This 14-week doctoral experiential capstone aimed to provide an accessible water safety education program for caregivers to address the public health crisis of drowning, while also demonstrating the unique role of occupational therapy in athletic programs and water-based activities.
Student name: Avery Fornaciari, OTD, OTR/L
Name of mentor: Brittany Adams, OT, OTD, MS, OTR
School: Western New England University (WNE)
Capstone setting: Springfield Sharks Swimming in Massachusetts
Virtual / In-person / Hybrid: Hybrid
Capstone Objectives:
- The learner will be able to describe the need and effects of a free water safety education program for caregivers.
- The learner will be able to assess Occupational Therapy’s roles within both water safety education and swimming programs.
Method/Design/Approach: This capstone was both a qualitative and quantitative study that utilized convenience sampling to recruit caregivers (18 years and older) that were affiliated with the Springfield Sharks swimming programs. Recruitment materials included programs flyers in both English and Spanish, as well as word of mouth. Data was collected using 3 different surveys (pre-program, post- individual session, and post-program), with both google forms for objective measures and thematic coding being utilized to interpret responses by participants.
Results/Outcomes:
- On average, participants rated their awareness and confidence within water safety as improved from the pre-course to their final attendance, while the perceived importance of the topic remained the same due to it being rated “very important” from the start.
- 100% of participants found the sessions helpful and 98% reported planning to use the information, while 92% of the completed post-session questionnaires additionally demonstrated participants had learned new pieces of material.
- With thematic coding, major takeaways were that this program was the first of its kind for many and that ‘everyone should have access to water safety as a life skill, but there is a lack of programs.’
Conclusions: Drowning remains one of the most prominent public health crises not only in the United States, but globally. Providing accessible and multi-faceted water safety education to diverse populations may be an excellent starting point towards saving lives, one community at a time.
2-3 ideas for future directions to build on this project: One area that I believe this project highlighted for me was advocacy for water safety education within both public and private school systems. Secondly, I would love to continue to develop the telehealth platform (water nOTions) linked below to increase the accessibility of these educational materials to individuals, communities, and large scale organizations.
Reflections on how you see this project influencing your OT career trajectory: Currently I am working in mental health and several acute care settings as an occupational therapist. The opportunities and education that this capstone provided me with are invaluable, and I hope to one day receive more continuing education/certifications in aquatic therapy.
Please check out more information related to this capstone project and additional resources by clicking the link below:
Visit www.waternotions.com for educational resources made in part of this capstone and opportunities for water safety education via telehealth!