We were honored to have the Kentucky State University Nursing Students on our campus last week for a tour. KSU student, Mylah Smith, submitted this wonderful reflection, and it’s too good not to share. Thank you Mylah!

Stewart Home Reflection Paper
There was so much that each and every one of my peers could take away from the tour at the Stewart Home. There is so much that goes into caring for a disabled person, “cognitive and memory impairments can change how a person thinks, acts, and/or feels” (n.d.). Not only were we visually provided with information to teach us about this specific population, our tour guides gave us an enormous amount of information via word of mouth. We had the opportunity to see the different needs of the residents and how the home was able to meet those needs. The individuals who lived at then Stewart Home, did so because of the facility’s unique conditions. Whether there were mental or personal requirements that needed to be met, the home was able to give that. Social and cognitive accommodations are paramount for the promotion of optimal health amongst the disabled population.

Anyone who may experience a delay in the development of social skill deserves a plan of care that ethically pushes the individual towards their full potential. What I personally gathered from the tour was that the home did not intend to hold any of the residents back. Instead, I observed that they brought the realities of society and adjusted it to fit into their life at the Stewart Home. One way in which I felt this was done was through the voting that they had for their mayor. Residents of the home were able to run and campaign for a position, and individuals were then allowed to vote. These are skills that they would have to utilize in a setting outside of the Stewart Home, so its important that they are learning and executing these actions. While allowing the residents to acquire new skills, their comfort levels are also taken into consideration. One of the teachers of the school, who also acted as the head of pre-academics, mentioned that although their cognitive abilities are factored into their classroom placement, their social skills are heavily assessed as well.

Moving on, individuals who experience cognitive disabilities should be provided with tools and sites to cater to their needs. The Stewart Home not only does this on a basic level, but demonstrates it on high levels. For example, there are placement tests that the students take to figure out where they are cognitively. With these tests the teachers are able to gauge where to place the kids academically and provide them with any instruments that could make their learning process easier. The placement tests act as the basic level of meeting the residents cognitive needs. In addition to the tests however, the students are also provided with classrooms that are student led. This gives the students the ability to learn at their own pace and learn what they wish to learn about. We were able to talk to one of the teachers, and she spoke on her teaching process. In our conversation she told us that she may pause her own lesson to cover a specific topic that a student tells her they’re interested in. There are not many schools that will stick to such a student led classroom setting, and it was so inspiring to see how the Stewart Home was able to meet the specialized cognitive needs of their students.

I am deeply grateful for the tour and experience at the Stewart Home because it taught me about a demographic I do not possess a lot of knowledge on. Not only did the experience show me that the social and cognitive accommodations are paramount for the promotion of optimal health amongst the disabled population, is displayed how those accommodations are met at the home. I loved how there were so many activities, and sports that the residents were able to take part in. They could go to school or work a job, and be able to enjoy their life with the necessary accommodations provided at the home.

References
Family Caregiver Alliance. “Caring for Adults with Cognitive and Memory Impairment.” Family Caregiver Alliance, www.caregiver.org/resource/caring-adults-cognitive-and-memory-impairment/.