Christie Kollias

11-20-13

Project Link

1.      Where the student volunteered their time

I volunteered my time to work with my sister who is a physical therapist in Chicago. Once a year she goes to my grandma’s nursing home and gives free therapy for a day since physical therapy is expensive and older people spend a lot of money as is.

2.      How the service activity reflected concepts learned in the current FCS course (FCS 4840), and/or other FCS courses

As I was there with my sister, it reminded me of the power point about older people in nursing homes. Luckily my grandma lives in a respected nursing home where all of the care givers get background checked and are monitored daily. After watching those videos it really touched home and made me want to go there and do that with my sister. I also wanted to try the Validation therapy on someone but no one was that severe that she worked on.

3.      How the student networked with other professionals while participating in the activity and what they GAINED from that networking

The only networking I really did was with my sister and the caregivers and nurses at the nursing home. I asked them how they feel about working in a nursing home and they said it gets hard at times, but they couldn’t see themselves anywhere else. There are students that volunteer their time there from the local school, and they complain about some of the residents, but from what I saw, the older people seemed to be very nice.

4.      The potential effect the service activity and/or the service organization can have (or does have) on the community

The service activity has a positive effect on the nursing home community. They are always delighted to see my sister, and my sister even visits at least once a month just to see my grandma. As stated in the videos we watched in class, many people living there do not get to see their families regularly or even at all. When they see a familiar face, it brightens their day and they look forward to seeing her. Everyone needs to feel loved, especially when one is all alone.

5.      A general reflection on the assignment (e.g., reactions, feelings, life lessons)

In general, I want to be more like my sister. She is one of the biggest role models in my life. The joy she brings to so many people at that nursing home or just to everyone around her is overwhelming and makes me wish I saw my grandma as much as she does. College is about finding yourself and if I can be half as good as a person as my sister has become, I will be forever grateful.