Elderly Mental and Emotional Care
Authors: Alexis Boyd
Faculty Supervisor: Anelise Farris, Ph.D.
Community Partner: Jesup Health and Rehab Facility
Abstract:
My community partner was Jesup Health and Rehab facility. Within my project within the facility, I was able to interact with the residents. I was able to get a better understanding of the effects mental illnesses and the prevention of the elderly while staying in a nursing home. My overall goal was to help boost the morale within the facility. A lot of times with the older residents, they are not able to visit with family and friends on the regular. This sometimes causes the residents to become frustrated and depressed. I noticed that some of the resident would isolate their selves in their rooms for a long period of time. Some of the residents were very transparent about their emotions and feelings. Being able to spend that quality time with the residents allowed them to be open and more transparent with me which allowed me to acknowledge and help deal with some of the underlined mental issue that the resident have dealt with. A lot of the time the residents just a needed a listening ear. This project has affected me tremendously. I was a able to become more open minded and have a better understanding on how the residents felt. I feel like I became more sensitive to the needs of the resident and not overlook the residents’ emotional needs and concerns. Even though these people are older, they are still humans who still enjoy the little things in life. It was an honor for the residents to allow me to spend that quality time with them. I can definitely see myself in the near future going back and spending time with the residents again. This has also changed my perception on how I view and interact with the elderly and anybody in general. A lot of knowledge and wisdom can be learned by taking the time out with the older generation. Speaking to them as an equal and taking in their emotions and general concerns.
