Impact of Service Learning Programs on Undergraduate Students Working With Older Adults in Long-Term Care Settings
Mentor 1
Sabine Heuer
Location
Union 344
Start Date
27-4-2018 12:00 PM
Description
Almost 1.4 million older adults reside in long-term care (LTC) settings where speech-language pathologists (SLPs) serve this fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. Future SLPs are often unprepared in their programs to serve people with dementia (PWD). To help solve this issue, Mahendra et al. (2013) reported the implementation of an Awareness-Application-Advocacy (AAA) service-learning model for graduate SLP students to evaluate service learning's impact on student knowledge of dementia.
The goal of this study is to deduce if service learning in LTCs changed undergraduate students’ attitudes toward PWD, while also determining if themes from students’ reflective journal entries reflect the AAA framework. Twenty-four UG students participated in service learning for one semester. Students received training in TimeSlips in order to engage LTC residents in improvised storytelling. Students completed pre- and post- assessments on the Dementia Knowledge and Attitudes Ratings Scale (DAS) and completed five reflective journal entries. These outcomes were analyzed to determine if there were any changes in students’ attitudes and awareness towards PWD in response to the service learning. DAS results revealed a significant positive change in attitude. In addition, the journal analysis indicated that students benefited from service learning, felt more competent, and exhibited a more positive attitude toward PWD.
Impact of Service Learning Programs on Undergraduate Students Working With Older Adults in Long-Term Care Settings
Union 344
Almost 1.4 million older adults reside in long-term care (LTC) settings where speech-language pathologists (SLPs) serve this fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. Future SLPs are often unprepared in their programs to serve people with dementia (PWD). To help solve this issue, Mahendra et al. (2013) reported the implementation of an Awareness-Application-Advocacy (AAA) service-learning model for graduate SLP students to evaluate service learning's impact on student knowledge of dementia.
The goal of this study is to deduce if service learning in LTCs changed undergraduate students’ attitudes toward PWD, while also determining if themes from students’ reflective journal entries reflect the AAA framework. Twenty-four UG students participated in service learning for one semester. Students received training in TimeSlips in order to engage LTC residents in improvised storytelling. Students completed pre- and post- assessments on the Dementia Knowledge and Attitudes Ratings Scale (DAS) and completed five reflective journal entries. These outcomes were analyzed to determine if there were any changes in students’ attitudes and awareness towards PWD in response to the service learning. DAS results revealed a significant positive change in attitude. In addition, the journal analysis indicated that students benefited from service learning, felt more competent, and exhibited a more positive attitude toward PWD.
