Partner Spotlight – Lesley Garcia
Meet Lesley Garcia, an occupational therapist using MyGuide in her research with the University of Nottingham. Lesley is researching how technology can launch and support the wellness recovery principles of CHIME (Connectedness, Hopefulness, a sense of Identity, a sense of Meaning, and a sense of Empowerment) to help people with dementia and their caregivers manage their lives in their own way and remain participating members of their communities.
During her academic career, Lesley discovered and fell in love with occupation therapy (OT), realizing it was a way she could make real, tangible differences in people’s lives. She enrolled in OT school and worked with people with dementia for her master’s thesis research. At the same time, her parents began demonstrating signs of aging, and her mother was eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Lesley is now earning her Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham. She is currently studying how the CHIME principles—a set of tools traditionally used for mental health recovery—can help people with mild and moderate dementia live their lives to the fullest. She has chosen MyGuide as the platform on which she will conduct her research.
We are thrilled to help! With assistance from the MPower Me staff, Lesley will develop guides to help people with dementia plan their lives and track how their activities support the CHIME wellness principles. Lesley’s research will offer scientific evidence that supports MyGuide’s effectiveness in improving the lives of people with mild and moderate dementia.
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