Tiffany Anderson and Katie Potter, from Sacred Heart University’s College of Nursing, completed their six-week Public Health Clinical internships at Bridges® by EPOCH, where they received hands-on experience in specialized dementia care.
As a criterion of the Bridges® internship program, the students took the Virtual Dementia Tour®, a powerful simulation experience diminished their senses and dexterity and altered their perceptions – much like dementia would.
“The Virtual Dementia Tour was overwhelming yet incredibly insightful,” Katie said. “It gave us a much better perspective of the obstacles people with dementia face just doing everyday tasks. Stepping into their shoes for fifteen minutes immediately made me a more understanding and compassionate caregiver.”
Katie and Tiffany agree that Bridges® by EPOCH’s Student Nurse Intern Program gave them an excellent foundation for working with older adults, and they are grateful to have valuable lessons in person-centered dementia care to take into their careers.
“This whole experience has been nothing but great,” said Tiffany. “Our Public Health Clinicals are usually conducted in hospitals where we don’t have much time to really get to know those who pass through our care. At Bridges®, we were fully immersed in the daily lives and care of each resident. Getting to know their life stories and about who they were before they came to Bridges taught us how to treat the person, not just their symptoms, which we learned is vital to effective dementia care.”
“Because of my experience at Bridges,” added Katie, “I feel much more confident in my ability to recognize the signs of dementia and to provide compassionate, quality care for people who have the disease, especially in a hospital setting where specialized memory care isn’t always feasible. The communication skills and approaches I learned at Bridges will help me make their experiences more comfortable and less stressful.”
Trish Kopf, Bridges® by EPOCH at Trumbull’s Wellness Director and head of the Student Nurse Intern Program, said Tiffany and Katie were tremendous assets to the community, as well, and that the residents enjoyed the youthful energy the interns brought to their daily lives.
And the intergenerational perks went both ways. One of the interns’ favorite moments was when a resident brought them cookies – and plenty of them. “She was wonderful,” the interns recalled with affection. “She treated us like her granddaughters!”
“Actually,” Tiffany noted, “the sense of family is very strong at Bridges. The entire team is kind, invested in residents’ happiness, and goes out of the way to make Bridges a real home that includes residents’ families. I think that’s what families love most. I saw what sometimes started as uneasy, emotional transitions quickly turn into peace of mind and reassurance that the families did the right thing. I appreciate that this internship also taught me how to better understand what my future patients’ families might be going through, too.”