Education Commons^™

Student Perspectives Of Service Learning With Older Adults, Karen Brown, Carol Bashford

Karen Brown

The presenters will describe the findings of a mixed-methods research study designed to explore students’ perspectives of skills and knowledge gained through engaging with older adults with physical and/or cognitive limitations living in a continuing care retirement community (CCRC). Participants in the study included students enrolled as juniors and seniors in a baccalaureate nursing program. Community partnerships with several CCRCs provided the opportunities for students to interact with elders. During the service-learning course, students developed and implemented evidence-based health promotion activities directed towards enhancing the elders’ cognitive, physical, and psychosocial functioning. Additionally, students were paired, one-to-one, with an elder-partner in …