ERIC Number: EJ841008
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0270-1960
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Available Date: N/A
Service-Learning at Dementia Care Programs: An Orientation and Training Program
Lambert-Shute, Jennifer J.; Jarrott, Shannon E.; Fruhauf, Christine A.
Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, v25 n1 p19-35 2004
The present paper describes a project that addresses the unique challenge service-learners face at dementia care programs. The project was conducted in conjunction with two courses on aging that offer students a service-learning (S-L) option at a university adult day service (ADS) program that accepts service-learners from these courses. The intervention consisted of two elements: (a) an orientation and follow-up sessions in which students learned about the causes of dementia, the behavioral characteristics exhibited by persons with dementia, and the best methods of interacting effectively with cognitively impaired persons; and (b) a structured scrapbook project for service-learners to exercise their new knowledge and skills. The authors designed the project to increase students' comfort in the dementia care setting and to facilitate students' knowledge of the elderly. The following sections describe the project and its procedures, benefits, and challenges. Recommendations for continuing the project and for adapting the project to other dementia sites are provided.
Descriptors: Dementia, Social Services, Service Learning, Intervention, Program Descriptions, Program Effectiveness, Older Adults, Educational Gerontology, Undergraduate Students, Attitude Change, Empathy, Caring, Interpersonal Competence, Focus Groups
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
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