IIA’s Academic Elders act as patients so nursing students can learn real-life clinical assessment skills

The Academic Elder volunteers brought out the
life experiences, frailty and struggles of the
characters portrayed in the scenarios so
students could learn to see the person and
not just the illness or disease. As a result
of the volunteers, there was improvement
in students' verbal and non-verbal
communication, fostering a positive and
effective nurse-client relationship.
COURTESY PHOTO

By Lorraine Glowczak

Officially established a little over one year ago, the Institute for Integrative Aging (IIA) at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine (SJCME) seeks to address loneliness and isolation experienced by many older adults by offering a variety of intergenerational activities. Programs such as Silver Sneakers®, online Coffee and Conversations, a hiking program, a book club and much more have been and continue to be successful. The recent launch of the Academic Elder Volunteer Program was implemented for the first time this fall with nursing students and also proved to be a success.

“We had four amazing Academic Elder volunteers who virtually joined Professor Nancy Bonard’s Nursing Fundamentals Course, acting as ‘standardized patients’ IIA Director Heather DiYenno said. “This opportunity allowed the nursing students to practice their clinical assessment skills along with general communication and interviewing techniques in a simulated environment.”

DiYenno and Bonard have been collaborating on several projects that support both the nursing program at SJCME and IIA. Due to the restrictions from the COVID pandemic, the Academic Elder Volunteer Program filled a gap in hands-on learning.    

“The nursing program’s clinical sites for long-term care have been part of the curriculum, working directly with patients at long-term care facilities,” Bonard said. “However, this semester, the nursing students were not able to visit the facilities due to the risk of coronavirus transmission.”

Learning how to communicate effectively with the patient and create a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship would not have been fulfilled if not for the help of the Academic Elders.

“While there are ample opportunities for practicing skills on mannequins [such as bathing and transferring clients], there was a need for students to be able to practice therapeutic communication skills,” Bonard said. “The discussions included many important themes for nursing care, such as caregiving, the unique needs of older adults, transitions of care, and holistic care of clients.”

“At the conclusion of the four-week period, both volunteers and faculty noted that there was improvement in students’ verbal and non-verbal therapeutic communication, fostering a positive and
effective nurse-client relationship,” DiYenno said.

Although the students were not available for an interview, they expressed to both DiYenno and Bonard that they were grateful to talk with a real person, being able to ask better questions that included feedback as a result. This included proper and effective ways of communication – knowing what to say and what not to say to a patient. They also said this portion of the experience was one of the favorite parts of their clinicals.

The Academic Elder volunteers, who had heard about this opportunity through email communications with IIA, share some of their own experiences. Lyman and Darnell Stuart were two of those volunteers.

“Meeting with Nancy and Heather was all that it took to see what a wonderful experience this would be for their students,” Lyman Stuart said. “I love helping anyone further their education in whatever they may be learning, and I found this to be unique.”

Darnell Stuart, who is very engaged in theater, was looking for ways to be involved now that theaters are closed. Having had many years of work experience in senior health care, Darnell believed she was able to contribute to the students’ learning. But she also learned something as a volunteer.

“I was reminded of the term, ‘youth is wasted on the young.’ This is not so true - it is not wasted. It is they who keep us young if we allow them to grow.”

A third volunteer, Donna Leitner decided to be an Academic Elder because she had many positive mentors throughout her educational and professional career and thought this would be an opportunity to “pay it forward."

“I’m hoping my involvement afforded students a ‘live elder’ (albeit by videoconference) to practice
communication and assessment skills,” Leitner said. “Most importantly, I feel I brought out the life experiences, frailty and struggles of the characters portrayed in the scenarios so students could learn to see the person and not just the illness or disease.” 

“Watching their growth caused me to ‘up my game’ in portraying the character as realistically as possible,” she said. “In some instances, I had to do research on the character’s illness or the formal medical assessment scales/tools that might be utilized in their questioning.”

There may be more opportunities for both older adults and students next semester.

“Nancy’s class will continue with a different curriculum and there is a possibility to work with them again this spring,” DiYenno said. “Due to limitations of clinical placement, these students would have otherwise lost a whole year of clinicals without the help of the volunteers.”

