Learn to Live Assisted
Living Facility
by
Betty Halle, Tereasa Sanders, and
Raul Ortega
OLIT 561 - The Adult Learner
Instructor: Dr. Kevin Brady
LEARN TO LIVE ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY
Mission Statement:
Our mission is to maintain or improve the quality of life of relatively
independent senior citizens and individuals with disabilities by
addressing their physical, social and mental needs. Our endeavor is
to solve the problems of seniors and disabled individuals who
desire to maintain proper nutrition, stay socially and physically
active, and strive to keep their minds active. We meet their needs
by providing state-of-the-art housing, nutritious meals,
appropriate supervision, and by advocating participation in
recreational, fitness and social activities in a way that promotes
maximum self-determination and independence.
Welcome to
Learn to Live Assisted Living
A place where residents live to learn! Our planning staff would like
to take you on a tour of our elegant living facilities. You will see how
we go about making living here a stimulating learning experience.
First, let us introduce ourselves.
Tereasa Sanders is our fun-loving
enrichment coordinator who is full of
great ideas and energizing activities
for our participating occupants. Her
goal is to inspire our residents to be
life-long learners while creating
wonderful memories of living.
Our chief operations officer
responsible for overall technology
strategy is Raul A. Ortega. He is
very actively involved in
community planning. Raul loves to
socialize and exchange stories with
anyone who will let him and he
will have you in stitches with his
funny jokes.
Greeting everyone with a smile is Betty
Halle, our housing and hospitality
manager. She works hard at making all
of our citizens feel like they are an
integral part of our community of life
that we are building here while
maintaining a comfortable living
environment.
Individuals moving into an
assisted living facility are
involved in a transformational
process. According to
Mezirow, this process can be
triggered by a major life
experience, such as having to
alter an independent lifestyle
towards assisted living.
This new way of life requires individuals to change their frame
of reference by :
(1) critically reflecting on one’s assumptions and beliefs
(2) continuously making and implementing plans that bring
about ways of defining this new way of life.
Transformational learning
WE PRESENT TO YOU
Learning to Live Assisted Living Facility
We will convey how transformation is engaged by individuals who desire
to reside in a facility that focuses on the lifelong process of learning while LIVING.
As teachers, our role is to establish an environment that builds trust and
care and facilitates the development of sensitive relationships among
learners, which is a fundamental principle of fostering transformative
learning (Taylor 1998). Loughlin (1993) talks about the responsibility of
the teacher to create a "community of knowers," individuals who are
united in a shared experience of trying to make meaning of their life
experience“ (Imel, 1998).
ENJOY THIS JOURNEY!
All staff members start the day at 7:00
A.M. meeting in the exercise room. We
all walk on the treadmills while we
conduct our morning meeting to plan
and discuss the programs of the week
for our residents. This is a good time for
us to boost our brainpower just like John
Medina mentioned in his rule #1; we are
able to plan events and activities while
the residents have breakfast in our
elegant dining room. The exercise room
is equipped with flat screen TVs which
are located on the wall opposite to a
row of six treadmills and three
stationery bikes. We will explain the
benefits of this layout later in the
presentation.
Medina’s “rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power.”
Our electronic piano player,
located in the dining area,
plays music twenty minutes
(stimulus) before meal time,
cueing the residents to come
to eat (response).
Behaviorist Theory: “Behaviorists believe that our
responses to environmental stimuli shapes our
behaviors.” (Cherry, 2012)
The dining room provides an
elegant banqueting
experience with beautiful
surroundings that encourage
socializing in the room full of
square tables decorated with
colorful candle arrangements
with appetizing colors of reds,
yellows and oranges.
Medina’s “rule #10 Vision trumps all other senses.”
The fireplace with its ornate
mantel displays imitation logs
and flickering flames to
provide a serene, calming
effect for the diners. Atop the
mantel is an enormous
painting of the Sandia
Mountains at sunset with its
invigorating colors to further
enhance the appetite. The
entire dining experience is
extremely inviting.
Medina’s “rule #10 Vision trumps all other senses.”
We know that a well-balanced cuisine is one
of the most important factors for healthy
living. Everything, from entrees to desserts, is
made by professionally trained chefs fresh
from scratch; options are available for
residents who prefer something different.
Beyond being a delight for the palate, each
meal is carefully planned by experienced
nutritionists to meet the needs of a senior
living population to help ensure that our
residents live longer, healthier lives. The
menus are robust and varied (featuring many
regional favorites) and, quite simply, delicious.
Residents are encouraged to share their
favorites as well!
(“Diet can influence cognition and behavior…insufficient intake of
particular nutrients.”) (Lahey & Rosen, 2002)
Our game room incorporates games associated with
Gardner’s approaches to multiple intelligences. We like
to serve freshly baked cookies* in the afternoon to draw
the residents into the room. Various games correspond
to Gardner’s multiple intelligences such as the following:
o Musical and Kinesthetic - Guitar Hero computer game
o Musical and Interpersonal – Karaoke
o Bodily – Kinesthetic – Bowling computer game
Bowling
Karaoke
(Armstrong, 2012)
* John Medina’s “rule #9 – Stimulate more of the senses.”
