Running head: SERVICE LEARNING

Service Learning Through the Area Agency on Aging

Lindsay R. Vasquez
NURS 450

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Abstract
Through the Service Learning requirements of Ferris State University and the Area Agency on
Aging of Northwest Michigan, I was able to observe how this extremely important organization
contributes to the health and well being of the older community members. While grasping all
their success stories with their clients, there is also room for improvement, mostly driven by
government financing. This activity thoroughly fulfilled some of the BSN program outcomes and
enhanced my personal clinical practice.

SERVICE LEARNING

Service Learning Through the Area Agency on Aging

Clinical experience as an addition to a curriculum is extremely valuable in developing
essential skills and knowledge; everything simply cannot be taught in the classroom format. My
service learning encompassed this belief and motivated me to learn about new areas of nursing
outside of my everyday work experience. As Ferris State University (2015) states, Service
learning is a form of practical experience that enhances learning in all areas of a nursing
program, and the experience of service learning reinforces the moral and civic values inherent in
serving others. My exposure to Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan (AAANM)
afforded me hands-on involvement with nurses that are serving the elderly population in my
community.
There are so many needs of the aging population in this country and Northwest Michigan
is fortunate enough to have this vital resource for seniors and their families. AAANM is a nonprofit organization, funded by the federal and state governments, that coordinates services for the
elderly in our ten county region. The mission of Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan
is to serve and advocate for older persons, adults with disabilities and caregivers by supporting
their independence, dignity and quality of life (Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan,
2010). AAANM enrolls their clients in various programs depending on their level of need. For
example, during my time with the agency they spoke a lot about the Waiver Program, which
funded by Medicaid, does their best to keep seniors in their homes by providing them with the
help they need. Depending on the income and assets of the elderly client, another option was the
Care Management Program. By providing assistance with personal hygiene care, meals,
homemaking, and even private duty nursing their goal is to support that client in their home

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environment. The countless hours and needs of the caregivers are an often forgotten area of
senior care. Caregiver fatigue is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion caused by
providing uninterrupted care for a chronically ill or disabled loved one (Davis, Bullard,
Brothers, & Semich, 2012). AAANM has support for these individuals as well through the
Tailored Caregiver Assessment Program (T-Care).
Throughout my time with the agency, I functioned in a volunteer observatory role
attending various meetings and assessments. My very first day on May 21st, 2014, I followed
Judy RN and Christine MSW to two in-home assessments where they spent extensive time with
the client and their families determining what type of care was needed. This involved a thorough
review of all the clients financial and health information and took two to three hours to
complete. The questions were extensive and the amount of personal information obtained was
exhausting. They routinely used a fifteen-page assessment form that needed to be completed in a
single visit. At the conclusion, the client and the family still had to wait to hear what type of aide
they would be eligible for. On June 13th, 2014, I attended a Consumer Collaborative Meeting in
which recipients of Waiver benefits were offered a forum to express their satisfaction as well as
frustrations with the assistance provided. It was interesting to hear how this organization has
personally affected the lives of senior citizens in our community. January 8th, 2015 was a day full
of meetings including an all-staff meeting, a Care Management meeting, an education committee
meeting, and an Aging and Disability Resource Collaborative (ADRC) outreach meeting. It was
interesting to get a first-hand look at the inner workings of these various programs and observe
the amount of time and effort that it takes to bring these services to the general public. This was
followed by two more in-home assessments on January 12th, 2015 with Kasha RN and Matt

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MSW for an initial enrollment in the Waiver Program and a reassessment for a client already
enrolled. January 14th, 2015 marked my final day with the agency were I observed one last inhome assessment with Lisa RN and Rachael MSW to determine the level of assistance for an
elderly man that suffered a recent broken leg. Every assessment carried a unique set of
circumstances, mainly because of the financial status of each client and their families; the
amount of assets or income of all involved in the clients care impacted what assistance he or she
would receive.
At the start of my clinical experience, I was extremely nave to the amount of resources
available to our elderly population. I have always practiced in the clinical setting, stuck inside
the four walls of a hospital, with very little knowledge of what patients lives were like after
discharge; I did not grasp the mountain of challenges they encountered at home. The resonating
desire of all the clients during this experience was to remain at home as long as they could. The
surprising observation was the amount of time it took to access these resources. The nurses,
social workers, and clients alike expressed frustration over the long waiting periods for initial inhome assessments to take place; often times six months to a year. This was owed to limited funds
and vacant spots available in the Waiver Program; the criterion for enrollment was quite strict.
Some clients would even pass before they received any help. It is known that the U.S. has some
progress to make in the care of the elderly, for instance:
Medicares open-ended entitlement to medical interventions contrasts with the limited
and often inadequate safety-net programs to support personal needs, and this mismatch
complicates development of a coherent and efficient service delivery system. Today, a
physician can order any drug for any Medicare patient at any costbut that physician

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cannot order a substitute caregiver or adequate housing, except perhaps by arranging

nursing home admission (Lynn, 2013).
There is so much support for patients in the hospital but there is a complete lack of support for
in-home services. Some clients attempt to liquidate assets just to get help; pre-burial money, for
example, was one way to hold up to $2,000 in assets because it is considered funds for a funeral;
how depressing is that? Clients who have spent a lifetime working hard and making smart
financial decisions have to rely on stressed family members or are forced to use all they have
earned before gaining access to benefits.
This service learning experience has enhanced my view of the various roles nurses fulfill
in our community, far more than just at the bedside. My expanded understanding of how and
where nursing care can be provided has fulfilled the BSN program outcome of health care
environment stating, Advocate for improving health care across the continuum of health care
environments (Ferris State University, 2011). As AAANM advertises, there primary
responsibility is advocacy for the elderly. The knowledge I have gained about the vast array of
services available to our elderly has fulfilled the outcome of generalist nursing practice which
states, Organize the interdisciplinary care needs of diverse populations across the lifespan
toward achieving the goal of healthy individuals, families, groups, and communities (Ferris
State University, 2011). The assistance they offer aims to improve the health of their clients and
their family members. My time with AAANM has opened my eyes to the issues these
organizations and their clients face now and in the future and they are in desperate need of
support from governing bodies. The care of our elderly in this country can improve and nursing
is at the forefront of advocacy for this dilemma.

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References
Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan. (2010). Welcome. Retrieved from
www.aaanm.org
Davis, C., Bullard, D., Brothers, K., & Semich, B. (2012). Time Out! Recognizing caregiver
fatigue. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!, 10(5), 45-49.
Ferris State University. (2011). BSN Program Outcomes. Retrieved from
http://www.ferris.edu/colleges/alliedhe/nursing/BSN-program-outcomes.htm
Ferris State University. (2015). Service Learning Requirement for the RN to BSN Completion
Program. Retrieved from
http://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/online/documents/Serv_Learn_reqment.pdf
Lynn, J. (2013). Reliable and Sustainable Comprehensive Care for Frail Elderly People. The
Journal of the American Medical Association, 310(18), 1935-1936.