meet the level of functioning of the participants. For example, for less mobile participants, all stations can be completed in one location; for more mobile participants, each station can be set up in a different location to promote exercise through walking from one station to the next.
The program was presented to two different groups: first on the Mayflower Alternate Level of Care Unit at SMH, and then at the Middleton Adult Day Program. Since then, the program has also been used on the Veteran’s Unit at SMH, and has been continued on a weekly basis at the Middleton Adult Day Program. Plans have also been made to trial the program at the Wickwire Assisted Living Residence in Wolfville, NS in the near future. The program has been noted to be easy to implement by users, and enjoyable by the majority of participants. An added social benefit has been observed with the group approach to completing the activities, and individual level of functioning can also be observed with continued implementation of the program.
The outcomes of this project were presented to the Seniors LINCS – Living Independently with Community Supports team. Overall, the KABAM Activity Program was successful on many accounts, as a student IPE project and as a new activity resource for a variety of programmers who work with seniors. Kristin and Mark would like to thank all members of the Seniors LINCS team, their fieldwork preceptors at SMH, and all other staff and participants who helped make the project a success with their participation, constructive feedback, and support.
If you would like more information on the KABAM Activity Program, please contact Kristin Crocker and Mark Ponikvar at kabamactivityprogram@gmail.com .
Submitted by Kristin Crocker (MSc OT Student), and
Mark Ponkivar, TRA Student – Nova Scotia Community College