Nursing Homes

Nursing Home / Skilled Nursing Facility

I have chosen a nursing home for my service project. I used to be a Certified Nurses Aide when I was 19 and I really enjoyed the job. I remember the stories from the residents. The things they experienced growing up and learning from them. They always wanted to give advice and teach you things that they have learned as they aged. I even remember getting to know one lady, who was a slave as a girl and ended up being a judge later in her years. The amount of history and wisdom these people have is incredible.

This is a Nursing Home / Skilled Nursing Facility. The purpose of this organization is two fold. There is the nursing aspect of people coming to be taken care of and to live there because they can't take care of themselves any longer and they don't have anyone that can help them or anyone that wants to help them. There is also the aspect of rehab. Someone can come there if they just had surgery and they need strengthening. People can come there for any kind of Physical Therapy that because it is so intense they stay there until they can get better. This facility helps to get them back to some type of a normal life and gives them the tools they need to be able to go home and continue their life as they choose.

I believe this experience will help me tremendously as I want to be a social worker. I love helping people and I believe this is a great opportunity to do so. Especially in the geriatric world. Not everyone who goes into a nursing home / rehabilitation center goes there to live until they die. There are quite a few that go there to get stronger and go home to live with their friends and family. A Social Worker helps get what they need in place to be able to go home and continue as normal of a life as they can. A Social Worker also coordinates the resident's goals with therapy and helps the families to understand what is happening with their loved one and helps them know what goals have to be met for the resident to go home safely.

I am very much looking forward for this opportunity. I will be able to spend time with the residents and get to know them and talk with them. Keep them company, read to them, and learn from them. I will get to play games with them and understand what they are thinking and feeling and hopefully convey how concerned I am for their well being.