A new partnership between Edgemere, Dallas’ premier senior living community, and the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing is helping to expand nursing students’ knowledge of older adults, while providing valuable health information to residents.
Every Wednesday in November, 10 Baylor nursing students will participate in a health fair/education day at the retirement community where they will conduct blood pressure checks and share information about healthy eating, stress reduction, immunizations and many other topics. Additionally, the nursing students will perform house checks on residents in their apartments to determine if they have fall risks inside their homes, look at ways to improve the layout of their furniture and discuss medication safety. As the number of people 65 or older continues to grow --reaching an estimated 21.7 percent in the United States by 2040 – it is critically important for nursing students to have firsthand experience with seniors.
“We are honored to collaborate with the Louise Herrington School of Nursing,” said John Faldine, executive director of Edgemere. “The services provided by the student nurses will be a benefit the residents, and I know that the residents will enrich the lives of the students by sharing their life stories.”
According to Shelley F. Conroy, Ed.D, MS, RN, CNE, Dean of the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing, the partnership is a win-win for both the residents and the student nurses. “Edgemere is providing a much-needed resource for students to learn, practice, communicate and care for our older adult population,” said Dr. Conroy. “In addition, students benefit from seeing healthy, vibrant older adults, and will gain experience in evaluating the health needs of this very special population.”
The students participating in the partnership with Edgemere are currently enrolled in a community clinic course, and have completed a Maturing Families course. Additionally, gerontology, the study of aging and older adults, is integrated into each of the core medical-surgical courses offered by the Louise Herrington School of Nursing.
For nursing student Ruth Holzman, the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the older adult population is exciting. “The practical skills that I will gain working with Edgemere residents will be invaluable,” said Holzman. “Something as small as helping seniors understand the importance of taking their medicine at the same time every day or only with food can have such an impact on their overall health and well-being. I truly believe that programs, like the one with Edgemere, will make me a better nurse.”
