Elderly Homes


🌐Description organization

In Costa Rica, people usually try to take care of the elderly that can no longer can live by themselves, among close family members. Only when it is not possible, when a very high level of care that is required, when there are no family members around or when people simply don't want to because of negative feelings towards the older person, they turn to an "elderly home"  for care. The Elderly Home in Turrialba is spacious, clean, well organized and equipped although it is highly dependent on government's support and individuals´ donations to keep it functioning well. 

This Institution on average has 72 persons living full time from which 50 are men and 22 women. Also of these 72 persons, appr. 35 are mobile only with their wheelchair. There is one physical therapist that is responsible for half-yearly evaluations of all members and elaborating a yearly individual workplan. Objectives are established and monitored on the physical and cognitive level. For each inhabitant a file is available and althought most information is officially totally confidential, medical information can be shared and if necessary exceptions can also be made.

 

Since alleviating the eldery and improving their quality of life is one of the priorities in this home, investigation, evaluation of risks and constraints, making improvements in the people's surroundings, making individual training schedules & therapies as well as tracking of development and level of quality of life in general including contact with family outside the home are some of the activities that you as an intern can be involved in. There are 4 nurses working at this elderly home with a bachelor degree in nursing. Together with them you can administer medicine and keep track of its use by each inhabitant, woundcare for example of wounds caused by diabetes, general controls like measuring weight, bloodpressure, updating the personal files of inhabitants and sterlize, clean and organize materials. There is a full time physical therapist that also coordinates all the occupational therapies. 

 

🎯Mission

 

📍Location

Turrialba (Costa Rica) 

 

📚Fields of study

  • Physical Therapy
  • Health care & Nursing
  • Social Work

 

🧑‍🏫Supervision

The physical therapist is our main contact and supervisor in Turrialba's Home but if you study nursing, one of the licensed nurses will be your local supervisor. 

 

✅Requirements

  • Spanish level A2 (min)