Reflection

Words will never be able to do justice for the life lessons I have learned from the elderly residents of Aegis Assisted Living. These wise, funny folks have taught me a lot about myself, life, and the general direction I want to pursue in nursing. Completing hours was a tedious, yet rewarding process. There were a lot of setbacks, but there were also plenty of good that came from volunteering with the elderly. Even if it wasn't the physical project I had imagined for myself, I grew as a person and I was able to use critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity within my physical project.

Critical thinking and creativity tied in together when it came to leading activities. Working with elderly residents who suffered from Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease gave me a push to think of ways to get their brains thinking. When I first started volunteering, my mentor had told me that the activities he does helps stimulate the cells in the brain. When I would lead activities with the AL residents, I had to adjust myself to their needs. For instance, if we were playing a trivia game or a word game and they couldn't guess the answer, I would have to think of ways to make it easier for them without giving answers away. At times when I would have conversations with residents, I had to think of the topics we would talk about because their stories would end quickly or they would constantly repeat their story over and over again without realizing it. (That's the Dementia challenge I had to face.) The biggest challenge I had to face when it came to critical thinking and creativity was reality and time. It wasn't easy to make talk with the residents sometimes. I couldn't talk about many recent things in the news or life in general because the residents already loss a sense of time. When we would play games or have conversations, I would use what I learned at school in history and government to make a connection with the residents. I had to use previous knowledge I had from a myriad of topics to make connections with them. It was definitely an obstacle difficult to overcome, but in the end I impressed them from what I knew!

Communication was a very big part of my project because without talking to the residents, I would not have been doing anything for those 25 hours. Every time I visited, I would ask random residents how their day was going or how they felt in general. It was a small way for me to show that I cared about how comfortable they were. They would express many answers ranging from physical pain to a funny story that happened in their day. I also tended to their needs in the case that they needed help getting up, getting a glass of water, or even just having a companion to walk around with them. Communication was particularly difficult when it came to meeting up with my mentor. At times, it would be impossible to contact him, so instead of waiting on him, I'd just drive down there to be with the residents. If I was lucky, he'd be there, but he was just too busy to answer the phone beforehand. Once or twice I had to wait on him coming back from an outing, but it wasn't a big deal. I would do my own activities with the residents and I'd still have a good time with them.

For my physical project, I had to collaborate most with my mentor and the other activities directors at Aegis. From what I've observed, creating the activity planner for the month can be very stressful. Although I didn't take much part in that process, I still had to confirm with my mentor which activities I would lead and shadow. In ways, the residents and I collaborated as well. Without their opinions, I would have never been able to come up with topics to talk about. If the residents didn't participate in activities, I would not have been doing anything for 25 hours. They played just as huge of a role in the collaboration aspect of my phsyical project.

As I mentioned before, completing hours was a long, yet rewarding process. I faced difficult challenges that made me dread the project at times, and I experienced wonderful memories that will be unforgettable. Capstone project helped me realize my career aspirations. I owe it all to the residents; they taught me more about myself and the nurse I want to be and am determined to be. Personally, the most important thing the residents helped me realize is that I do not want to pursue Geriatrics Nursing. Although I had an enjoyable time with the residents, I couldn't help but feel sad for them at times. I mentioned before that I really hoped there was a cure for them. I do mean that. I just know that I can't be surrounded by the lurking feeling of sadness. I shared with the residents that I love excitement and being constantly busy. That's just how I am. I shared with them that I might go into the direction of Surgical nursing or becoming and ER nurse. The best part about realizing this is that when I shared this with the residents, they believed in my success. I will always be thankful for the lesson they taught me. Socially, I learned throughout the process of completing my hours that I love to help people. I knew that before, but I didn't know the extent to which I would help people. Looking back at my blogs, I would say that I wanted to bring the residents happiness and joy. Even if it is a small deed, it's helping someone get through their day. I know that the skills I learned with the residents will be skills I can apply when I am a nurse helping people with all kinds of illnesses. Intellectually, I learned more about the factors that are put into account when taking care of another human being. Since I worked with elderly people, I had to be sensitive to their needs. It's a huge responsibility to take care of someone. One resident shared some advice with me and told me that as I pursure my nursing career, I must always be willing to learn and be educated. Her advice not only applied to my education and career, but it also applied to the project. I will never forget the life lessons I learned from working with my mentor and the Aegis residents. They truly made the Capstone project enjoyable.