IIA is also having discussions with other departments at the college including Social Work and Communications about other Academic Elder opportunities. And it seems from the positive feedback from the first set of volunteers, IIA and the professors will not have to look far for more Academic Elders.

“Their enthusiasm is infectious,” Lyman Stuart said. “I am already looking forward to the spring
semester when we can do this again.”

For other older adults who may be thinking about volunteering their time as an Academic Elder, Darnell Stuart has this to say:

“I do hope more people get involved. The students deserve what each of us can give them and we deserve the joy of helping them grow.”

For more information on the Academic Elder Volunteer program, contact Heather DiYenno at the Institute of Integrative Aging by email at hdiyenno@sjcme.edu or by phone at 207-893-7641.<

Saint Joseph’s Institute for Integrative Aging begins tele-social call program for older adults

By Lorraine Glowczak

Studies indicate that strong family and community connections lead to greater levels of health and

Heather DiYenno, Director of
Saint Joseph's College Institute for
Integrative Aging, of
 Add caption believes that
making a simple weekly phone call
to older adults who are homebound
can combat social isolation and
loneliness. The college is seeking
volunteers and recipients who may
be interested on participating in
their new tele-social call program.
SUBMITTED PHOTO

happiness. Social isolation, on the other hand, can produce detrimental effects on one’s mental and physical wellbeing. Depression, anxiety, heart disease, and strokes are a few consequences of loneliness.

What is just as alarming is that the experience of isolation is growing. In fact, social seclusion has become so prevalent on a global scale that many countries are taking an active role in its prevention, including Great Britain’s recently established Minister of Loneliness.

The age group most directly affected by this epidemic is among older adults who are aging in place and/or have physical disabilities that prevent easy social connections with others. This is especially prevalent in remote, rural areas like the greater Sebago Lakes Region area.

But there is good news on the horizon.

It is with this awareness that Saint Joseph’s College of Maine recently took action and officially launched the Institute for Integrative Aging (IIA) in May 2019 to help alleviate loneliness among area residents. Since its inception, IIA has been providing a series of creative, age-friendly, and intergenerational activities that provide opportunities for connection and fulfillment. A tele-social call program is their latest endeavor in these efforts and will be getting underway soon.

“We are in the very beginning stages of this program and are looking for both volunteers and recipients who would like to participate,” Heather DiYenno, IIA Director said. “Volunteers will be trained and paired with a recipient of whose interests and hobbies they have in common. The purpose of the calls is simply to have fun and light-hearted conversations at least once a week, and the amount of time spent on each call is determined by the parties involved.”

The tele-social concept was developed by the Motion Picture and Television Fund (MPTF), based out of Woodland Hills, CA. The idea was created by Dr. Scott Kaiser, MPTF’s Chief Innovation Officer and Director of Geriatric Cognitive Health at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute.

“I was introduced to the MPTF and their tele-social program while attending the Rural Aging Advisory Council in Washington D.C. last fall,” said DiYenno. “They opened my eyes on how effective making a simple weekly phone call was at combating loneliness and I wanted to implement a similar program at IIA.”

DiYenno has researched the platforms and mechanisms that are already in place at MPTF. IIA is collaborating their efforts with Southern Maine Agency on Aging (SMAA) and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and volunteers can apply for IIA’s tele-social call program on the SMAA website at www.volunteer.unitedwaygp.org/need/detail/?need_id=535198.

In addition to the application, volunteers will also be asked to fill out background checks and confidentiality forms. For those who may be concerned about the circulation of their personal phone numbers, they have no reason to fear.

“It’s important to let volunteers and recipients know that their personal phone numbers will not be used as part of the tele-social call and conversation,” DiYenno said. “A mechanism is created so that volunteers call a central line which will require a pin number. This will connect the volunteer to the recipient’s own phone. No personal information needs to be exchanged.”

During a time when required social distancing can further intensify social isolation, particularly among
vulnerable homebound individuals, participation in the tele-social call program may be the most important thing one person can do for another.

“A friendly call can brighten someone’s day,” DiYenno said.

One may be surprised at how much a phone conversation with an individual experiencing loneliness might also help the volunteer themselves, brightening their own days from time to time.

