Human Good, Tioga Presbyterian Apartments
Title: A Community Approach to Senior Care
Student Interns:
Halima Hagag
Temple University, School of Pharmacy
Omonigho Oziegbe
Temple University, School of Podiatric Medicine
Academic Preceptor:
Jerome Wright, MSW, LSW
Temple University, Lewis Katz School of Medicine
Community Preceptor:
Jackie Harvey, BA, CESC
Social Service Coordinator, Human Good, Tioga Presbyterian Apartments
Community Site:
Tioga Presbyterian Apartments affordable housing for senior citizens aged 62 and over. The facility is not an assisted living residence. Each resident is responsible for their individual care, but the facility does offer informative and engaging events to the residents for the purpose of education and enrichment. The facility also distributes monthly free food packages.
Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps student interns worked to develop weekly events for the residents, and an initiative titled Resident Appreciation Month was created. Events included a health and wellness fair, a pancake breakfast, a plant potting class, and an ice cream social. The interns also coordinated other events for the residents as needed, such as a technology information session. Each event was specifically chosen through a collaborative effort between the community preceptor and the interns based on the needs of community members.
Reflections
“Beginning this program, both of us were not entirely sure what was to come. The expectation seemed to be that the summer would revolve around community service, and it would be a worthy use of our time before classes began again. However, as the program comes to an end, this experience has become invaluable to both of us. To be able to come into contact with every resident and see them not as a patient case, but as an individual, put into perspective how vital it is to keep human connection and compassion at the forefront of our work as healthcare professionals. Each individual has specific needs and feelings, formed by their past experiences, relationships, and traumas. Each person is unique, and as we go on to become healthcare providers, it is important that we never forget to look at each person not just as a patient, but as an individual who sees the world through a lens we may not know — people who want to be heard and understood, with different life perspectives, are always deserving of the best of us.”
Halima Hagag & Omonigho Oziegbe