February 16, 2010 - Tri-cities seniors get valuable advice from students

A Seniors’ Day held at the Douglas College Centre for Health and Community Partnerships (CHCP) on February 4 was a lot more valuable to a Port Coquitlam resident than she had expected.

Pat Holm had been experiencing blurred vision in her left eye which she initially wrote off as tiredness. However, after a free vision exam, Dispensing Optician students suggested she see her doctor.

“I've had cataract surgery on both eyes and they said this was a consideration.When I arrived home, I made an appointment with the eye surgeon. It could be an overgrowth that needs a laser touch-up. Without that test, who knows how long I’d have let it go before finding out,” says Holm.

Holm was one of 38 community seniors who took part in Seniors’ Day at Douglas College. During the event, students from the Dispensing Optician, Health Care Support Worker and Therapeutic Recreation programs checked participants’ vision, did minor eyeglasses adjustments, cooked, discussed nutrition and home safety and taught them simple exercises.

Students like Parvaneh Ghanbari enjoyed the opportunity to get hands-on experience in the classroom. “It’s good to apply the theory we’ve learned in textbooks,” said Ghanbari, a second-year Dispensing Optician student.

Community seniors also got the opportunity to shatter stereotypes, while giving students valuable hands-on work experience. 

“The people I met today are not what a lot of us picture when we think of seniors. They’re starting a whole new chapter in their lives – they’re not letting age get in their way of enjoying life,” said Huda Nooh, a Health Care Support Worker student at Douglas College. 

“They’re really active and outgoing,” she added as she made soup and sandwiches in a Health Sciences home lab, while three seniors taught Therapeutic Recreation students dance steps. 

Del Holbrook of Coquitlam, who participated along with his wife Angela, said the event helped to “bridge the generation gap.” 

“It allows older people to understand what young people are learning and gets us to stay young. It was fun and very interactive,” said Holbrook. 

The Centre for Health and Community Partnerships acts as a link to connect community groups and agencies with faculty and students in health promotion, service learning and research activities. For more information, visit douglascollege.ca/chcp or contact 604-777-6501. 

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