Master of Regional and Community Planning / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Katherine Nesse / Public engagement in rural, aging communities is often an after thought when creating plans, strategies, or projects in these communities. Initiatives that focus specifically on interacting with aging ruralites through new media is almost non-existent. However, engagement through web-based forums or social media is a growing trend. At the same time, older people have proven that they do not use the internet or social media as frequently as younger generations. To bridge the gap of inexperience with online forms of engagement, I investigate whether educational components introduced through traditional face-to-face forms of public engagement can increase the participation of older residents. To test this, I introduce social media and online engagement to older adults through an educational presentation at a public meeting in Council Grove, Kansas, in cooperation with the Flint Hills Regional Council. I monitored social media and online websites connected to the public meeting prior to and after the meeting to track changes in engagement that occurred due to the meeting. Though there was little change in engagement on the two websites I monitored, the survey results suggest that the people at the meeting appreciated the introduction and did have some familiarity with the internet and the online engagement environments. Unfortunately, this research does not definitively answer the question asked. It suggests that further education presented in future meetings may increase online engagement when implemented at a larger scale.

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies Human Services / Rick J. Scheidt / Currently in the United States there are 2.7 million grandparent caregivers caring for 5.4 million grandchildren, with 883,386 of these grandparents caring for their grandchildren without any assistance from the child’s biological parent. These grandparents have unique needs and require support services that understand and recognize those needs. However, many of the resources currently available are not designed to assist this population. This report explores many of the issues grandparents face when taking over as the primary caregiver for their grandchild. Specifically this report highlights the financial, legal, and medical issues, as well as the need for respite care and housing. These particular issues were selected because they are commonly cited as difficult areas to navigate for grandparent caregivers, and also because there are crucial resources in each of these areas that allow grandparents to successfully raise their grandchild. Without these tools, the process of raising the grandchild can prove extremely difficult for grandparents, which can have negative consequences on the grandchildren. In addition it offers suggestions for grandparents seeking assistance regarding these issues, also providing several resources. This report also offers guidance for grandparent caregiver advocates and encourages future research and scholarship to explore programs assisting this population.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Timothy D. Keane / This thesis documents an exploratory design process that examines the efficacy of a framework for designing dementia gardens based on: theory, Stephen and Rachel Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory (A.R.T.), (Kaplan and Kaplan, 1989) and Roger Ulrich’s Theory of Supportive Gardens (Ulrich, 1999); John Zeisel’s (2007) process for designing dementia gardens; and design details, Claire Cooper Marcus’ Garden Audit Tool (2007) and Moore’s analysis of exemplary dementia gardens (2007). It documents the integration of theory that is not specific to dementia gardens (Kaplans’ A.R.T. and Ulrich’s Theory of Supportive Gardens) with process (Zeisel) and programming elements that are specific to dementia gardens (Cooper Marcus’ Garden Audit Tool Kit and Moore’s exemplary dementia gardens). The framework was developed during an illustrative courtyard design project for a retirement center whose clientele included patients with varying need levels. Throughout the illustrative design project, knowledge of the four A.R.T. characteristics (Being Away, Fascination; Compatibility and Extent) guided design decision-making in an effort to create an engaging environment, where improved health outcomes and restorative person-environment interactions could occur.