8:21 a.m., April 13, 2009----Hannah Draper, Lindsay Zaleski, Lisa Fox and Jessica Carter have been named the Jeanne K. Buxbaum Scholarship recipients for the 2008-09 academic year, it was announced recently by Veronica Rempusheski, Jeanne K. Buxbaum Chair of Nursing Science in the University of Delaware's School of Nursing.

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Jeanne K. Buxbaum is the benefactor of the scholarships, which are awarded to undergraduate and graduate nursing students who demonstrate academic excellence and a sincere interest in older adults or persons experiencing sensory deprivation.

Buxbaum Scholars have an opportunity to work as research assistants with Rempusheski to gain firsthand experience in aging research and to engage in proposed and funded projects and activities.

Hannah Draper is a first-year graduate student from Newark. She received a bachelor of arts degree in English in 1990 from the State University of New York Brockport and a bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN) from the University of Delaware in 2006.

After a career in technical writing and focus on communication, Draper sought a niche that combined her interest in aging and psychology and completed the accelerated BSN program at UD to begin a new career in nursing. Her experiences as a registered nurse (RN) working in a geriatric psychiatric unit and in-home and long-term care settings with institutionalized elderly, coupled with being with her father as “he lived out the progression of Alzheimer's disease,” ignited a compassion and interest in effecting positive change in policies and programs for the elderly.

Draper's goal is to educate others about gerontology and participate in research that that would improve our capabilities to understand and assist the elderly population.

Within the scope of Draper's graduate assistantship, she is working with Rempusheski and community collaborators on the Administration on Aging-funded project, Support for Independent Living and a Vital and Energetic Retirement (SILVER). She presented a research poster about one component of SILVER, a community mapping of services and resources for the elderly in Talleyville, Del., at the 21st annual Scientific Sessions of the Eastern Nursing Research Society in Boston on March 20.

“Hannah brings a unique set of skills, including her creativity and attention to detail, to the projects we coordinate out of my office,” says Rempusheski.

Lindsay Zaleski, a senior undergraduate student from Harrisburg, Pa., became interested in gerontology as a result of personal experiences with her grandmother. These experiences sparked in her a passion for nursing and patient advocacy, specifically advocating for the needs of the elderly and others who may be discriminated against because of a cognitive or physical disability.

Zaleski has a special interest in the complex care that results from combining the multidimensional needs of a patient, arising from their physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions. “Because I have cared for family members, I bring a personal perspective to my nursing,” she said. “I know that these experiences have shaped my views such that I see each patient as an individual and will allow the consideration of patients' feelings to be a factor in the multidimensional health care I give.”

“Lindsay brings a similar multidimensional perspective to the complex tasks of research, attending to the specificity of the protocol and asking questions about the impact on the subjects,” says Rempusheski.

Lisa Fox, a junior undergraduate student from Honolulu, Hawaii, became interested in the elderly population from an early age and had an unforgettable experience in high school when “job shadowing” a nurse in a local nursing home. That experience solidified her desire to work with older adults toward a short term goal of “enhancing the lives of elderly clients.”

Fox said she would like to dispel the negative stereotypical image of older adults and foster an awareness of the individualistic characteristics of aging persons, through their amazing lifelong stories and experiences. One of her long-term goals is to participate in research that could help elderly persons with chronic illnesses live happier, fuller, more independent lives.

“Lisa's quiet and unassuming presence masks the depth of her intellectual curiosity that is revealed when she is challenged with complex tasks that combine individual and team skills - skills needed for both complex care of older adults and research,” says Rempusheski.

Jessica Carter, a junior undergraduate student from Warrington, Pa., had a life-changing experience while working in a rehabilitation center this past summer. Previously she thought she wanted to focus her career on the care of infants and children; however, after working as a nurse assistant caring for elderly patients she changed her focus.

Carter was drawn to learn more about aging and rehabilitation from listening to the life experiences of older adults and observing the physiological and adaptive processes of their aging. Research and graduate school are among her career goals.

“Jessica's passion for learning is revealed in her attention to detail, organization and enthusiasm to embrace each new research task she is assigned,” says Rempusheski.

Draper, Zaleski, Fox and Carter join continuing Buxbaum Scholars Carolyn Ziminski, Matthew Koterwas and Jessica Page.

Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson