Culmination Blog

My volunteering for 27 and a half at Atria Retirement Home helped me with a better insight on physical therapy, which is my main career interest. With the knowledge I acquired and experience I received from this whole process made me want to pursue becoming a physical therapist even more. All the residents of Atria were all polite and very friendly which made my time there amazing. I will definitely miss the talks I had with a few of the residents and will forever cherish the relationships I developed with them. The daily jobs I had to do at Atria, the obstacles I had to overcome, and the experience I gained did not just help me out with my future, but also made me better as a person.

My volunteer days at Atria was mainly Monday and Tuesday, but there were a few times were I went during other days mainly in spring break where I got to volunteer multiple times. When I volunteered at Atria my job was to help a few of the residents achieve there goals such as gaining the strength to get up out of there wheelchair and start walking. Most of the residents I walked shared the same goal, to start walking again so they could go home.The regular resident that I walked every time I volunteered was Katherine King. Katherine's primary goal was to be able to start walking again. Her determination and focus taught me that, with hard work and determination you can achieve your goals. Another job I had was to lead an exercise class in the afternoon. In these exercise classes we focused on stamina. We did many arms and leg exercises that made us break a sweat. For example we did shadow boxing with a combination of a few exercises like arm circles and holding our arms up for 1 hour. The residents in my classes made the whole experience fun with all the jokes they told while we were exercising. The vibe in the class was always good. After the exercise class I would walk any residents that would want to walk which was mainly Katherine. It is a surprise that she still wants to exercise after the workout, however I still love and appreciate her determination, and that goes to all the other residents too.

During my volunteering I was faced with a few tough obstacles. For instance, on Mondays, all I did was walk a few of the residents. But, some of the residents aren't as mentally or physically tough as other residents so encouraging them and being patient was key. Another challenge that I encountered was adjustments, whether it was walking residents or teaching the exercise class. Sometimes residents who walk with go through a setback and be much more weak than the last time you walk them. Or everybody's speed in the exercise class is at different paces, so finding a balance for both is difficult. Another challenge I encountered was learning how to keep everybody on the same page. In my exercise classes a few people could hear better than others which could lead residents to get confused. There are also residents who have trouble with certain exercises so having them do it properly while teaching the class is also difficult. Although many of these challenges were very difficult, I made it all work out for everybody. I overcame a few of the challenges by being patient and encouraging them to reach there goals. I overcame the rest of the challenges by having me and all the residents slow down and to compromise with each other to get everybody positive results as work out. My communication skills and my equal positive thinking helped made these challenges easy to overcome.

Atria provided me with positive gains with communication and experience. As I taught the exercise classes and walked a few of the residents the challenges that I encountered helped me gain knowledge that could help me with physical therapy and life. For instance being patient and encouragement plays a huge role in the physical therapy field. Another example is hard work and determination can get anywhere you want and help you achieve your goals. I learned this from all the residents especially Katherine King.The jobs I had to do wasn't the only thing that gave me lessons, but also the residents who I walked helped me and gave me advice for the present and the future. So as the residents were gaining strength and encouragement to start walking again, I gained knowledge not just in physical therapy, but also knowledge that I could apply to other future careers that I could be interested in and life. So with all the time I spent in Atria I gained knowledge and advice that will definitely help me succeed in the future.

Day 12 (Last Day)

It was my 12th day in Atria but, it was also my last. For my last day I started by walking with Katherine. She did an amazing job because she felt like she couldn't walk today but, she did anyways. After I to Katherine outside and just talked about her past, sports, and what I planned on doing after high school. After I talked to Katherine I went to say goodbye to all the residents that I walked, to the staff, and to some residents that I met in my fitness class. It was sad to say goodbye especially to Katherine, mainly because we bonded so much and I made a promise to her that I will go visit her sometimes. Overall I am thankful for the experience and my meeting of many of the residents and I am glad to have helped them in many ways.

Total time logged in for this session: 1 Hour 30 minutes
Total Time Logged: 1 Hour 30 minutes

Day 11

Like my 10th day in Atria it was another productive day. I started by helping in the store. All the volunteers from different schools was there and we helped the people who bought and donated stuff. I helped the residents who needed company to go to there room to get there money. After I went to go walk Katherine, she did an amazing job like always, but the best thing about her is that I definitely see progress. After I went to go walk with Jean around the building and like always just had a great conversation with her, she teaches me many life lessons. Once I finished walking Jean, I helped some of the residents to go to bingo. Since nobody couldn't lead the class I led it, and it was pretty fun. After I played bingo with the residents I went to talk a few of the residents and then went to go check on Marianna to see if she wanted to walk but, she was still sick. In my opinion I feel like I am making a big difference in some of these residents life because I am helping them reach a few of there goals.

