Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly Nursing students are encouraged to complete a service learning project in their community. I choose to complete my service learning project with Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly. This paper with explain my personal role in setting up a technology program that I offered to the elderly, along with my Certified Nursing Assistant class. Service Learning Presentation Amanda Sprague Ferris State University NUR 450 Nursing Capstone

Goals Communication Connection Decrease Isolation Build confidence For the Elderly Communication Connection Decrease Isolation For the Students: Build confidence Get comfortable communicating with the elderly population Opportunity to teach and serve others Teaching for the Gogebic Ontonagon Intermediate School District, I see a generation gap in nursing. This led me to initiate a program in our community along with Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly. I helped my Certified Nursing assistant class launch a technology class for the local senior in the community. Social Networking was our focus. Our goal was help the elderly create a social networking group to help the elderly communicate, and connect with loved ones that live far away.

Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly Introduced into the U.S in 1959 Physical needs Emotional needs Decrease Isolation 1982 Upper Peninsula of Michigan Chapter Found The organization was founded by a French nobleman, Armand Marquiset, in 1946 as Little Brothers of the Poor. At the end of the World War II, Armand formed Little Brothers to serve isolated and lonely elderly people who had lost their families in in the war. “The greatest poverty,” he often said, “is the poverty of love,” which was reflected in the motto, Since the opening of the first United States chapter in 1959, Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly has been serving socially isolated elders. Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, strives to meet the emotional and physical needs of the elderly in many communities. For some elderly, isolation comes with growing older. Children move away to follow their work, spouses and friends die, a car wears out and is not replaced, or a driver’s license is surrendered or revoked because of illness. This isolation is compounded by poverty. In the Upper Peninsula isolation also occurs, due to our long winters (Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, 2008). This organization seemed like a great way to connect with the elderly in the community.

Volunteer Role Engage Students Coordination Encouragement Build Relationships Collaboration Serve others My role in this project was coordination, coming alongside of my students, to assure that they were prepared to launch the program. I encouraged them and helped them to prepare. As a nurse in education, I recognize and take hold of the opportunity for nursing students to engage with the elderly. My goal was to create an environment would allow for the exchange of ideas, ethics, and to ultimately build relationships (Mercier, 2012). I see it as a wonderful opportunity for my students to teach the elderly and gain self-confidence, because it is something that they are naturally good at. The elderly benefit by learning a skill that allows them to be more social and accessible in our rural community.

Great opportunity to serve. I will continue the program in the future. Critical Reflection Applicable to Nursing Medication Adherence Medication Tracking Medication Reminders Great opportunity to serve. I will continue the program in the future. Although the class was fun and interactive, in the future I would like to make it more applicable to the medical field. For example, having the students set up reminders for medication. Medication Alert program that would help the elderly population manage their medication information, adhere to medication, and help them track their medications to assure compliance. Technologies range from the more complex, fully integrated devices that use information and communication technologies to inform and remind stakeholders at multiple decision and action points throughout the patient care process to the simpler, standalone devices with more limited functionality (Technologies to Help Older Adults Maintain Independence, 2009).

References: Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly. (2008). Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://www.littlebrothers.org/ Mercier, N. (2012, December 11). Talent-management strategies: Bridging the multigenerational gap in nursing - American Nurse Today. Retrieved from http://www.americannursetoday.com/talent-management-strategies-bridging-the-multigenerational-gap-in-nursing/ Technologies to Help Older Adults Maintain Independence. (2009, July 1). Retrieved from http://www.techandaging.org/briefingpaper.pdf