Presenter: Veerapetch Petchger, Public Health Science, Global Public Health Scholars
This winter break, I volunteered at the Forest Hills of DC nursing home in Washington DC. My daily responsibilities were divided between triaging staff members at the weekly COVID-19 testing clinic at the nursing home and assisting the life enrichment department in engaging the residents with physically and mentally interactive events. My reason for choosing this site was my increased awareness of the social isolation of elderly residents in the nursing home from my mother’s work experience as a registered nurse in a similar work environment. I was welcomed by the Forest Hills of DC nursing home since the institution was under partial lockdown. Elderly nursing homes are among the likeliest hubs of COVID-19 transmission, so the development of activities schedules during a war-like climate was essential to address the fundamental social interaction that the residents rarely encountered. The social interactions during these events are directly linked to better mental health outcomes in elderly residents. There is a pie chart that displays the total incidence of cases among residents and staff, which sadly includes five mortalities among the residents. As a result of my practicum project, I witnessed most quarantine-free residents voluntarily abstain from social engagements. However, those already attending the activities at the start of my project remained ever-present in the following days. I learned about the importance and the underappreciation of crisis management in health-focused workplaces, especially with a disease that is most likely to victimize individuals of similar age groups to the elderly residents. On top of that, I improved my patient and professional social skills, having not been able to develop these skills for the past few years. With that being said, I am highly motivated to return to the nursing home in the summer and continue to execute my general interests in combating the pandemic. In the long-term, the benefits of this experience will prepare me for positions that specialize in the statistical analysis
of data obtained from target populations of a particular health outcome.