Brevillier Village

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Step Right Up: Enhancing Senior Living With a Wellness Carnival

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Student Interns: 

Joseph Theiss, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

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Academic Preceptor: 

Randy J. Kulesza, PhD, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

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Community Preceptor: 

Hannah Perrin, RN, Brevillier Village

 

Community Site:

Brevillier Village is a nonprofit housing and healthcare community for seniors that provides fully independent living, personal-care assisted living, and skilled nursing or short-term rehabilitation. Brevillier Village serves to enhance residents’ physical, emotional, and spiritual lives to help with their fulfillment. 
https://www.brevillier.org

 

Team's Expereince:

The Bridging the Gaps student intern participated in creating a wellness carnival for the residents of Ball Pavilion at Brevillier Village. The wellness carnival was held during the month of June and incorporated aspects of physical activity, nutrition, oral health, memory and cognition, and mindfulness. The intern designed seven carnival booth games, and each was led by various health employees of Brevillier Village. Additional health education was given to CNAs during the carnival, and every health discipline was represented at the event.

 

Intern Statements:  

Joseph Theiss: “My time at Brevillier Village has taught me several important aspects of geriatric care. I quickly realized that while each resident is unique in their abilities, they all deserve a wholehearted effort towards their life satisfaction, including the best quality of care. I have come to know that many times it may be the simpler, but meaningful events, activities, and conversations each resident desires. This was my inspiration for the wellness carnival. I knew my medical knowledge and creativity could be incorporated into a fun event with hopes of boosting morale and improving health outcomes. I am thankful for the Bridging the Gaps program, as this opportunity deepened my understanding of senior health and how I can better serve the senior population as a future physician.”

 

LECOM Health Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

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Delivering Joy Through Summer Fun

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Student Interns: 

Rachel Leone, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

 

Academic Preceptor: 

Colleen Cole-Jeffrey, PhD, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

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Community Preceptor: 

Jeffrey Glass, RN, LECOM Health Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

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Community Site:

LECOM Health Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is a skilled nursing facility that primarily provides long-term care for geriatric residents, but also provides care for acute rehabilitation patients. The center aims to make residents feel comfortable, safe, and cared for. It focuses on the individual needs of each resident, allowing for excellent personalized care.
https://lecomhealth.com/senior-living/senior-living-communities/lecom-health-nursing-and-rehabilitation/

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Team's Experience: 

The Bridging the Gaps student intern worked with the facility’s activity department and assisted in hosting games and social events for the residents throughout the weekdays. To advocate for dental hygiene, the BTG intern hosted an educational crossword activity, focused on oral health, and gave out toothbrushes and floss to residents. To lift the residents’ spirits, the intern planned and hosted a summer party at the facility with games, arts and crafts, music, and snacks. The residents were able to participate in games such as balloon volleyball, fishing, and cornhole, while socializing. Throughout the internship, the BTG intern was able to bring happiness and create welcoming social activities for the residents to enjoy.

 

Intern Statements:  

 

Rachel Leone: “I gained so much knowledge and experience throughout the time I spent at LECOM Nursing and Rehabilitation (LNR). Most notably, I have learned about the geriatric population, the diseases and conditions that affect them, and how to communicate with them effectively and empathetically. I have such a better understanding of nursing homes and how they operate. With that, I have also come to realize the vast diversity in the population that is taken care of within nursing homes, whether they be there for short-term rehabilitation or long-term skilled nursing care. Overall, I am absolutely grateful for the experience that I got to have during my time at LNR and the positivity and joy that I was able to bring to the residents during my time there.”

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LECOM Senior Living Center

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Working Toward Successful Aging

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Student Interns: 

Riley Plyler, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

 

Academic Preceptor: 

Noelle Thielman, PhD, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

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Community Preceptor: 

Ryan DiDomenico, LECOM Senior Living Cente

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Community Site:

LECOM Health has introduced the next generation of skilled nursing care for older adults with the new LECOM Senior Living Center, bringing together exciting and innovative patient-centered healthcare. It is positioned on a health and wellness campus centrally located in Erie, Pennsylvania. The first floor houses an expanded Institute for Successful Aging, a geriatric outpatient center, a therapy gym, a restaurant, a pharmacy, and a full-service beauty salon and spa. Each neighborhood is specially designed with restaurant-style dining, space for activities of daily living, and family lounge rooms. The facility features highly trained therapists who deliver flexible programming for short-term rehabilitation, including physical, occupational, and speech therapy. A team of physicians is available 24 hours a day for all emergences and seeks to provide a higher level of care not found in a typical skilled nursing facility. Medical, pharmacy, and dental students are involved in the Senior Living Center, benefiting patients from their knowledge and providing the right care at the right time. LECOM Senior Living Center was developed to be full of clinical services for every senior, making sure it is serving with the patient’s health in mind and providing complete care of the mind, body, and spirit.
https://lecomhealth.com/senior-living/senior-living-communities/lecom-senior-living-center/

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Team's Experience: 

