Community Corner
Seniors Help Health Care Students Understand Realities of Aging
Leisure Care's Renaissance on Peachtree in Buckhead partners with Emory University to mentor health care students.
Renaissance on Peachtree, a Leisure Care senior living community in Buckhead, has partnered with Emory University to support their Senior Mentorship Program.
First year medical, nursing, physician assistant and physical therapy students are coupled with senior mentors for one academic year to help promote a positive attitude toward older adults and enhance the psychosocial aspects of geriatric care.
More than 10,000 people will turn 65 years old today and about 10,000 more will cross that threshold every day for the next 15 years, according to the Pew Research Center. As a result of this fast growing demographic, healthcare providers will be working with an increasing number of older adults in their selected disciplines.
The Senior Mentorship Program not only allows students the opportunity to see seniors as individuals, it also offers them a more comprehensive understanding of seniors’ varying medical needs and complex challenges.
“The program allows students to get to know these seniors as people, not just patients," Jessica Wilson, program coordinator for the Emory Senior Mentor Program, said in a release. "When they become medical professionals, they will remember these mentors and be more empathetic to every day challenges for seniors, such as what it takes to get to a doctor’s office. They will also witness firsthand how healthy and active seniors can be.”
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The program seeks active, healthy aging community members to partner with the students. They meet monthly to discuss a variety of provided topics ranging from “bucket lists” to values.
“I thoroughly enjoy the program and cherish the time I spend with my mentee,” said LaFern Bower, an 89 year-old resident at Renaissance on Peachtree and mentor in the program for an Emory physician assistant student. “She was amazed at how healthy an 89 year old could be and was surprised by my ability to use email.”
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Bower has enjoyed the program so much that she has already signed up again for next year.
“It has definitely changed my perceptions of how active elderly people can be,” said Patrick Kreuger, Emory nursing student. “If you are going to care for people, it helps to have some insight into their lives and how they live. This has been a great opportunity to really get to know someone, the challenges they face as well as their strengths.”
The partnership between Emory and Renaissance on Peachtree began in 2013 and has proven to be a beneficial relationship for both the school and the retirement community. In addition to the mentorship program, the Renaissance on Peachtree also offers their facilities for Emory Continuing Education’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) program to host continuing education classes for students ages 50 and older.
The alliance is a great resource for the university and allows the Renaissance to showcase their cutting-edge facilities and innovative approach to retirement. Class topics are suggested by seniors and have ranged from the civil war to ballroom dancing to improvisational acting.
About Renaissance on Peachtree
Located in the heart of Buckhead, one mile northeast of Atlanta’s Lenox Square, Renaissance on Peachtree is a luxury independent and assisted living premier community for seniors, ages 62 and up. The amenity-rich highrise building offers studio, one and two bedroom apartments with an extensive list of on-site extras including a movie theater, gym, travel agent, spa and salon, private function space, media center, weekly housekeeping and linen service, transportation, concierge services and a full calendar of activities. Renaissance on Peachtree is managed by Leisure Care, a leading management agency with more than 35 years of experience in the senior living market. To learn more about our commitments or for a guided, personal tour and lunch, contact 404-237-2323 or visit www.renaissanceonpeachtree.com.
About Emory University Senior Mentor Program
The Emory Senior Mentor Program pairs first-year Emory students in medicine, nursing, physician’s assistant, and physical therapy programs with an older person in the community. The program gives mentors the opportunity to contribute to the education of future health care professionals and gives students a new perspective on aging, by exposing them to lives of older adults who are living in the community. Unlike the patients they encounter in clinical rotations, these seniors have a full and busy life outside the health care setting. The experiences the students have with them will give them an appreciation of its many facets.
About Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Emory
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Emory is an educational adventure – the quality of both instruction and group participation creates an engaging intellectual and social experience. A $125 quarterly membership fee entitles students to enroll in up to four OLLI classes; participants may also select any single class for $69 *additional fees may apply. Classes are open to ages 50 and above. For details, visit:
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