1. High stress is one of the possible causes of agitation behaviors in persons with dementia; use of stress management interventions may be helpful in reducing the stress level. 2. Two nursing interventions, hand massage and therapeutic touch, were effective in producing a relaxation response in persons with dementia who had a history of agitation behaviors; they did not, however, decrease agitation behavior. 3. Hand massage was more effective in producing relaxation than was therapeutic touch.

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<h4>ABSTRACT</h4> <P>In 2001, the Northern Illinois University School of Nursing was awarded a grant from the Division of Nursing of the Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to enhance the School's advanced practice nursing program. As a recipient of this grant, the School of Nursing was required to incorporate activities to meet the goals of the "Kids Into Health Careers (KIHC) Initiative" to encourage children into health care careers. </P> <P>This article describes the strategies developed by the School of Nursing to meet the KIHC goals and encourage children, especially those from minorities, into health care careers. The School's approach was multifaceted and included collaboration with a variety of community organizations and groups. While there is a tremendous amount of work to be accomplished in encouraging middle and high school students to consider nursing as a career, creative strategies through which nurses take an active role in helping resolve the problem are suggested.</P> <h4>AUTHORS</h4> <p>Received: April 14, 2004</p> <p>Accepted: January 18, 2005</p> <p>At the time this article was written, Dr. Cohen was Co-Director, Rural Adult Nurse Practitioner Project, Dr. Burns was Associate Chair and Associate Professor, Dr. Frank-Stromborg was Chair and Presidential Research Professor, Ms. Flanagan was Preceptor Coordinator, Rural Adult Nurse Practitioner Project, and Dr. Ehrlich-Jones was Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois. Ms. Askins is currently Research Associate, Office of the Provost, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois.</p> <p>This project is supported by funds from the Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under grant #1 D09 HP 00163-01, Adult Nurse Practitioner Program for Rural Illinois, for $1,759,495. The information, content, and conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any official endorsement be inferred by, the Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or the U.S. government.</p> <p>Address correspondence to Rebecca Cohen, EdD, RN, CPHQ, 207 Dunkery Drive, Sycamore, IL 60178; e-mail: <a href="mailto:bcohen19@yahoo.com">bcohen19@yahoo.com</a>.</p>

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