Total time logged in for this session: 4 Hours
Total Time Logged: 4 Hours

Day 10

On my 10th day of Atria, it was a productive and sad day. I started the day by leading an exercise class. Today's class was pretty big consisted of about 8-10 people mostly girls. Today's exercise class was much longer than usual mainly because they had music class canceled so I combined the music class and the fitness class. Today consisted working stamina with our whole body. By the end of the exercise class they had me sweating, the hot weather may have also helped with that. We stretched, shadowboxed, and did a few dance moves to have our body really work today. After the exercise class I walked many of the residents. I started with Katherine and as usual she did a great job. After we walked with Jean, I walked with her outside and had a great conversation. After I went to go walk with Velma, she did great for someone who hasn't walked for a while. As I was going to walk with Millie, who was a resident here at Atria, I found out she had passed away. Its hard to believe we working on our trust with each other and she was one of the inspirational residents when it came to recovering from an injury. Its sad to know that she had passed away. So after I went to help in the store for awhile and then finally ended my session. All in all it was a productive but sad day.

Total time logged in for this session: 4 Hours

Total Time Logged: 4 Hours

Day 9

Today at the Atria center I started my session by checking on a few residents and wanted to see if they wanted to walk today. Most of them said yes, like Katherine, Mariana, Jean, and Millie. Before I started walking them I had to lead an exercise class. Today had  the best turnout, I had many people come to just exercise. This was the biggest class that ever taught as I was here. There were like 8 people. Everybody got workout even me. The weather was beautiful outside but it made it hot inside. The whole class was fun, with exercises that they wanted me to do like some dance moves and few exercises. All in all the whole class was funny and great. After I walked with Katherine. Today she had trouble walking that she could only take a few steps. She said she was disappointed but I thought that she did great especially that she tried so hard and that it doesn't matter how far she went as long as she made progress. At least that cheered her up, but I think she still did fantastic. After I went to go walk with Jean we walked around the building a few times and just talked about life was. After I went to go walk with Millie and Mariana. They walked together and it was just a blast. They talked about the crazy stuff they did in the past and taught a few life lessons. All in all today was a great and productive day.

Total Time logged in for this session: 3 Hours
Total Time Logged: 3 Hours

Day 8

On my 8th day at the Atria retirement home I started my Tuesday the same. I would first begin by teaching a fitness class. Nobody showed up until after I waited for 5 minutes. My class only composed of 2 people. Although the turnout wasn't great I benefited by learning more about Katherine and Maria, which were the only 2 people that showed up. Since I knew a lot about Katherine I talked to Maria. What I learned from Maria is that when she was younger she was always into sports. She played every sport whether its from basketball, football, soccer, swimming, etc. And she also told me about her daughter doing many sports and how she got many trophies. Halfway through the class another resident Amus joined us. Amus served in the military. They all did great in their exercises. After I went to go walk Katherine again. She was determined to walk today no matter what. Although she suffered a fall I could see progress mainly because she walked pretty far and fast today. As we were finishing up I talk to a few residents that I haven't got to walk in a while and was hoping that they would like to start walking with us again. Getting people to walk was one of my biggest challenges as I volunteered, however motivation and talking can definitely get them going.

Total time logged in for this session: 2 Hours
Total time logged: 2 Hours

Day 7

On my 7th day at the Atria center, I did what I usually did. I communicated and walked with a few of the residents. Today there was a jazz class in the activity room, which the residents if they wanted to, will listen to a few people play jazz music. Since the performers didn't show up, I taught a surprise fitness class. The outcome was pretty good. The people who wanted to listen to the jazz music stayed and exercised with me. After the class I walked Katherine. She was having more trouble walking this time because she told me that earlier that day she fell. However, she still wanted to walk and did successfully. She didn't go as far but, I was still proud that she did mainly because of her condition. After I walked Katherine I chatted with a few residents that were getting ready for dinner. I told them about our fitness class and how they should join and what they will benefit from it. All in all, today was a day more of progress to get more people to join our classes and start walking with us.

Total time logged in for this session: 2 Hours
Total Time logged: 2 Hours

Day 6

On my 6th day at Atria I started the day with the usual that I do every Tuesday by first teaching a fitness class. The outlook looked bad mainly because only 1 person showed up but me and the staff members are trying to work together to get more people to go. The only person that showed up was Katherine. Katherine's determination and hard work always impresses me. We exercised our legs, arms, and fingers. We did finger exercises to loosen our fingers and we did arm and leg exercises to build strength and to regulate blood flow in these areas. After the class we walked Katherine, she did amazing like always. But, I met her son in law and he seemed very nice. And before I left I got to meet one of the residents that I will soon be walking Velma. One of her legs is 1 inch taller than the other and she was waiting for her special shoes. Now that they came in she wants to start walking. What I learned about today is that determination will help somebody try to get what they want to achieve.

Total time logged in for this session: 2 Hours
Total Time Logged: 2 hours

Day 5

On my 5th day at the Atria Retirement home I started to walk with a few residents that I haven't really walked with yet. The first person I walked was Marianna. She got sick for a few months and hasn't walked for really long. But, when I walked her I thought she did a fantastic job. Although we had to take a few brakes while we were walking I think she made huge progress just going on her first walk since her sickness. The next resident I walked was Millie. She actually doesn't really have much trouble walking but really has trouble walking without people watching her mainly because ever since her last accident she recovered physically but not mentally. She showed me a great example of mental progress. This is because this was our first time walking her and she seem trust us a lot already. We walked inside the building around 2 times. As we were walking Katherine saw us and seemed to want to walk because of how Millie was doing. And Millie was very encouraging when it came to walking because they both shared the same goal; they wanted to go home. After we walked Millie we walked Katherine. Katherine was so determined to start walking that she walked although lunch has already started. In today's experience was that in order to get back where you want to be you have to get there by becoming physically and mentally better.

