UW School of Nursing student Juana Gallegos was selected as the second United States recipient of a prestigious international award: the UW Queen Silvia Nursing Award (UWQSNA) for dementia care.
Gallegos is a Master of Nursing student in the UW Tacoma School of Nursing & Healthcare Leadership. The Tacoma campus’ nursing degrees are accredited as part of the tri-campus UW School of Nursing.
Gallegos’s idea involves a smart video app that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to interface with an individual living with dementia by learning trusted family members’ pre-recorded responses. Individuals living with dementia will be able to ask questions and receive immediate responses from their AI family member, which can contribute to increased feelings of assuredness about the care they receive.
“This progressive idea has incredible potential for harnessing the power of technology to reorient and enhance interactions between individuals living with dementia and their healthcare team and family members. Being able to hear voices from loved ones more frequently can provide familiarity and comfort for individuals living with dementia in an environment that can oftentimes be disorienting and anxiety-provoking,” said Azita Emami, Executive Dean of the UW School of Nursing.
Gallegos will be recognized along with other QSNA recipients in Sweden on May 10th, 2023.
About the Award
The QSNA was established by Swedish Care International in 2013 as a birthday gift for Her Majesty (HM) Queen Silvia in recognition of her long-term commitment and dedication to elderly care and the quality of nursing for people with dementia. The award featured innovative ideas and solutions to improve quality of care for older adults and people living with dementia. The launch of the UWQSNA in the US in 2020 coincided with the World Health Organization’s celebration of International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife in honor of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale.
UW Ties to Sweden
The UW School of Nursing has long ties to Sweden. Before joining UW, Executive Dean Azita Emami was an endowed professor in elderly care research at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute (KI). In 2019, UW and KI signed an agreement to strengthen collaboration in teaching and research areas impacting population health. The five-year agreement details a range of possible collaborative projects and activities to explore, including faculty and student exchanges, joint research activities, and individual faculty partnerships.
Seattle Local Dementia Resources
The Seattle area is home to a number of programs and resources that support people living with dementia and their caregivers. The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services offers services to help support someone with dementia who needs long term care and is eligible for state assistance, through the specialized dementia care program. Momentia Seattle has a local calendar of dementia related events, and Seattle Parks and Recreation offers Dementia Friendly Recreation programming. The Memory Hub in Seattle’s First Hill serves as an in-person resource and community center and now has new open hours Tuesday through Thursday.