For more information on becoming a volunteer or to refer someone experiencing social isolation, contact Heather DiYenno at IIA@SjCME.EDU or at 207-893-7641.<

Saint Joseph’s College officially launches Institute for Integrative Aging

Donato J. Tramuto with SilverSneakers participants
95 year old Shirley Saunders, right, and her daughter Judy Alepeter

By Lorraine Glowczak

The Baggot Street Cafe at the Heffernan Center on Saint Joseph’s College campus was host to over 50 Lakes Region community members on Friday, May 10 for a breakfast reception that included locally sourced food. The purpose of the celebratory event was to recognize the successful launch of SilverSneakers®—the first phase of the college’s innovative program, the Institute for Integrative Aging (IIA).

SilverSneakers® is an exercise series specifically targeted for older adults and is initiated by Tivity Health®, an organization with the mission to work hand-in-hand with members, clients and healthcare partners to create everyday opportunities for long-lasting health and vitality. CEO of Tivity Health®, Donato J. Tramuto, was the guest speaker for the event.

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In a recent press release announcing the launch, Tramuto is quoted as stating the following regarding the reason and purpose of SilverSneakers®: “Loneliness is the new epidemic of the 21st century. I have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles and have met tens of thousands of SilverSneakers® members. Fifteen million adults are eligible for this program. Sixteen thousand gyms participate. And it all started with the desire to train gyms on how to treat mature adults in exercise classes who may have chronic conditions. I applaud Saint Joseph’s College for establishing this program on campus. It takes leaders to move us forward so that we never forget the senior community. Thank you for making it easier for older adults in rural Maine to age with dignity.”

There are a multitude of reasons for establishing SilverSneakers® and the Institute for Integrative Aging on the 500-acre campus – and aging with dignity is one important aspect. “Everyone is going to age differently,” said Peter Nielsen, executive director of Mission-Aligned Business at Saint Joseph’s College who oversees the IIA program. “The purpose of the Institute for Integrative Aging is to support individual agency, empowering each person to choose their own path to longevity.”

As Tramuto referred to in his talk at the event, rural isolation is another big factor to adding this new program. Social seclusion is a serious concern in the U.S. and beyond but especially so in rural communities and the aging population. Shirley Saunders, a 95-year-old participant in SilverSneakers®, joined her first class a little over a week ago. “My first class was so enjoyable. I barely got out of my home all winter because it was so icy. I went a long time without being around people. SilverSneakers® is wonderful. I like being in a room full of people and even more so when they’re close to my age. Participating in the class was the highlight of my winter.”

Saunders’ daughter, Judy Alepeter is also a participant and explained one purpose for her attendance is because the program gears the exercise components toward the older age group. “It respects us and the fact that we can’t do things at the same speeds as our younger counterparts,” she said. Alepeter, who is a two-time cancer survivor, added that the program keeps her energy up and adds friendships and socialization in her life.

Nielsen pointed out that the word ‘integrative’ is the key point in this campus-wide endeavor. Besides the fact that Saint Joseph’s college is the largest privately-owned property that sits along the shore of the second largest lake in Maine, the program is unique in the fact that it incorporates many facets of the community and individual needs. “The program ties together socialization and food security as well as sustainability and wellness,” Nielsen said, adding that it supports economic development and improved quality of life for Mainers.

Incorporating SilverSneaker® exercise program into the IIA encourages older adults to visit the campus, and Nielsen stated that it is one way to get to know the older population and discover the continuing needs they have. “By having them on campus, we can talk with them and ask them what they want and need,” he said. “We can only move forward successfully with their input.”

Nielsen and other Saint Joseph leaders realize that not all the aging population of the Lakes Region community can easily travel to campus to take advantage of the many services that are available at low or no cost. “Our next step is to discover a way to connect with those who are unable to travel to campus so they, too, can be connected to the community at large.”

One next step in the process that may solve some of the travel concerns is the plan to build housing for the older population to live on campus in the near future. “This will provide an opportunity for intergenerational connectivity,” Nielsen began. “And is another example of the intentional word, ‘integrative’.”

When introducing Tramuto at last Friday morning’s event, President Jim Dlugos, who coined the term “integrative aging” said, "We want you to think of Saint Joseph's as your college.  Know that we are here for you and for everyone in the Lakes Region. Please come back often and take advantage of all we have to offer at this beautiful place on Sebago Lake."