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 Peniel Tovar
Ever since I began my career course towards nursing I have found that I am very fond of the elderly. My compassion towards the elderly started when I worked as an SNA (student nursing assistant) while I was training to become a CNA at the Clark County Skills Center while I was in the Applied Medical Sciences program. I had the amazing opportunity to get my training done at a skilled nursing facility near my high school. While working as an SNA I learned how to humble myself to help those in need and to have more respect for the elderly. Each time I see an elderly person, whether I am at school or at the grocery store, I offer my help when they drop something or need to pick something up. I know what I want to do with my career, and I want to help the elderly.
While most jobs help to improve the quality of life for the elderly through indirect means, such as providing electricity or creating organizations, I plan to help the elderly in my community face-to-face and as directly as possible. I have many goals in my life and ultimately I want to open a nursing home for the elderly to provide private, physical and emotional care. Whenever I hear a story about an elderly person being abused or neglected it just breaks my heart. The elderly are seen as a burden in this society that need to be dumped wherever possible, but I feel that I have a personal responsibility for the elderly in my community. I want to pursue my bachelors in nursing, and after I finish my degree and I want to work in a hospital for a decade to gain some experience. After my degree and experience, I will join forces with my friend and we want to open a private nursing home together to provide great care for the elderly in my community.
I want to open a home that provides genuine care to the elderly, but I also want to make it fun for them. For those who want to go to church we will have a bus to give them a ride every Sunday morning. We will have a fun event every Saturday in which exercise will be incorporated to promote strong muscles and healthy bones. I will try my best to provide reasonable prices so that family members can afford the care and I would make sure that money is used to improve the care for the clients. Technology is increasing rapidly so I want to incorporate that into our care to provide professional and modern care to ensure optimal health.
My ultimate goal in life is to open a nursing home in which the elderly in my community can receive professional care without abuse, neglect, and without fear or depression. I want to provide an encouraging environment in which my clients can grow healthy both physically and mentally. My dream starts with my degree. My first step is to get my nursing degree to learn the basics of healthcare so that I can care for my clients professionally. Every single class that I take will help me to gain knowledge to provide professional care to the elderly in my community.
About Peniel
Peniel is currently a sophomore at Clark College.
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