Review in detail your service-learning site:
- Where
are you serving?
o
I am doing my service learning at Providence
Benedictine Nursing Center. This nursing
center is located in Mt. Angel, Oregon.
This is a rural farming community 15 miles east of the state
capital. The Sisters of Benedictine
started a nursing home in Mt. Angel in 1955 in a house in the community. In 1957 they broke ground on the building
that currently is Providence Benedictine Nursing Center. In 1998 the Sisters of Benedictine and the
Sisters of Providence agreed that the Providence Health System would be a good organization
to run the nursing home moving forward and Providence Health bought the nursing
center. The Sisters of Benedictine live
next door at their monastery and frequently visit residents in the nursing
center.
- What
does the agency do?
o
Providence Benedictine is a 98-bed long-term
care facility. 36 of the 98 beds are
dedicated to post-acute rehab and do not service long-term care patients. The campus cares for the elderly population
via their long-term care services, post-acute rehab services as well as home
health, hospice, and assisted living services.
Providence Benedictine is also active in the community of Mt.
Angel.
- Who
are the clients and what needs are served?
o
The clients are the elderly population of
primarily Marion County. However clients
can and do come from other county’s in Oregon.
This campus also serves underserved and impoverished elderly
clients. They accept Medicare and
Medicaid and also have a charitable foundation to help offset costs of care for
those who cannot afford it.
o
The needs that are served range from in home
care, hospice care, long-term care, assisted living care, and post-acute
rehab.
- What
is the agency funding support?
o
Providence Benedictine has multiple payers to
include Medicare, Medicaid, Keiser Permanente, and the Providence Health
Plan. This facility also has a
foundation that raises money to offset the cost of care, constructions,
equipment costs, and other financial needs that may arise.
- Service
Learning Hours
o
I have spent 10 hours of service learning at
Providence Benedictine this semester so far.
I have participated in the facilitation of activities for residents on
Harmony Lane (one of the long-term care units).
One of the main activities I was involved in this semester was the
resident driven bingo game. The
residents needed a space they could consistently hold their own bingo game and
I worked with the residents and staff to find a suitable space for bingo. I have also spent time serving a resident that needed problem solving done in regards to space/room/furniture issues. (see below reflection)
What roles do DNPs play in promoting health and wellness in
underserved? How do you perceive your
individual role in this?
- I
feel that the role of the DNP in promoting health and wellness in underserved
populations is to ensure that you are up to date on practice, best practice and
community resources. This will enable
the DNP to provide up to date knowledge and resources to the underserved
populations. At Benedictine the
underserved population are the residents in the long-term care units. There may be a perception that health and
wellness does not matter in this population.
One of the focuses of my PICO project is to ensure that staff realize it
does matter in this population. Health
and wellness activities can increase the quality of life in this elderly
population and should be offered. As a
DNP I can help make this happen by finding out what the residents would like to
see offered and find out what they are interested in (such as gardening, walks
outside, etc.). I can be the driver to
this change for the residents.
I
I think one of the key roles of the DNP in any setting is being the leader and driver of change. Healthcare in all settings is changing daily and we must be able to keep up with that change and even be prepared so that we are ahead of that change.
I
What was the best/worst/most challenging thing that happened
this semester? (DEAL Model format)
- Describe:
I feel that the worse and most challenging thing that happened this semester was the death of one of
the long-time residents in the nursing center.
It came as a surprise to staff and it was hard for them and myself to
deal with.
- Examine:
This particular resident fit into the vulnerable population because the
diagnosis put this resident into a disabled category. I was able to get to know this resident very
well and glean knowledge from this person that will help the person-centered
care model move forward in the nursing center.
This resident was of sound mind and younger then the average population
in the nursing center. I think that is
why it was hard on staff and myself when we heard the resident had died
unexpectedly in the hospital. I feel
that my work with this person was very valuable and I appreciate the time I had
with them. It was an honor to work with
and serve this resident. I was able to
problem solve some furniture/room/space issues that the resident had and find a
very pleasing option to the resident for storage of personal items that needed
to be locked but accessible to the resident.
That is not always easy to do when there are no funds available.
- Articulate
the Learning: The learning for me in this above situation was that creative
thinking and thinking outside the box may take some time and effort but it is
well worth it in the end to have a positive outcome for a person that has a
need. It is very fulfilling to be able
to help someone meet a care need or personal need. The staff at Benedictine are really
amazing. When this resident passed they
pulled together as a family and supported each other. I will take this experience with me as I move
into the final pre-implementation phases of my project and apply that family
like atmosphere to the person-centered care model. I feel that the Interprofessional
collaboration among staff was excellent.
This did not just involve the nursing staff. It involved staff from all areas of the
nursing center as this resident touched many people’s lives and disciplines
during their stay at Benedictine.
This experience was definitely the worst and most
challenging thing that I’ve dealt with this semester but I can also view it as
the best thing that happened. It was a
blessing to know this resident and get to problem solve with the resident and
know that I made a positive difference in this persons life. It was also a blessing to see the collaboration
of staff and how they came together not as co-workers but as a family in their
time of lose.
Tracy
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