About the SeniorAdvisor.com 2014 In-Home Innovation Scholarship: We started the scholarship program to bring awareness of the unique benefits and challenges of in-home caregiving for seniors to younger generations. The questions posed by the scholarship encouraged our nation’s future caregivers to present solutions for improving home care in the United States. College-aged students were required to answer one of the three essay topics below and provide a short bio as part of their scholarship application. Read the winning essays here.

How can your major of study improve the lives of seniors receiving in-home care services?

Essay response by Emily Sutherland, Chapman University

After a Google search on “in-home care services,” I can define home care as a serviced that assists those in need to continue living and celebrating life from the comfort of their own home. Home care is a model of care that includes both professional and informal support networks that include family, neighbors, and friends. On the topic of how my major of study improving the lives of seniors receiving in-home care services, Strategic and Corporate Communications would be a huge asset to this issue. As a communications specialist, I would be able to be the voice of this dispute. I would be able to strategize new ideas for improvements, brainstorm with other members of my team, and effectively communicate the ideas and findings to the world.

Improvement to the in-home care service for seniors starts with an idea. Then the idea grows, people brainstorm, people win some and loose some, and maybe only a minor change can be made. On either note, the ability to communicate with the world effectively is the key to success. There is always need for excellent communicators in the world that will shed light on a once dim subject.

Chapman’s website states that majoring in Strategic and Corporate Communications “emphasizes communication theory and practice associated with the advancement of an organization’s mission, services, and vision through persuasive messaging in the broad organizational context, by exploring the purposeful use of communication.” In-home care is a service and if someone complains to a company, someone needs to be able to successfully communicate between clients as well as employees often to discuss current issues and complaints to be able to overcome and even avoid conflict. Chapman’s goal for Strategic and Corporate Communications majors is to educate students so they know how to create active, interested knowledgeable audiences out of latent audiences, so that organizational goals can be reached.”

When it comes to improvement, a person must be very professional when it comes to discussing controversial subjects. As a strategic and corporate communications major, students will learn and practice professional communication. This student will learn how to use persuasive messaging, ethical and practical imperatives of the truth telling, as well as conduct accurate audience analyses.

Some of the improvements needed to in-home care services include better communication between patient and nurse as well as better communication between guardian and nurse. An in-home care nurse who cooks as well as puts my grandfather to bed is currently assisting my grandfather every day. The nurse communicates with my aunt once or twice a week to check on pill as well as dinner and lunch schedules. Strategizing a way to communicate with my grandfather is a completely different level. My grandfather would try to get his way through manipulation but the nurse has learned how to communicate successfully to the point that she wins every conversation and my grandfather follows her instruction.

Altogether, I believe that  my Strategic and Corporate Communications major will greatly benefit the In-home care services worldwide and improve the lives of the seniors.

About Emily

Emily is transferring to Chapman University for the spring 2015 semester as a Strategic and Corporate Communications major.