Health Occupation Update

Tessa Hobbs-Curly from Illinois extension delivers a presentation to the Health Occupation students about how it feels to become elderly or have chronic diseases, such as arthritis, vision impairment, or hearing impairment.  The students wear amber colored glasses and try to accomplish task while having their first two fingers taped together while their hands are inserted into gloves that are too big.  While wearing the glasses and gloves, the students have to open a pill bottle and take out a certain colored pill (hard to distinguish the color of pills with the amber color glasses on).  The students also have to try and make exact change.  The students have to look up a phone number in a phone book with the glasses on and gloves.  It is hard for the students to differentiate between yellow and white pages.  One goal of this presentation is for the students to learn to be empathetic and not sympathetic to residents or patients.  A second goal of this presentation is to give the students an real-world simulation of what it feels like to become elderly, have a hearing impairment, or having a vision impairment.

The Health Occupation students have been learning about the different type of abuses, resident rights, making a bed, transferring a resident, lifting a resident, moving a resident, and the Integumentary system.  On 2/18, the students completed their fingerprint background checks at KCCDD to be able to complete the clinical portion of the class.  Illinois Department of Public Health requires nursing assistant to students to have a fingerprint background check completed before beginning the clinical rotation.  
 

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