Students in the first year of the degree course in Nursing, at the School of Health, University of Algarve (UAlg), developed, for about a month, various activities with the elderly population.
The goals included the promotion of active and healthy aging, the prevention of social isolation and health education for the elderly.
The activities were developed under the curricular unit "Clinical Education I: Nursing Fundamentals, Nursing Care for the Elderly", in partnership with the Union of Parishes of Conceição and Estoi, the Union of Parishes of Faro (Sé and São Pedro), the Parish Council of Santa Bárbara de Nexe and Provectus – Association for the Third Age under the guidance of teachers Maria Augusta Ferreira, Maria do Céu Neves, Sara Luz, José Júlio Sardinheiro, Helena José and Eric Lopes.
Each group of students planned and carried out their own project, taking into account the felt needs. Projects were developed such as: Mission (Im)possible: (Re)animate the Community (in Conceição); Intervention Project in the Estoi Community “Aging with quality” (Estoi); Promote health, well-being and quality of life in the elderly population of the Atalaia community (Faro); Join the Movement (Santa Bárbara de Nexe) and Remember, Provectus! (Provectus).
For the students, these initiatives “were moments of great importance”, because “they had the opportunity to learn with the elderly and the opposite also happened”.
Also according to the students, «these activities had great adhesion by the population, which demonstrates the need to promote more initiatives similar to those that take place during this clinical teaching».
In order to publicize the activities carried out, the students organized, last week, this year for the first time, a scientific meeting entitled, "From the University to the Community", with the motto "Health Promotion for the Elderly: Nursing Contributions" , which took place at the Palácio de Estoi.
This meeting was attended by Saúl Neves de Jesus, vice-rector of UAlg, Maria Augusta Ferreira, vice-director of the School of Health of the Algarve and by the Clinical Teaching unit, Sérgio Martins, president of the Parish Council of Santa Bárbara de Nexe, Joaquim Teixeira, president of the Assembly of the Parish Union of Faro, José Milheiras Rodrigues, president of Provectus, and Conceição Farinha, director of the Department of Nursing.
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