Incorporating the Senior Experience

Introduction According to the United States Census Bureau’s 2017 National Population, by 2030, more than twenty percent of U.S. residents are projected to be age 65 and older. This will expand the size of the older population so that one in every five residents will be of retirement age. Many of the aging population, while living longer, are faced with increase frailty, chronic ailments and disability. Furthermore the aging population will have significant impact on the healthcare system and healthcare providers. There is a lack of sufficient training and competence of all physicians and nurses who treat older patients in the diagnosis and management of common geriatric problems. This issue of geriatric competence of all health care providers may be the number one problem we face in delivering needed care for older persons (Rowe et al, 2016). It is evident that more training and exposure to the unique needs and problems face by the aging population. To that end it is important as health service educators to prepare students to meet the needs and to understand the challenges that the aging population may experience.

Purpose: The purpose of this proposed project is to provide students with additional experiences beyond simulation. Senior and junior students, who have completed an upper level medical/surgical course, will be recruited to participate in this project as a means of “living the experience of aging and its associated changes”. By wearing a geriatric simulator, there is a component of realism/living the experience of the aging population. After conducting informational sessions for potential participants; those meeting the criteria for inclusion in the project will sign an informed consent prior to participation. Students/participants will be involved in accomplishing daily tasks; such as walking, climbing up stairs, opening medication containers-while wearing the geriatric simulator and or the simulated visual impairment glasses . Students will also experience some “simulated” visual impairments (cataracts and glaucoma) with distorted eye wear. Experiences will be followed by debriefing-group and individual, as well as reflective journaling.

Project goals: (1) Increase exposure and understanding of the physical effects of aging; such as loss of mobility, joint stiffness, changes in posture and visual impairments experienced by the elderly. (2) Incorporate guided reflective journaling to address student assessment of knowledge and understanding of theoretical and practical skills learned during the simulation experience as well as reflects on self-identified gaps and needs to improve nursing practice. This pilot program will occur in the fall of 2019. The students will be required to reflect on each aspect of the simulation experience from the vantage point of the nurse. The purpose of the reflective journaling is to provide a gateway for students to apply theoretical concepts, seek clarification and deeply understand the nursing process (Taylor-Haslip, 2010). Reflective journaling provides a form of exploratory writing with the purpose of integrating theory into practice (Taylor-Haslip, 2010).

Needs Addressed: The pilot project will afford senior and junior level students; the opportunity to gain increased exposure and practice to common aging scenarios. The project will also afford the students opportunities to improve on their abilities to prioritize, further build upon assessment skills, increase their kinesthetic skills, improve inter and intra-professional communication, improve on patient centered care, and develop additional strategies for teamwork and collaboration. This will be a pilot project where students will volunteer to participate.

Population Served: York College is a four-year public institution of higher learning located in Jamaica, NY. The college serves an ethnically diverse population of students. The York college-nursing program has two tracks, the RN to BSN and the generic nursing program. The generic nursing program opened its doors in 2009 and has graduated 5 cohorts of student nurses. The program has increased their use of technology and simulation every year. The students consistently express interest in simulation experiences. With our most recent cohort of senior nursing students enrolled in an upper level medical-surgical course, the students expressed a need for exposure to additional exposure to simulation experiences within the program. In meeting the needs this pilot project seeks to recruit a maximum of 10 students from a pool of seniors and juniors who successfully completed at least one upper level medical/surgical course by the end of the spring semester. Participation in the pilot is voluntary; however students will be required to participate in all simulation scenarios. Simulations will be scheduled on a day convenient for all participating students.

Conclusion: As this project will be ongoing, by providing the students these opportunities; we hope that they will gain an empathetic and enriched experience of the growing senior population. As well as promote a greater understanding of the healthcare and social needs of the aging population.