The Bridging the Gaps student intern assisted with and developed several projects while at the LECOM Senior Living Center (SLC). First, the intern designed a new resident handbook and replaced the old ones. This gave residents updated information about any service they may need. It also allowed the BTG intern to get to know all the residents and get an idea of what other projects would be most beneficial while the intern was at the site. The intern prepared an oral health presentation that focused primarily on denture health, but also covered regular brushing, flossing, and basic oral pathologies. Additionally, the intern gave all residents a free toothbrush or denture brush, along with toothpaste or denture cleaning products. The intern also organized a mental health awareness day, including therapy dogs (via LECOM Paws for Patients) and a presentation on things like depression and anxiety, and how to alleviate them

 

Intern Statements:  

 

Riley Plyler: “This summer experience has had a great impact on me. As someone who aspires to be a pediatrician upon graduation and who was placed in a nursing home during the summer (sort of the polar opposite of what I want to do for a career) I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed being at the SLC every day and interacting with geriatric patients. Before this experience, I was one who said they ‘didn’t like’ older individuals or at least didn’t like the idea of working with them, but this has completely changed my attitude on that. I learned through this experience how beneficial a well-functioning nursing home can be to older individuals in need and how much that can have a positive impact on their daily lives and mentality while going through treatment. I always had believed many of the negative stereotypes that come along with nursing homes, but after being at the Senior Living Center, I can say without hesitation that these are very much not true (at least for the SLC). I learned many things about treating the older population, and even [about] just healthcare in general, throughout the summer, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Bridging the Gaps program.” 

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Millcreek Community Hospital Behavioral Health

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 Mind, Body, Spirit – Mental Health, Martial Arts, & Motivation

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Student Interns: 

Mieng Nguyen, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

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Academic Preceptor: 

Christopher Keller, PhD, CPH, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

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Community Preceptor: 

Danielle Lesik, MA, MT-BC, NCC, Millcreek Community Hospital Behavioral Health

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Community Site:

Millcreek Community Hospital (MCH) Behavioral Health comprises three units in the hospital that provide 24/7 mental healthcare for the children/adolescent, adult, and geriatric populations. Dedicated to meeting the mental health needs of the community, MCH Behavioral Health is the Erie region’s largest provider of quality inpatient psychiatric treatment. MCH Behavioral Health focuses on patient evaluation and medication management, tailoring each individuals’ treatment to their specific diagnosis, needs, and medical history.
https://lecomhealth.com/community-hospital/specialties/behavioral-health-care/

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Team's Experience: 

The Bridging the Gaps student intern developed and participated in an exercise program for the children and adolescent psychiatric patients at Millcreek Community Hospital Behavioral Health. The program was designed to emphasize the benefits of physical activity on mental health. It consisted of full-body stretches, body-weight exercises, and basic martial arts to promote wellness, proper body mechanics, and impulse control. The exercise program was carried out for one hour every morning (on each side of the unit) before the patients’ hygiene time. Optional afternoon sessions with more curated exercises were offered upon patients’ successful completion of other therapeutic recreational activities. The student intern also developed an oral health project that consisted of patients making their own simple toothpaste — the importance of each ingredient to teeth health was explained — and a lecture about the importance of brushing teeth in the prevention of oral diseases. The patients were given plaque disclosing tablets and new toothbrushes to test the effectiveness of their homemade toothpaste. At the end, the intern gave a brief quiz on all the material.

 

Intern Statements:  

Mieng Nguyen: “My summer at Millcreek Community Hospital allowed me to be a part of the care of psychiatric adolescents and children in a way I don’t think I would have experienced if not for Bridging the Gaps. I got to spend time with each patient in a capacity that was not strictly medical, which gave me the chance to get to genuinely know each patient beyond the scope of their diagnosis and history. Coming up with the project and implementing it allowed me to connect with the patients and just really drove home the point that at the end of the day, they are still kids, and they want to have fun and be happy despite the challenges they’re facing. I’m grateful to have been able to see the progress every patient made with their mental health and the exercise program and to have been a part of the Behavioral Health team at Millcreek Community Hospital this summer.”

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Regency at South Shore

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Supporting Whole Person Health Through Movement and Music

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Student Interns: 

Saige Perry, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

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Academic Preceptor: 

Jack Lee, PhD, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

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Community Preceptor: 

Jennifer Musone, PCHA, Regency at South Shore

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Community Site:

Regency at South Shore is a full-service community situated along the beautiful tree-lined streets of the former Strong Estate in Erie, Pennsylvania. Conveniently located in a private setting near shops and businesses, Regency provides independent living and optional personal care and meal services. It also offers a host of additional services and amenities, including social activities, transportation, and maintenance.
https://lecomhealth.com/senior-living/senior-living-communities/regency-at-south-shore/ 

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Team's Experience: 

The Bridging the Gaps student intern developed a few projects to improve both the physical and cognitive wellness of residents. The projects included an oral health presentation, musical Bingo, a live drumming fitness lesson, and gathering professional exercise-class videos. The goal of these projects was to create sustainable activities that can be used by Regency staff now and in the future to improve health and wellness among community members. 

 

Intern Statements:  

Saige Perry: “During my time at Regency at South Shore, I was able to develop skills that will help me in my future career as a physician. I was able to work with a population that varied so greatly in their needs. It was evident that by improving the physical and cognitive wellness of residents, their overall quality of life is bettered. This more holistic approach to healthcare is something that I will carry with me into my future career, especially as an osteopathic physician. During my time, I also found a love for the geriatric population, and I look forward to seeing where this newfound passion may take me.”

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