Written by John Mark Adkison
On Thursday, Oct. 28, Harding University nursing students participating in the gerontology course received the Most Innovative Volunteer Award at the 30th Annual Arkansas Aging Conference for their work with senior citizens, as part of the Arkansas Gerontological Society Volunteer Awards.Gerontology, the study of aging and learning how to help others cope with the hardships that come with aging, is a two-hour course requirement for nursing students in which the curriculum is specific to geriatrics, or nursing care for older adults.”[Gerontology] requires a holistic approach to caring for older persons,” said Dr. Melodee Harris, professor of the gerontology course. “We teach students to look at the whole person, not just the disease. We want each person to live a full life; so even though they are older, we want to dispel myths of aging and still have an emphasis on strong health promotion.”However, medical and physical care of older patients is not the sole focus of this course. Harris said the course also certifies each student as an ombudsman, trained in patient advocacy.”One does not necessarily have to be a nurse to become an ombudsman,” said Priscilla Parsons, also a professor for the gerontology course. “[An ombudsman] is an individual who builds relationships with seniors in nursing care and advocates for them. It is someone for [the seniors] to trust and someone who makes sure the needs of the residences are met.”In order to receive certification to become an ombudsman and pass the class, each student must perform at least 12 hours of volunteer service.”This program is so successful it is recognized nationally,” said Dr. Cathleen Shultz, who is the dean of the College of Nursing and who helped bring the gerontology course to the college five years ago. “This means anyone who is certified here in Arkansas can carry that certification into any other state. Since 2006, all nursing students have been certified.”According to Shultz, the nomination for the award was a complete surprise to the College of Nursing.”We were nominated by a professor from another school,” Shultz said. “We were not looking for any sort of an award, but I was so ecstatic and it is a great honor. The students are hard workers and deserve the recognition. I am very proud of them.”Few schools have a stand-alone gerontology course, Harris said, and less than two percent are geriatrics certified.”A lot of hard work has gone into this course, and I think the award really fits into the mission of the College of Nursing,” Harris said. “The students are really letting their lights shine before men.”
