On January 27, I visited Avante aging home. Prior to entering the building I felt a sense of nervousness inside me. Being in Harrisonburg for the past three years I have learned there are some places that I would not be fully accepted into the environment. However, once I finally got inside I felt a warm sensation flow through my body. Realizing that this is where my profession as a social worker may lead me changed my perspective. The thing that will be initially hard for me though is overcoming the smell of the building, it’s something I must adapt to. As we sat with Ms. Vickie she explained to us how the entire process was going to work and the basic overview of Avante. I was intrigued when she informed us about the small trips they sometimes take with the elderly to the mall. I think I am going to participate and go out with them one day for the experience. Before she concluded the orientation, she gave us a tour of the building. As we were walking through, a friend had touched one of the residents’ hands and the nurse immediately told her to go wash her hands. Watching the nurses interact with the residents who were under the weather was an eye opener for me. Seeing how they tried to keep their distance as best they could while treating them raised thoughts in my head. I had to think outside the box and realize that they were not doing that because of their own sake of getting sick, but because they could possibly make the residents condition worse by giving them something they may have at the time.
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