Polishing the
Golden Years
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photo by Tom Kimmell
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my Silva-Smith, a UCCS associate professor at Beth El
College of Nursing and Health Sciences, has given two
decades of service as a nurse and transformed the
structure of long-term care for the elderly. With a desire to improve
the lives of individuals, she works hard to ensure the later years
are, in fact, the most golden.
Her magnetic attraction to the medical field was present early
on. Silva-Smith recalls giving the family dog ‘check-ups’ with her
toy medical kit. Unlike her childhood friends, she wasn’t squeamish
when it came to blood.
“I always wanted to see what was going on,” said Silva-Smith,
who received her Ph.D. in nursing research from the University of
Wisconsin. “I loved to help my dad fillet fish so I could see the
internal organs.”
In high school, she volunteered as a candy striper and worked
mainly with older adults. Now, Silva-Smith has used her background
as a clinician and nurse practitioner to aid in the improvement of
care at The Palisades at Broadmoor Park. The goal to better the
health of residents in this assisted living community is part of an
on-going initiative by a team of enthused professionals.
In May, Steve Bach, the mayor of Colorado Springs awarded
Silva-Smith and her colleagues with “The Spirit of the Springs
Award.” This award is presented to those that bring great pride
and honor to the community.
The symbiotic partnership between UCCS and Palisades has
earned them two dozen awards. Among these accolades are two
R e s e a r c h
I n n o v a t i o n s
F a l l
2 0 1 2
awards from The National Home Builder’s Association—a Gold
Award for integrating technology into the senior living community
and a Silver Award for a fitness and wellness program.
Health mentoring and educational health classes are just
a couple of the unique programs the UCCS partnership offers
residents. “The true rewards are in seeing the impact the Palisades
Wellness Model has had on the people who live there in terms
of improved or stabilized functional ability, support systems
and engagement in life,” said Silva-Smith. “I have learned a
tremendous amount about how older adults think about their health
and support needs and many of the assumptions I had previously
are no longer valid.”
In 2009, Silva-Smith received the highly esteemed Claire M.
Fagan Fellowship Award that supported two years of advanced
research and leadership training at Palisades. Through the grant,
she developed an eight week wellness and walking program
designed to help residents who were at risk for strokes.
“The intervention, based upon a wellness motivation theory,
was successful in increasing physical activity in the intervention
group and also enhanced perceptions of social support and ability
to implement strategies to improve health behaviors,” said SilvaSmith. “Beyond the implementation of the intervention study, I was
fortunate to work with internationally known nurse researchers
who provided mentorship in other aspects of my career.”
Seeing a need for adequate health care right on site, SilvaSmith designed and developed Palisades Health Clinic located
in the Wellness Center at the Palisades at Broadmoor Park. The
clinic provides a nurse practitioner to assist patients in need of
routine checkups and those who suffer from chronic pain. Those
who have a primary doctor outside of the Palisades Health Clinic
have the benefit of having a second in-house practitioner working
in collaboration with their main doctor. This assures that the most
thorough medical attention is given.
“We have a business agreement with a local medical group
to utilize an electronic medical record system which research has
demonstrated reduced medical and pharmacy-related errors and
improves continuity of care through improved communication,”
said Silva-Smith.
Silva-Smith has plans to keep working in gerontology
by continuing to perfect the Palisades Wellness Program and
implementing it into other facilities. It is her goal to provide an
adequate safety net and support system for residents.
“As a team, we are continuing to analyze the longitudinal
dataset which is comprised of the annual measurements we obtain on
residents in four domains - health, physical functioning, psychosocial
and cognition,” said Silva-Smith. “I am co-investigator with Dr. Mary
Ann Kluge and two graduate students on a study examining the
nature and experience of falls in the assisted living facility.”
Silva-Smith savors the moments of meeting with students who
want a fulfilling career in nursing. She concludes that the on-going
discoveries within the field are the perfect antidote to boredom.
“The most unique thing about being a nurse is that the
opportunities for trying new things are limitless,” said Silva-Smith.
“One can start a career as a medical-surgical hospital nurse and
transfer to the operating room or emergency room or orthopedics
or oncology, all while working for the same organization.”
“
The most
unique thing
about being
a nurse is
that the
opportunities
for trying
new things
are limitless.
”
Silva-Smith still reflects fondly on the words of wisdom given
to her when she was in the beginning stages of her vocation.
“A nurse-mentor once advised me to find my passion and hold
true to my goals as I continue in my career,” said Silva-Smith. “
I have been so fortunate to be able to incorporate my passion
for optimizing the quality of life and functioning of older adults
into my teaching, my research, and service, including my nurse
practitioner practice.”
When not improving the health of others, Silva-Smith keeps
active by hiking, biking and playing tennis. As someone who has
built a career on the foundation of nurturing others, it comes as
no surprise that she finds value in horticulture. A self-proclaimed
“student of organic gardening,” Silva-Smith finds eco-conscious
xeriscaping to be especially rewarding.
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