Category: Health Behavior & Nutrition Sciences
Igniting Meaningful Interactions for Successful Aging
August 02, 2022 Written by Colin Heffinger | Photos by Elizabeth Orsega-Smith
At the very heart of healthy aging is regular engagement within the community, which is exceptionally important for older generations who may face challenges such as limited mobility and access.
As part of a Health and Aging course taught each spring semester by Elizabeth Orsega-Smith, professor for the Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition, students this year gained first-hand experience developing an event to connect different generations throughout the community.
“The goal of this course was to provide students with experiences that expand understanding of the biological, psychological, and social changes involved in aging,” Orsega-Smith said. “We focus on evidence-based practices to provide older adults with the idea of successful aging.”
To achieve this goal, Honors students were provided the opportunity to develop and implement a Delaware bingo event, coordinated with Lori’s Hands for older adults at Newark Main Towers.
Orsega-Smith credited the team effort with Lori’s Hands to “develop a strategy for building connections with these residents” at the towers. “We created this idea to do a bingo event focused on the history of Delaware. Instead of a typical bingo format, items called out would be different facts related to Delaware. Many of the residents had spent much of their lives in the state and still learned new facts.”
The team of students collaborated to review state-related articles, develop bingo cards, and research facts for item banks as part of the game. During the bingo day, students managed the event and gained valuable experience tied to their career goals.
“A lot of our students hadn’t interacted with older adults outside of their families,” Orsega-Smith said. “This allowed them to open their eyes to working with a different population in their field of interest.”
Samantha Gaier, an undergraduate student working towards becoming a nurse practitioner, was one of the students helping to manage the event.
“I saw how rewarding it was for the residents to see how much care we put into the project,” Gaier said. “Some of the older adults told us they were unable to be engaged in these kinds of events due to transportation issues. This helped connect them with younger generations as well as their own age groups within our local community.”
In connection to her career goals, Gaier recognized the opportunity allowed her to develop a greater sense of how much there is a health crisis and communication issues throughout America.
“It’s amazing how improving health communication ties into making a difference for these older adults,” Gaier said. “At the same time, it’s providing hands-on experience relevant to my future career.”
Emma Ueltzhoffer, another undergraduate student involved in the project, stated how “these kinds of experiences are invaluable” for all generations.
“We all have something we can gain from each other, regardless of our age or the backgrounds we come from,” Ueltzhoffer said. “This event gave us a common factor upon which we could build these connections, while also creating a common experience to bond over for the residents. Experiences like these are the catalyst for creating relationships that allow us to learn more about others in our community. Through this gained knowledge, we can develop sympathy and maybe even come to admire each other.”
Looking forward, Orsega-Smith is excited for future course sessions since the pandemic has been slowing down and creating new opportunities within the local community.
“It’s important to highlight how this project demonstrates the idea to get students engaged with the community beyond what is taught in the classroom,” Orsega-Smith reflected. “Students were able to create meaningful impact and see how grateful the residents were to participate in this activity. The socialization is critical, especially between intergenerational gaps. Older adults find great benefit in engagement with others in different generations.”
