Jamie StoskopfThree 黑洞社区 students in the College of Health Professions (CHP) have been awarded the first fellowships through the new Legend Fellows Program with Legend Senior Living. The students will be working on projects that address challenges facing the senior care industry.
Based on criteria established in conjunction with Legend Senior Living, the College of Health Professions selected outstanding nursing and aging studies students who demonstrated a passion for the aging profession and community service. Recipients were also selected based on their experience in the areas of aging and fall prevention. The students are Ashley Schalk, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with specialization in adult gerontology; Whitney Lindeman, Master of Arts in Aging Studies with concentration in social sciences; and Logan Vincent, Master of Arts in Aging Studies with concentrations in public health and administration.
Legend Senior Living鈥檚 gift of $75,000 created the Legend Fellows Program for Wichita State, aimed at supporting students in the CHP who have an interest in health-related issues affecting senior adults. The students will work to improve the lives of the aging population through strategies such as preventing falls, reducing hospital admissions and helping health care workers avoid job burnout.
鈥満诙瓷缜� has a tremendous track record for graduating high-quality individuals,鈥� said Tim Buchanan, founder and CEO of Legend Senior Living. 鈥淲e want to support that because we know how substantial the need is for highly skilled people throughout our industry.鈥�
The students say one of their first projects is to understand fall-related hospital admissions. They will also work with staff at both Legend Senior Living and The Regent to implement a resident-focused fall prevention program developed by an interprofessional research team comprised of Wichita State faculty and community partners. The students also plan to implement an ankle strength training program to improve balance and prevent falls. The goal of these programs is to help residents stay as independent and active as possible.
The fellowships will begin in spring 2017. Other departments within the CHP may be included in the future.