Alysha Hart defended her dissertation, "I Did the Best I Could: Examining the Experience of African American Surrogate Decision Makers for Patients with Dementia at End-of-Life" on Wednesday, February 26.
Alysha received her BSN from Saint Xavier University and MSN in family practice from DePaul University. Alysha's grandmother was diagnosed with dementia. Her family strugged with the diagnosis and caregiving. This experience triggered her interest in conducting research in this unique field. Overall, she found that most caregivers did not have a discussion with a healthcare provider or the patient about caregiving in patient's end of life. They lack of Interactions with healthcare providers, which led them unprepared in the decision making for their loved ones. The end of life care and outcomes should be centered around family interactions and desired by the caregivers.
Alysha's contributed to the research field in the complexity of end of life decision making between healthcare providers, patients, and caregivers, especifically in the African-American community.
