College Outreach for Seniors

The intent of the COS program is three-fold:
1) To provide an internship that brings academic course work to life
2) Service learning projects that bring college students and senior citizens together and
3) To provide work experiences and professional contacts

Goals:
• To involve college students in the provisions of voluntary services to isolated seniors, the active    aging population and eldercare.
• To provide service learning projects to enrich the educational experience that will be beneficial for    any chosen career field.
• To develop a toolkit for replication of the program in other communities.

Students must posses a desire to work with seniors and exhibit the following:
- An open mind
- Flexibility
- An outgoing personality
- Interest in exploring aging issues
- Compassion and patience
- A willingness to compromise

See the aging process as a cycle of life rather than life is ending.

Programs students may choose and develop

Telephone Pals Project
Opened to all students

Goal
This project is designed to connect students with seniors, who are isolated in senior apartment buildings, through weekly telephone calls. Students will be matched with a senior Telephone Pal

Newsletter Project
Opened to all students (especially those interested in Communications, Computer Science, Journalism and English)

Goal
Development of a monthly newsletter that helps foster a sense of community in senior apartment buildings.

Options:
A) The newsletter can be designed on campus. Interested seniors will be transported to the campus     for the initial meeting to discuss ideas and provide input in designing the newsletter.

B) The student will work with a group of volunteer seniors in the building

Suggestions are:

• Health and wellness news
• Highlights of residents events and activities.
• Essays, shorts stories, poetry written by seniors, healthy recipes & photographs
• Research and legislation and priority issues of concern to seniors
• Biographies on senior residents, interviews by students and senior committees
• Patient advocacy (empowerment)
• Jokes

Recreation Internship
Opened to all students (especially those interested in Dance/Music/Theatre/Art/Computer Science)

Goal
Introduce seniors to explore multicultural experiences through different artistic mediums.

Options:
A) For a semester, conduct a one-hour class once a week in dance, music, theatre, book group     discussion etc.

B) Create a calendar of college events that might interest seniors and invite them as guests on campus.

C) Performers can rehearse in a building for those seniors unable to attend the show.

Nursing Internship

Goal
Students will apply practical experience in fields of aging while assisting seniors in residence, thereby, connecting learning to the curriculum, e.g.

• Health Assessment
• Nutrition
• Mental Health
• Drug and Pharmacy
• Blood Pressure screenings
• Foot Screening
• Hearing Tests, etc

Student Coordinator or Faculty/Staff Person

Goal
Students would recruit their peers who are interested in activities involving seniors in apartment buildings.

Managements Structure

College Outreach to Senior's Responsibility

• Initial orientation meeting regarding senior services overview, psycho-dynamics of aging, patterns of adaptation to aging, coping and socialization challenges.
• Introduction to senior resident volunteer leader and president of tenants association
• Outline of services learning activity (where applicable)
• Establish relationships with building leaders.
• Assistance in initial set-up with monthly conferences thereafter.
• Review of students written reports, project progress, goal, etc. until end of semester.

Student Responsibilities

• Coordinate and match recruits with seniors
• Submit brief weekly updates (can be emailed to SOS team member and faculty)
• Prepare monthly evaluation report
• Schedule monthly conference with SOS team member
• Schedule monthly conference with appropriate faculty at respective college