Community Partner : Keswick Multi-Care Center Intern : James Yu Site Supervisor : Jamore Johnson
What is the Keswick Multi-Care Center ? Keswick ’ s mission is to provide compassionate , quality care to the residents and individuals served , along with sensitivity and understanding to family members . Our goal is to provide a complete continuum of long-term term care that encompasses the community / home , adult day care , and nursing care . Keswick is committed to providing quality care through innovative and futuristic approaches to older adults of all races and creeds .
• Managed the social work portion of the new admissions for the rehabilitation hall by conducting admissions interviews
• Reviewed patient health information and medical history to screen for any conditions or medications needing to be brought to the staff ’ s attention
• Ensured quality of life for long term residents by conducting cognitive assessments and mood assessments
• Checked in once or twice per day on every resident on my floor either to just brighten their day by listening to them or to address any needs or concerns they may have
When I first heard that I would be a social work intern at the Keswick Multi-Care Center , I was slightly intimidated . The position is usually filled by students who study social work at a graduate school level and have a very solid foundation going into the internship . Quite to the contrary , I was a biology major who was a complete ingénue in this discipline . When I strolled into Keswick on my first day , I was greeted by some of the friendliest staff I had ever met and my mentor , Jamore , was an incredible teacher who always knew when to instruct me step by step and when to let me take the reins and make my own mistakes .
I started out by simply watching Jamore work while taking notes and frantically trying to commit all my observations to memory . After a week or two , I slowly integrated myself into the social work department , carving out my own niche of managing admissions . As I became more comfortable and more competent at my job , I branched out to help in the long-term care departments as well . I learned very quickly that recovering from a medical procedure is hard enough ; when aging and losing independence factors into the recovery process , the transition becomes exponentially more difficult .
Throughout my stay at Keswick I tried to figure out how I would make an impact and a concrete answer eluded me for most of the summer . I knew I was helping the staff by lightening their workload but otherwise I could not think of anything . When my first batch of residents started to discharge back to their homes , one lady with whom I had formed a close friendship said , “ Thank you so much for all you have done for me . You have been with me through so much .” Very recently , another resident discharged and was in tears as the staff said their goodbyes and gave her hugs . All she could manage through her tears was a quiet , “ Thank you so much .”
I began this internship believing I would make some overarching difference in the facility ’ s policies or something along those lines . However , as my internship comes to a close , I realize it truly was the little things and the small acts of kindness that mattered . The residents simply want company : someone who would listen to their stories and show that they cared enough about them to check on them each day . I have learned more than I ever could have hoped to learn and I look forward to applying these newfound skills wherever I go in the future .
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