REUNION ISSUE A Publication of The Frances Payne Bolton School ...

The Unseen: Caregivers for Mentally Ill
Need Resourcefulness for Success
Jaclene Zauszniewski, PhD, RN-BC,
FAAN, Kate Hanna Harvey Professor in
Community Health Nursing, Associate
Dean for Doctoral Education, and PhD
Program Director
Teaching resourcefulness—coping
strategies to help people overcome
obstacles—to women facing the burden of
caring for mentally ill family members may
lighten their load and maintain optimal
quality of life, as Dr. Zauszniewski has
found. “These coping skills predict
positive health outcomes for caregivers,
and they are crucial to their continued
ability to provide care,” she explains.
Mental Well-Being of Mothers with
Technology-Dependent Children Impacts
Family Functioning
Valerie Boebel Toly, PhD, RN, CPNP,
Instructor
Dr. Toly has expanded her dissertation
study to family caregivers of children
dependent on such technology as
ventilators and gastronomy tubes. Most
often, mothers are the primary caregivers
of these children, and how well the family
functions largely depends on a mother’s
depressive symptoms. “These women
really are profiles of courage,” she says.
“Their stories inspired me to continue
this work.”
The New Generation of Caregivers:
Helping Grandmothers Who Find
Themselves Back in Parenting Roles
Carol Musil, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor
More and more grandmothers are
unexpectedly finding themselves
actively helping to raise grandchildren.
Dr. Musil’s multiyear study has found
that at a time when their peers may
be retiring and enjoying their golden
years, many grandmothers are forced
by the problems of their adult children
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER
TAkES HOME TOP PRIzES
Lauren Flaherty
A senior in the Bachelor of Science
in Nursing (BSN) program, Lauren
Flaherty worked with her mentor
and advisor, Dr. Elizabeth Damato,
on a project titled “Relationships
Among Sleep Duration, Sleep Quality,
Fatigue, and Depression in Fathers of
Twins.” At the 2009 Midwest Nursing
Research Society Conference held in
Minneapolis, Ms. Flaherty’s research
won First Place in the Undergraduate
Student Poster Competition and, even
more notably, a Citation Award for
overall best abstract at the conference.
Her abstract beat out not only those of
her undergraduate peers, but also those
submitted by graduate students and
faculty.
“My favorite nursing course so far has been pediatrics critical care,” Ms. Flaherty
says. “It really demands quick, on-your-feet thinking, and it worked as a kind of
bridge to my research study, where I had the opportunity to talk to parents and
teach them about proper child care.”
Dr. Damato provided Ms. Flaherty with some of the data sets from her own
research study on parents of twins. Ms. Flaherty followed up by meeting with
fathers of twins to interview them about their sleeping habits and feelings of
depression. In return, she offered tips on raising their newborns. She found that
they were very receptive to her suggestions, despite the fact that Ms. Flaherty is not
a parent herself.
“Most of them are happy to get such nursing advice, especially when twins are
involved,” she says. “Both parents are particularly under a lot of stress.”
Ms. Flaherty came to FPB from Tyngsboro, Massachusetts. After she receives her
BSN in December, she is considering returning to FPB for an advanced degree.
into multigenerational living arrangements, increased child care demands, or even
the complete assumption of parenting duties. “Many of them experience depressive
symptoms and some feel overwhelmed,” she says. “This study examines various kinds of
social support, resourcefulness, and interventions that may help grandmother caregivers
achieve better mental health.”
(Continued on page 32)
The Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing Case Western Reserve University 31