My name is Charity Hansen and I am a third year student at the Inner City Social Work campus. I have just completed my first 500 hour practicum at Riverside Lions Estates which was a fantastic experience for me. One of the most positive aspects of doing my practicum there was that I was given the freedom from my supervisors to do many things.
Some of the activities that I arranged for the older adults at Riverside Lions Estates included Senior Idol at the Club Regent Casino, and sharing groups where the residents brought pictures of themselves and their families to show other residents. In addition, my Field Focus course instructor, who was a torchbearer for the 2010 Olympics, brought his torch to Riverside to share with the older adults — it was a big hit!
When I first started my placement here, the other practicum students and I asked the residents if they felt there was something that we could do for them. One of them said that there were two computer labs in the building for them to use, but they had no idea how to operate them. So we started to assist some of the residents with learning how to use this technology. Some of them wanted to learn how to use Facebook; others, email; and still others, to play card games on the computer. In the process of helping to support and assist residents, I was provided with a full and rewarding opportunity for learning from my field instructors and from the people we were serving. For students interested in working with the older adult population, this practicum is for you!
Charity will be entering her second field placement this fall at Manitoba Youth Centre with Field Instructor Chris Sunde.