Breaking through the stereotype: Student nurses learn that seniors are cool

Galen College of Nursing students honing their bedside manner

It’s a typical day at the Doris Griffin Senior One Stop Center in San Antonio. Members gather around the pool and ping pong tables, while another group joins a lively Rummikub game. What’s not typical is they are joined by several young people dressed in scrubs.

They are nursing students from Galen College of Nursing, San Antonio who are taking part in the college’s community health course. Their mission: develop an understanding of and appreciation for older persons living independently and the resources available to help them remain independent and healthy. In short, develop a nursing bedside manner that works with seniors, according to Lori Routsong, MSN, RN, one of Galen’s community health clinical instructors.

In addition to spending leisure time with center members, the student nurses perform well checks, which includes taking their blood pressure and weight. They also help with daily lunch service, and even take part in fitness classes.

“The students are gaining a better understanding of how to relate to a senior patient,” explains Brandy Montoya, director of clinical operations for the Griffin Center and for the WellMed at Ingram Park facility next door.

The center also offers a different view of the aging process, Lori says.

“I didn’t expect anything like this,” says Galen student nurse Jocelyn Saldana.

The time students spend socializing with the center’s members can also be key to detecting early warning signs about an individual’s health, Brandy continues.

“They are able to keep an eye on the members,” Brandy says. “And if they are having a bad day, the nurses can get them to a doctor or make an appointment for them before they land in the ER.”

Interaction between students and members also helps to get each outside of their respective bubble, says Lori, an adult-geriatric nurse practitioner

For older patients, there is the opportunity to remove the hesitancy they can feel about talking to medical personnel. Meanwhile, the student nurses learn how to discuss a patient’s health without fear of sounding disrespectful, Lori continues.

Every event, every space at the Griffin Center has a purpose. Members walk the length of the facility 15 times to get in a mile. The treadmills, elliptical and weight machines are another hot spot. There’s a computer lab and music classes. The facility is also home to a jazz band that meets every Wednesday.

Wednesdays are also the day for “Get Moving,” a fitness course taught by Peaches Hall, WellMed director of the senior center. Among those who took part in this Wednesday’s class was student nurse Morgan Ruiz, who sums up the experience, “I loved it.”

Lori often asks her students if the Griffin Center’s members have changed their ideas about aging. Every time, the students answer in the affirmative.

“Seniors are cool,” Lori says.

The only thing cooler is seeing her students come to the same conclusion about older patients.

“I get goose bumps,” she adds, “every time I see something ‘come together’ for my students.”