Healthy grandparents a priority for College of Nursing’s health clinic

Enrolled members of the Healthy Grandparents Program participated in a free health clinic spanning March 27-28. Sponsored by Augusta University’s College of Nursing, the clinic provided an opportunity for nursing students to get hands-on experience while supporting the health of those in the program.

Members are grandparents and great-grandparents residing in Columbia or Richmond counties who are raising their grandchildren in parent-absent homes. The program provides a multitude of services, including legal assistance, support groups and scholarships.

Amidst the responsibility of raising grandchildren, it’s easy for grandparents to neglect their own well-being. The clinic emphasizes the importance of individual health when caring for others.

“We know they do a wonderful job of taking care of the children’s needs, but we also know in the process of that, they neglect their own health needs,” said Mike Patton, program manager of HGP.

During the clinic, nursing students taught the grandparents CPR, checked A1C levels and checked EKG rhythms.

“Often the grandparents don’t show enough attention to themselves, and this clinic is to show appreciation for what they do,” said Hannah Hanson, a student enrolled in AU’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. “We are in our community service hours this semester, and my group has partnered with HGP, so we’ve been going to their monthly meetings.”

The clinic served as a comprehensive check-up for many. Family Nurse Practitioner students screened health metrics such as participants’ body weight, blood pressure and waist circumference and asked preventative health screening questions. On-site laboratory work screened participants for total cholesterol, blood sugar and diabetes. The North Augusta Lions Club provided vision tests, as well.

“Many of them have sacrificed so much that they may have an unknown condition that hopefully, we can get ahead of to keep them healthy,” said Pam Cromer, DNP, director of CON’s community engagement. “It’s such an important mission, particularly in the CSRA area, and we are so grateful for the opportunity.”

Other Augusta University colleges and community partners were also in attendance to provide community resource information, HIV screenings, Medicare annual wellness visits and even body mechanics classes.

Zubair Karim, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in the College of Allied Health Sciences, brought his students to coordinate and run an education station at the clinic.

“We have food models and representations of the sugar and fat in drinks. It helps with visualization for the patients,” said first-year graduate student Lindsey Fiore. “We have educational handouts for older adults and can tailor our information for individuals who are diagnosed with conditions like diabetes.”

Oak Street Health, a primary care doctor’s office for Medicare recipients, was represented at the clinic by Kheidee Zamora from its community relations department.

“We focus on preventative health care. The whole goal is to keep our patients happy, healthy and out of the hospital,” Zamora said. “We provide transportation for those who are eligible, provide community resources and host engaging social activities and educational workshops for our patients in the community room.”

“I think it goes a long way when they can come in here and see all these nursing students giving them this personal attention,” Patton said. “We want them to feel appreciated, loved and respected. This is one of the activities we can do throughout the year to accomplish that.”