Austintown Senior Center 2018 Community Nursing Journal

Michael Bryant

Youngstown State University

 The Austintown Senior Center is an excellent resource in our local community, and until

I spent time there for clinical, I had no idea how valuable this facility is to many residents. My

day began with a tour of the massive building. There is a yoga studio, a theater with a projector,

a wine cellar where they brew their own wine, a cycle room with a dozen different cycles, a

dance studio where they also have fencing classes, two large dining areas, a pool table, a cubicle

for knitting, a cubicle for card games and puzzles, a poker table, a computer room with over a

dozen brand new computers, treadmills, a shuffleboard court that can also be converted into a

bowling lane, and a volleyball net where they play “chair volleyball”. I was very surprised to see

how large the facility was. They offered much more than I could have ever imagined, and I was

extremely impressed. At the conclusion of the tour, I went around and introduced myself to

many of the residents. I would get to know them a little bit, and then offer to take their blood

pressure. I took about 15 blood pressure readings. While I was meeting with people and building

strong nurse-patient relationships, I was able to receive a lesson in wood carving, shoot a few

games of pool, and play chair volleyball! I had a ton of fun hanging out with the members, and

I’ve already planned to attend their craft show next weekend so that I can show my grandma how

awesome it is there! I’m hoping that she enjoys the craft show and decides that she would like to

become a member as well!

The objective I’d like to discuss this week is: Demonstrates communication, research,

critical thinking, and teaching skills and reflect these in a weekly summary. I spent almost my

entire time at the Austintown Senior Center communicating with the members. I am a very

personable person, and I am a great listener. Getting to know people is something that is very

easy for me. I also used nursing research by teaching members ways they can improve their

health. One particular example I can think of is when a man whose blood pressure was high
explained to me he was confused by the reading. After I dug a little deeper, I was able to explain

to him that the 3 cups of coffee he drank 20 minutes ago was the likely culprit. Then I gave him

some diet suggestions that would help him maintain a healthier blood pressure. In this particular

example I also used critical thinking (what would cause a high blood pressure reading for this

particular man at this particular time?) and teaching skills by telling him to drink less coffee, eat

less sodium, etc.

The thing that stood out to me the most during my clinical was how beneficial this place

was for many people. Even if you take away all the fun activities, you could tell that the

members weren’t just enjoying the social setting, they depended on it. I was blown away by all

of the things that the Austintown Senior Center had to offer. I was blown away by the fact that I

had no idea our community had this incredible resource. I’ve already recommended the center to

multiple people, including three of my grandparents. I plan on recommending the center to

everyone I meet for as long is the building is standing! More people need to know about how

great the Austintown Senior Center really is!