U.P. students work with nursing home residents.
By Jerry Hume
Tuesday, August 04, 2009 at 5:52 p.m.
Read more: Local, Health, Education, AGES, Students, Healthcare
MARQUETTE -- With an aging population in the U.P., the health care industry is becoming more and more important. That’s why for seven weeks this summer, 42 students are participating in the AGES, or the Area Geriatric Education Scholars, program.
They're paid to work with nursing home residents across the U.P. talking with them, feeding them, even taking them to physical therapy.
Organizers say it's important to get students interested in health care professions because 25 percent of the U.P.’s population is 65 years or older.
"We hope that they come back and practice here in the U.P. and provide care in these fields, specifically for elderly folks, but for all of us," said Carolyn Weissbach, AGES Program Director.
This is the last week of the program for students. Tuesday, they shared their experiences at nursing homes this summer and how it changed their outlook on the elderly and the health care field.
"I was thinking that there's no way I wanted to work with elderly people before I started out; then doing this program made me more interested in geriatrics," said student Kitty Drockton.
"It really showed me how medical care works with geriatrics and how they communicate with each other, and I found out geriatrics might be my calling," said student Doug Leonhardt.
Even though this year's AGES program ends this Friday, many students in the program will continue to explore the health care field by job shadowing at Marquette General or volunteering or taking a job at their local nursing home.
