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Best Friends Bond With The Greatest Generation

Meg Haller, standing left, and Sarah Shia, standing right, visit with Betsy Higgins, left, and Rachael Davis in the lobby of Elmhurst in Wheeling. The West Virginia University sophomores and best friends from Wheeling are spending three days a week this summer interning at the senior living residence.

Two West Virginia University sophomores from Wheeling are creating bonds with members of the Greatest Generation while spending the summer working at Elmhurst, The House of Friendship.

Best friends Sarah Shia and Meg Haller, both graduates of Wheeling Park High  School, spent their Christmas break at Elmhurst as part of placement hours needed for their respective majors. Shia is a nursing student, and Haller was recently accepted into the WVU College of Social Work. They have returned this summer to help plan and lead activities for the residents.

Their experiences during Christmas break had a profound impact on both young women, so much so that Haller changed her focus from children to geriatric social work. Shia already knew she wanted a career as a geriatric nurse, but her time at Elmhurst confirmed that        decision.

Shia’s choice of a career in nursing was made after observing the care her late grandfather received during a hospital stay.

“He once said the care the nurses were giving him made the time he spent in the hospital easier for him,” she said. “That’s when I decided I wanted to be a geriatric nurse. The time I spent at Elmhurst gave me the final push to go into geriatrics.”

Shia had never been to Elmhurst prior to December. When she learned her friend Haller was going to do a placement there, she wanted to join her because she also needed service hours.

Haller was no stranger to Elmhurst; she practically grew up there when her grandmother, Cheryl Jones, served as executive director. She recalls the Easter Egg hunts on the lawn and many other activities she experienced as a child.

It was her grandmother who suggested Elmhurst when she learned that Haller needed placement hours as a requirement for admission to the social work curriculum.

Haller had to write a paper detailing her placement at Elmhurst before being accepted into the college of her major.

After their stint at Elmhurst during Christmas break, they were thrilled when Jamie Crow, Elmhurst executive director, offered them summer jobs.

“Meg and Sarah are terrific. They are rays of sunshine when they are here, and the residents love them. They also have a wonderful work ethic and enthusiasm for everything they do. Elmhurst is lucky to have them with us this summer,” Crow said.

“I loved being here every day,” Haller said of her Christmastime experience, adding that she never felt as though she were doing work during her placement period. When offered the chance to work as an employee at Elmhurst during the summer, she said: “I jumped on it!”

Both young women said they have gotten to do a myriad of activities with the residents and enjoy “brainstorming” ideas for new activities to share over the summer. They scour Pinterest for activities and have logged a lot of them on the residents’ summer calendar.

The two work under the direction of Elmhurst program director Samantha Kestner, who encourages them to think outside the box when they look for activities. Having been given that “level of trust” by the staff made the duo “super excited” to research activities for the residents.

“If we have an idea, no one ever says ‘no.’  They tell us to see how we can make something work,” Haller noted.

Recently, the students accompanied a group of residents and staff to Lowe’s to purchase flowers, herbs and vegetable plants for Elmhurst’s two standing gardens. Shia especially liked learning to plant a garden for the first time and says the residents “gave me a green thumb.” According to Shia, the residents are proud of the garden they planted and frequently comment on the growth of the plants.

Getting to know older adults who range in age from their mid-70s to 98 is an experience the students treasure. Haller enjoys finding a resident alone and engaging him or her in a conversation.

“I like to be one-on-one with a resident to share stories and connect with them. They sometimes ask me questions and then tell me what they did in a similar circumstance,” Haller noted.

She also said she now looks at the elderly differently after having such close contact with the residents.

“Sometimes,” she said, “people look at old people like children, yet they are just like me or you, but people who may need a little extra help. It’s all about communicating, and they have so much wisdom.”

Understanding some of the limitations, physical and mental, that come with aging has been an eye opener for the students. They realize that speaking a little louder and slower is often helpful and that older hands and eyes don’t always work as well as they did decades earlier.

Haller and Shia work three days a week, not only planning activities but also manning the front desk occasionally. They also spend time with the residents outside on the deck that overlooks Wheeling Creek, calling bingo or playing Wii bowling. They also lead weekly exercise classes.

“You know, just creating a relationship with a resident and knowing that you can have a positive effect on them and their quality of life has made me really want to be a part of geriatric nursing,” Shia said. She said she now has a better understanding of how to interact “properly” with older adults.

The students will return to WVU in mid-August. The overwhelming refrain about their summer experience so far from both of the young women is a positive one. The agreed: “We love the residents, and we love Elmhurst.”

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