Colleges of Health Sciences, Nursing and Pharmacy represented at Senior Health and Wellness Program
Students from all three colleges in the Academic Health Collaborative got some hands-on training while senior citizens from the community gained some valuable health information during the Senior Health and Wellness Program at Independence Square Tuesday.
One hundred students and nine faculty members from the Colleges of Health Sciences, Nursing and Pharmacy and attended to 27 senior volunteers, testing their mobility, hearing and mental health, helping with questions on their prescriptions and relaying important nutritional information, among other services to enhance their overall health.
“It’s a service for the community and an educational opportunity for our students,” said Physical Therapy Clinical Assistant Professor Carol Petrie. “The students get to practice their screening skills and the seniors get a report on their overall health.”
The event brought together future health experts from across multiple disciplines. Students in kinesiology tested volunteers’ bone density to find out if they are at risk of osteoporosis, while physical therapy students tested their balance and fall risk, and those in communicative disorders tested volunteers’ hearing. Nutrition students assessed their diets and pharmacy students answered questions about their medications, while nursing students screened volunteers for geriatric depression.
The Physical Therapy Department has been hosting the event for 15 years, with the original intent to focus primarily on balance and exercise, according to Clinical Professor Janice Hume. It has since been expanded to include multiple health disciplines, giving seniors a more complete look at their overall health.
“It is unbelievably better to have the other disciplines involved,” Hume said, noting the program helps prepare students to treat their future patients. “Part of it is understanding who your patients are and who seniors are. They’re not all unhealthy. We have some super seniors here, and that’s really eye-opening for the students.”
