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I observed adults of all ages at the Easter Seals program. Most of my day was spent
in the older adult daycare, but I did also spent a little bit of time observing the adults
down the hall experiencing developmental disabilities. Throughout the day, I fed patients,
observed their daily routines, and interviewed the two nurses working. The daily routine
consisted of adults arriving in the morning followed by some games, arts and crafts, lunch,
bingo, and then they began getting picked up by their loved ones. In the morning, the
more capable adults read the newspaper, did crosswords, and watched the news. We then
made Christmas tree ornaments that will be donated to the Christmas tree at Mill Creek
Park.
Course objective: “Examines health related issues that impact the individual client
and his family and reflect in weekly summary/journal.” What comes to mind to me when
reading this course objective are the patients that can and have been mistreated, neglected,
or abused at home. Similar to adults who work in a daycare or preschool that are
observant for the potential signs of child abuse, the nurses and nurses’ aids at Easter Seals
are observant for signs of adult neglect and abuse. When interviewing the nurses and
asking them questions about their jobs, they told me of several patients that came to the
daycare from homes that there unfit for living. In one instance, an adult was physically
abused evidenced by bruising and remnants of the hay he slept on in his uncle’s basement.
Another adult was in a similar situation who was physically abused and sleeping on the
concrete floor in his relative’s basement. What I thought was most noteworthy about these
scenarios is that the first adult felt comfortable enough to come to one of the nurses and
DANIEL LIPTAK, EASTER SEALS JOURNAL NOVEMBER 7, 2017 !2
talk to them about their home life. The nurse then consulted adult services, and it had
appeared that they were consulted previously as well. After another try or two, the adult
was finally removed from the home and placed elsewhere. Such a case is exemplary of
just how important it is to be open to each and every patient one comes in contact with, so
that they feel comfortable and able to talk privately when there are problems at home such
as this.
It is helpful knowing that there are community resources such as Easter Seals
around for adults who can not and should not be left home alone. Although I have no
intentions of staying in the Youngstown area after graduation, I think it will prove to have
been helpful having experienced this clinical. When I relocate, I will now know to look
for programs such as Easter Seals among the other programs we have experienced in
community clinical. In hindsight, something like this would have been very helpful for my