Total time logged in for this session: 2 Hours
Total Time Logged: 2 Hours

Day 4

On my fourth day at the Atria I started the day with a 30 minute exercise class. We did a few warmup by doing a few exercises to get ready for the real workout. The main workout was shadow boxing. Although a few residents have more trouble than others I am still amazed and proud of how hard they work and determined they are to do condition. They were really humorous with the whole session like cracking jokes about "if they were going to box each other" or " if I was going to box somebody." An example of what we were doing was throwing a 1 2 punch for a minute which consisted of a jab and a cross. What I loved about the whole thing about it was they just had fun with it. After the exercise class I went to go walk Katherine. She again did an amazing job. But, what really made me proud of her was that she walked without her painkiller and that she worked out in the morning went to our exercise class and still let us walk her. She definitely is one of the most determined residents. After I walked Katherine I went to go see if any of the other residents wanted to walk but failed mainly because they were soon going to serve dinner. So I talked to all of them to make sure we scheduled an appointment for next week. And it seems like we will definitely have more walkers with us. What I definitely did learn about this week was that developing a relationship and trust with people who are determined to get back on the right track is best for both parties and as you get to know these people you find more information about them like their background, story, and how amazing they are as a person.

Time logged in for this session: 2 hours
Total Time Logged: 2 Hours

Day 3

On my third day at the Atria Retirement home was mainly composed of walking the residents and helping them gain their strength but without the help of Kelly or Adalina. When I first got there the first resident I went to go visit was Katherine. As I was walking Katherine I definitely see improvement mainly because her speed of walking doubled. And she made a goal for herself to walk a certain distance which was farther than before. After I walked with Katherine I went to go visit Jean. I felt so thankful that Jean waited for us just to walk with her. We walked outside of the Atria Retirement Center, she really loves the fresh air and the beautiful weather. We walked all the way to the patio where we went to go sit down to relax and take in the good weather. Me and Jean had a good talk. We talked about how the retirement home is, about her life, whats currently going on with my life and my future plans, etc. As we finished I went to bring her to her room because dinner was soon to be served. To finish off the day I went to go check on other residents to see few more residents and had a few talks to get them ready for our exercise class on Tuesday.

Time logged in for this session: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Total Time Logged: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Day 2

It was my second day at the Atria retirement home and I thought it was going to be hectic mainly because i had to learn how to teach a class and learn excerises they will be comfortable with. To start off with I went into the activity room which i was suppose to learn aboout how the excerises because i will soon take the lead of the class and teach them. So in the beggining I am mainly learning from them. The class only had 1 person in it which was weird because Kelly told me that the class usually has 5-8 people. And as the excerises session finished I went to go visit few of the residents and see if they wanted to do any walking. Out of all the residents only Katherine was the available person to be walked. Most of the residents either already went for a walk or just felt lazy. Kelly told me that they were feeling lazy mainly because they all had sundae which got a pretty good laught out of me. But i am really impressed with Katherine on how determined she is to get her walking better. She usually needs a painkiller before she walks which also takes about 30 minutes to kick in but once she took the painkiller she agreed to start walking with me. I felt so happy and thankful that she would take the pain just to walk with me. After she reached the specific walking distance she was trying to get I felt so inspired and proud. After I walked Katherine I learned about the rules of signing in the center and getting a walkie talkie so everybody can communicate. As I waited for my Kelly I went to go communicate with some of the residents. My goal next time is better develop and strengthen the relationship between me and the residents.

Time logged for this session: 2 Hours
Total Time Logged: 2 Hours

Day 1

On my first day at the Atria Retirement home i had a nervous scared feeling of the people i would meet. This woman named Kelly introduced us to the physical therapist of the home which was Adelina. They both took me to meet one of their lovely residents Katherine. The main goal they wanted me to achieve was to learn how to get the residents out of their wheelchair and onto their walker properly and what to do when they are walking. The first thing I learned was to lock the wheelchair. Second was to communicate and try to help them get on the walker by supporting them and giving them instructions to make the task easy as possible. Third is to watch them go for distance they could try to achieve and help them achieve this goal by supporting them with constant talk of motivation and support. And last is to get them back into their wheelchair safely by locking the wheelchair and supporting them. After we helped Katherine I went to get meet a few residents like Bob, Marianna, Millie, Jean, and Velma. A thing noticed from all these residents is that they are all determined. Determined to get their strength and to be able to do things they could do back then. At the end of the day I felt welcomed and good about what I did mainly because my expectations which was they would not like me was totally wrong. They are all very nice welcoming people. My next task is to try to learn on how to lead a workout class for the residents.

Time logged for this session: 2 Hours
Total time logged: 2 Hours