Students learn by serving

  Wednesday, October 26, 2016 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

Sometimes important lessons are taught from a book, and other times, students learn all they need to know from a simple smile.

For Pitt State students in Laura Covert’s Therapeutic Recreation for Older Adults course, their experience this semester provides a healthy amount of both.

Once a week for six weeks this fall, students visit residents at Gran Villas Assisted Living in Pittsburg to work with them on a variety of physical and mental activities. The goal of the weekly visit is to teach students how to care for older adults while also providing the residents with fun, engaging interaction.

“The Gran Villas experience is valuable to the students’ education because it provides them with hands-on experience that is not provided in a traditional classroom setting,” Covert said. “The experience allows them to not only learn about aging, but to also learn valuable life lessons from the older adults, and it’s a way for PSU students to give back to the Pittsburg community.”

Shanna Taylor, executive director of Gran Villas, said she enjoys having the students visit because it provides the residents a fun and important experience.

“A lot of our residents do not have family in the area, so they rarely have visitors,” Taylor said. “Having the PSU students here to work with them really adds a spark to their days, and it’s very obvious that they enjoy the interaction.”

Olivia Laidler, a senior exercise science major, said the visits to Gran Villas provide many benefits for the students.

“I think it's beneficial for our education because the class revolves around aging,” she said. “We've discussed the different aging stages and theories, so it’s nice being able to observe them in person. Another big part of the class is promoting healthy aging, so it’s really cool being able to build those relationships with the individuals and educate them about healthy lifestyles.”

Covert said the smiles on all the faces is proof that the activity is successful and worthwhile.

“Nothing is more satisfying than seeing not only the smiles on the older adults’ faces when the students arrive, but the smiles on the students’ faces when they leave Gran Villas,” she said. “Because of this, I know this experience is not only impacting the students, but also making an impact on the older adults.”

Follow this link for information about this and other courses of study in PSU's Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation.