Homewood at Martinsburg
Homewood is a person centered, faith based retirement community that has many different aspects. Homewood has independent living cottages, assisted living apartments, long-term health care facility, and a short term rehabilitation center.
My Internship Experience
During my internship, I worked in the long-term care facility. I worked in the activities department within the facility. I was able to work with the geriatric population living in the care facility and within the memory care unit in which the residents have dementia. My job was to help create and implement activities for the residents to keep them active and engaged. I was also able to meet (both in person and virtually) the families of the residents and get to know the residents and families better. I worked very hands-on in the unit constantly learning and growing with the residents.
Learning Objectives
Before I began my internship journey, I outlined three learning objectives. My learning objectives I outlined were Life Span Theory (Baltes, 1987), Theory of Motivation (Hierarchy of Needs) by Maslow (1954), and Resiliency theory. Two of these objectives became very important within my internship.
Life Span Theory
According to Baltes (1987), lifespan development focuses on lifelong development across an individual's lifespan, from conception to death. A central idea is that we must understand individuals in their developmental setting. Baltes identifies plasticity as a key concept of lifespan development, which suggests that individuals can change and adapt across the course of development to meet the demands of their context.
Found that both residents and staff work through the covid processes and ever changing policies. Residents were stuck with the short end of the stick but didn't let them get affected. We as staff have been trying to keep spirits high and continue to provide our care. While I have not seen what the facility was like before the pandemic I can see how much the residents had to change because of it.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
According to Maslow (1954), there is a hierarchy of needs that when you can achieve all of the needs in the basic category you move onto more complex needs until you reach and achieve self-actualization. Self-actualization is the idea that you realize who you are as a person and what it is that makes up who you are.
In order to reach self-actualization, you need to meet the most basic needs first and move your way up the hierarchy “pyramid”. Starting with physiological needs such as food and shelter we move to safety needs i.e. stability, and shelter. After that we have the category love and belongingness, being shown love and affection, then esteem, from either that individual or from others. After that can finally achieve self-actualization.
Core Issue One: Men Less Inclined To Participate
Core Issue: Men are less likely to want to participate in everyday group activities so there is a gender gap and it is heavily female participation.
Investigative Strategies: During my internship I found that men are more likely to come out if there is food involved or if it is more athletic i.e parties and things like noodle bop (were you smack a balloon around with a noodle. I also found that if men are in the middle of something, like watching TV, the chances of them participating in the activity is even lower.
Outcomes: You have to know the residents and know what they will like and what they don't. The room to room snack carts are what the men like the best so we try to integrate them into our schedule as best we can so that way those residents are getting the interaction they deserve.
Core Issue Two: Creation of Activities to Best Fit Everyone
Core Issue: I found that it is hard to try and find/create activities that all the residents like. The goal is to get everyone participating but that is difficult as some residents like one thing but not the other. I also found that all the activities staff are women so the activities we know the ladies would like is not the same as the men and we are lacking that difference in perspective.
Investigative Strategies: During my internship, especially after I started making the weekly calendars on my own, I have been trying to do stuff that I know everyone likes so that way I can get a lot of participation. I have also been trying to simply be getting to know the residents more to get to know what they like and what are things that they could go without.
Outcomes: I learned that you just simply can not please everyone at all times. Some of the things one person likes no one else may like and vice versa so I like to do one to one with residents doing things I know they specifically like to do so that way they are staying engaged and active.
My Internship Summary
My internship was nothing short of a success and one of the most incredible and helpful experiences I have ever endured. I thought it was a success because I was able to work hands on with the geriatric population and learn so much more. I also got to meet so many incredibly helpful people who encouraged me to do the best I can at this and push me to work on my own to get as much out of the internship as I could. I also became much more confident in myself and my abilities.
THANK YOU!!!!
I'd like to say thank you to my advisor Lauren Jacobson for helping me find an internship and working with me. Also a thank you to all of my HDFS teachers (Kelly Munly, Heidi Manfred, and Jessica Degol) for helping me find my passion within HDFS and pushing me to be the best I can be.
I would also like to say thank you to my collegues and friends I have made at Homewood.
A huge thank you to my supervisor Sandy Deininger for giving me this internship opportunity. Thank you for pushing me to be the best I could be within my internship and believing in me.
Lastly, thank you to my friends and family who have been with me throughout my college career and who have believed in me every step of the way.
Future Directions
I plan on graduating this May and continuing my work in the geriatric field. I plan on returning to school to obtain my masters within the next few years. While I may peruse another career within the geriatric field I know I will continue to work with the population I am so passionate about forever.
Credits:
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