Ball State University graduate students have revitalized the residents at The Woodlands and Elmcroft of Muncie retirement communities.
The Fishers Institute Outreach Team had its last retirement home session on Friday. The students have taught computer, art and music classes and sponsored dances and exercise sessions this semester.
Joel Mills, The Woodlands activity director, said he is amazed at what has been accomplished.
The students "have opened up a whole new world for the residents," he said. "The computer classes made it possible for the residents to talk to family members who are out-of-state. That's made a huge difference."
Joanna Hutchinson, a resident in The Woodlands, said she had a great time learning computer skills.
"In four or five easy lessons, I learned how to use a mouse, and you know, 'the basics.' Best of all, they showed it to me so I could remember," she said.
Computers are new to most of the patients at The Woodlands. The machines were donated by Life Care Centers of America, the parent company of The Woodlands, Mills said.
"They had some extra computers, so they decided to give them to us," he said.
Mills wanted Internet access for his residents for a long time, and it's good to see them getting the technology and training they need to have it, he said.
Mills said that as baby boomers start to reach retirement age, there is a driving push to make retirement communities more patient-friendly with all the luxuries and amenities of home.
"Initially, there was kind of a lack of thought put into it. The trend now is to make it better, to de-institutionalize the institution," he said.
Shunsuke Tanaka, graduate student, said it's good to help the residents and make use of the things he's learned in his classes.
"In Asian culture, we try to show respect to elderly people," Tanaka said. "It seems like people just want to put them in a corner here. I'd like to see elderly people treated better."
One of the places Tanaka said he attempted to do just that was in the Alzheimer's wing.
"We wanted to stimulate the Alzheimer's patients, so we got them to dance," he said.
Music from Glenn Miller and Louis Armstrong were popular at the dances, but the most popular music by far came from Manhattan Transport, Tanaka said.
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