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Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

  • A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
  • A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
  • A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
  • A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

  • Jun Wang
  • Kim Instenes
  • John Kirk
  • Nora Nickels
  • Andrew Pustina
  • James Ripley

Depression Within the Context of Alzheimer's: A Behavioral Therapy Approach

Name: Kelsey Dejno
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Kenosha
Faculty Sponsor: Dennis Munk
Other Sponsors:  
Type of research: Senior thesis

Abstract

The goal of this study was to determine whether the participation of pleasant events would increase the voluntary participation in group activities and affect agitated and depressed behaviors. The participant was an 89-year-old male resident living in a nursing home. The participant had a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s dementia and Parkinson’s disease, expressed depressed and agitated behaviors, had somewhat impaired vision, and did not voluntarily attend many group activities. Though the participant possessed several symptoms affecting his overall quality of life, there are several treatment options that can improve certain behaviors associated with Alzheimer’s, specifically behaviors such as agitation and depression. A treatment specific to the participant’s symptoms was implemented to increase his participation in pleasant events. 


The results demonstrated that the participant had a decrease in his agitated and depressed behaviors and an increase in his voluntary participation in group activities. These findings suggest that an increase in pleasant events tailored to an individual may reduce instances of agitation and depressive symptoms while also increasing activity attendance among elderly patients with Alzheimer’s dementia. 

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