About the agency; the additional strengths that I observed in this agency would be the comfort that’s made for the residents. They have all sorts of activities they can attend and relaxation rooms. Overall my opinion of the agency has not changed. I still think it’s clean and well decorated, just needs a few adjustments. The weaknesses I would say is some of the staff that are working at the facility. The way they operate and treat the residents is just sad. I had a situation with one resident that was crying and begging to go to the bathroom, and when I asked one of the nurses if they can take her, I was told that the resident is just crazy and doesn’t know what she wants. They only realized that she’s not joking, when the resident went in her pants and the smell bothered them. I also met a very nice nurse that was very sweet with the residents. She was also very nice to me and didn’t treat me like I’m just there in their way. I think that the residents need more caring staff around them. Elders need someone that treats them well and not like they’re animals. They may be sick but they’re not stupid. I would also change the way some programs are ran. I would want all residents to be happy and comfortable in the activity they’re in. for example; the Russian residents would like to join the reading club but they don’t understand it because it’s all in English. Another thing would be the fact that the facility loves to have volunteers help them out for free, but they can’t provide them with a small office where they can meet with their professor and do their paper work. It’s very uncomfortable to run around from place to place and not know where you’re going next. My work with residents in groups; I really like how the staff ran the residents group activities. They were very cheerful and got all the residents involved in songs. The staff even tried getting the none moving/speaking residents to participate. What I didn’t like is the slow and depressing music that was played for the residents in the dining room when there weren’t any activities. I think people like these elders need to be in a cheerful environment, so they don’t have time to sit and be depressed. I also heard that from some of the residents; they told me that this music makes them sad.
I usually led the Russian group activities. In the morning we started off with exercising, and then we would throw the ball around, hit the ball with a racket, dance with maracas, and go over different words. We were also drawing together in a group. Everyone would draw their own thing and sign it with their name, and the residents really enjoyed that. I also enjoyed the music with Olga because I saw how happy the Russian residents were listening to the songs. I even had one of the residents get up and dance a few songs with me and one of the other students. After lunch we did a small Russian group discussion; we would talk and get to know each other and then we did crossword puzzles together. I really enjoy doing the group activities because besides the fact that I motivate the residents to participate, they motivate each other. I can’t name activities that I didn’t enjoy because the activities that I was doing with the residents were joyful for me because I saw the residents enjoy them.
My most memorable moments would be when the residents were thanking me and telling me that I come like sunshine to them. It was also nice to hear one of the staff members tell me that she has never seen the residents be as active as they are during the group activity I had with them. I loved leading the groups, and it’s something I would enjoy doing as a professional. You could teach the group a lot, and you could also learn a lot from each other. It’s also good because when you’re having a group discussion and some residents are not participating but they see other residents participate, sooner or later they join in. it’s kind of a motivation.
One-on-One with Residents; the ten strengths I would say my resident has would be, positive attitude because she’s always up for activities. She’s friendly because she communicates with other residents in the Russian group. She’s energetic because even though it’s early morning, she’s still active in activities. She’s smart and she’s always first to answer questions about math and Russian singers. She’s open minded because whenever I offer an activity that she hasn’t done yet she still says she’ll try it. She’s kind and sweet and never has a grumpy attitude. Her sense of humor is amazing; she would tell the group jokes and make us all laugh. She’s social, she doesn’t like sitting alone, and she likes having people around to talk to. She works well with others and never got in any arguments like I’ve seen other residents get into. She’s always smiling, even when she says she’s not too happy that day, but she told me that you still have to smile. I had her participate in more group activities and conversations. Meet residents that she hasn’t met yet, and find common interests with them. I think I did everything in my power that I could’ve done with this resident and our interaction was great. I couldn’t ask for more. I got really close and attached to this resident and due to that it was extremely hard to terminate.
While working with the resident, the main thing that I learned is that I could be really patient. I didn’t think I can get an elder to listen to me and consider what I say, but with some motivation I learned how get the resident to participate. The termination was extremely hard and it even made me cry. For about a week or two I was reminding the resident that my days here are numbered and ill be leaving soon. The last day, I sat down with the resident and told her that today is my last day and I won’t be coming anymore. The resident looked very sad and had tears in her eyes and it was very hard to see. She told me she doesn’t want me to leave and this is very hard but that she enjoyed every minute with me around. I told her that I had a great time with her as well and that she’s a great person and I learned alot from her. After I told the resident everything I enjoyed with her, she seemed to relax more and smile. I gave her a hug and a kiss and said bye. But the hardest part was when I picked up my bag and the resident started crying and I heard her say to the other Russian residents that "that’s it, she’s getting her stuff, which means she’s leaving and will never come back to us". That was very painful to hear, I started crying and left.
Overall experience; during my second semester I was less shy and more comfortable and familiar with the residents/facility. I knew what I’m in for, unlike the first semester where I had no idea what will the experience be like. If I were to come back to redo this semester, I definitely wouldn’t change anything with the residents, but I would change my attendance and wouldn’t miss the three classes that I missed. I think the most effective way to work with interns is to treat them like adults and not clueless kids. Tell them the work they have to do, how it’s done, and what happens if it’s not done. I wouldn’t spend so much time repeating the same thing, even though I understand some people need to hear it more than once. I wouldn’t let interns bring in papers whenever they feel like it, because people take advantage of that. If there’s a set date for a paper, then that’s the date you bring it. It’s not fare to the students that work hard to bring it on time and get the same grade as students that take their time and don’t care. I also think the interns should be checked up on during activities, since many times some interns don’t even come in and they get graded the same way that the students that work their butts off do. I like that we speak in groups, which helps us learn from each other. Other than that the overall structure is good. It would be better if the class gets a room to meet and do their paper work in, instead of running around to find a place.
This internship made me learn a lot about myself and the elder population. It helped me grow as a professional and I see that there’s a lot more growing and learning to do. I learned that I’m more patient than I thought I was and that I’m actually very understanding when it comes to elders. I learned how to approach elders and how to properly communicate with clients. I also learned that you can’t get emotionally attached to clients and unfortunately I’ve had a hard experience with that. I will miss my Russian residents very much. Overall these two fields were a great experience and made me learn a lot about myself. I enjoyed it very much and will take my experience with me in the future.