LECOM Parkside Regency at South Shore
Title: Shared Stories, Shared Humanity
Student Interns:
Ellen Collins
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Academic Preceptor:
Jack Lee, PhD
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Community Preceptor:
Marie Heberlein
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Institute for Successful Living
Community Site:
LECOM Parkside Regency at South Shore is a full-service senior living community that offers independent and assisted living services for older adults. Located near the Presque Isle Bayfront in Erie, PA, the Regency sits where the historic Strong Estate once stood. This senior living center offers a home for residents to age successfully and an environment where their physical, emotional, and social needs are met. The staff at the Regency encourages residents to take advantage of the many activities and entertaining events. From the Knitting Niche to lifelong learning, cooking classes to local band performances, the Regency ensures its residents are well cared for.
Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps intern’s project entailed creating and hosting an event consisting of a series of physical challenges and brain games to encourage movement and stimulate cognitive function. Residents were able to voluntarily sign up in teams of two, and they played in an environment of friendly competition. Physical activities consisted of upper body and lower body movements, and cognitive challenges included problem-solving, creativity, and recall of significant historical events. Participants were encouraged to interact with fellow residents to make new connections or strengthen preexisting ones. The goal of the project was to encourage residents to stay active and mobile, keep cognition sharp, and strengthen community in the older adult population through a fun and interactive event.
Reflections
My time at LECOM’s Regency at South Shore taught me lessons applicable to all aspects of my professional and personal career. The stigma surrounding senior living centers was broken within the first few days I spent at the Regency, as residents’ independence was encouraged and embraced, and the building was lively, as residents were coming and going and attending the different events throughout the day. I think the most valuable takeaway from my experience is the importance of human connection. I’ll forever remember the short conversations with the residents and the stories they told me. This experience has allowed me to reflect and remind myself that everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and understood, and I am so thankful for my time with the Regency and the Bridging the Gaps program. I’ll carry these moments with me in my professional and personal life.
Ellen Collins