Guitar Hero
Continued…
o Spatial – putting together jigsaw puzzles
o Logical – Mathematical – Chess and Pool
o Linguistic – Scrabble – Learn a Language by Rosetta
Stone
All Multiple Intelligences are integrated in various brain games:
luminosity.com and fitbrains.com
(Armstrong, 2012)
Continued…
We encourage the residents to
use our exercise room equipped
with treadmills and stationary
bikes to increase blood
circulation throughout the body
and to reduce stress. This
coincides with Medina’s rules
stated below.
Medina’s “rule # 1: Exercise boosts brain power.”
Medina’s “rule # Stressed brains don’t learn the same way.”
Remaining physically and mentally active
may be one secret to successful aging .
“Exercise has been universally beneficial.
When people exercise their body they
increase brain factors that make the
nerve cells in their brain healthier. They
increase the number of new nerve cells
that are being generated,” says Dr.
Michael Raab, a geriatrician with Lee
Memorial Health System.
“Doing…puzzles, card games…even
playing computer games are things that
you can get better at…coupling that with
exercise keeps your brain healthier
longer…” (Lee Memorial Health System,
2012).
Medina’s “rule # 1: Exercise boosts brain power.”
Medina’s “rule # Stressed brains don’t learn the same way.”
Your brain – Use It or Lose It
When it comes to boosting your brain,
certain exercises work well for seniors.
Tai Chi is one that doesn’t put mind over
muscle.
One is taught alignment, balance, a
tremendous amount of focus,” says Lee
Memorial Health System Tai Chi
instructor Marc Rowe.
People who practice Tai Chi believe it
blends the best of both worlds.
“The exercise should also include
movement, complexity, and memory,
which tai chi does,” says Rowe.
Staying fit for life - it’s helping seniors
live better, longer.
“That’s what makes 60 the new 40, or 80
the new 60,” says Dr. Raab
(Lee Memorial Health System, 2012).
Your brain – Use It or Lose It
These seniors are enjoying Tai Chi on the mounted
TV screens during the absence of the instructor.
Medina’s “rule # 1: Exercise boosts brain power.”
Medina’s “rule # Stressed brains don’t learn the same way.”
This is our library, an extension of our social
media room, where the Brainy Book Club
members meet. Here members choose a book of
a specific topic that interests them. Most books
are offered on tape as well as Kindles. If a movie
has been made from the book, then that too is
offered. These resources will provide a variety of
learning tools (Knowles, 1975). The Book Club
members always enjoy their discussions after
completing their reading. Because of this event,
participants learn from each other as well as
from the content (social learning theory). (Smith,
2002, 2008)
“Knowles…argues…that…proactive learners
learn more things, and learn better…reactive
learners.” (Knowles, 1975)
Social Learning Theory
John Medina’s “rule #3: Every brain is wired differently.”
This is our social media room which is
used for book club, story telling, movie
Mondays – popcorn is served during
these activities, which applies in John
Medina’s “rule #9 – Stimulate more of
the senses.”
o Naturalistic – National Geographic
Magazines and Videos (available for
checkout)
o Intrapersonal – Journal writing is a
choice to responding to the chosen
book from book club.
o Interpersonal – discussion of thoughts
and feelings about the chosen book. )
(Smith, 2002, 2008))
(Armstrong, 2012)
• John Medina’s “rule #9 – Stimulate more of the senses.”
• Gardner’s approach to multiple intelligences.
Contemporary Brain Theory
Almost all of our residents love to
participate in storytelling. They learn so
much from the experiences of others
while enjoying a good time; storytelling
time emphasizes the importance of
observing and modeling behaviors,
attitudes, and emotional reactions of
others (Culatta, 2012). The emotional
impact of the stories told promotes
learning amongst those who are
listening, as explained by Contemporary
Brain Theorist, Albert Bandura.
Contemporary Brain Theory
Social Learning Theory
Computers located inside the library
offer residents the options of surfing
the net or partaking in an
instructional course, [allowing self
directed learning (Knowles, 1984)
and intra-personal intelligence
(Gardner’s multiple intelligences)].
“Motivation to learn: As a person matures the motivation to learn is
internal” (Knowles, 1984).
John Medina’s “rule #3: Every brain is wired differently.”
SSSS – Seniors Serving Seniors and
Society Program (Humanism)
One of our most innovative programs offered
to our residents is Seniors Serving Seniors and
Society. SSSS gives our Senior residents the
opportunity to engage in causes they feel
passionate about – helping children learn to
read, working with the homeless, collecting
food donations for local food banks, or
supporting our troops. This program allows
its participants to express their intrinsic
values leading to a life of meaning and
purpose as interpreted by Rogers and
Maslow’s notion of humanism.
Humanism
Enter through the doors of our
Dance Hall
One of our more popular activities is dancing. The dance hall is
a busy place every Thursday evening from 7 PM until 9PM.
Almost all of our sixty residents participate in some way – either
by directly participating or by observing. We have asked our
residents what dances they prefer in a survey we conducted.
Most have said some ballroom dances like the quick-step, waltz,
cha cha, or mambo. Some prefer country western dances like
the two-step or country swing. We like to mix it up so as to
keep the brain fired up to learn the old and the new. To gain
attention, we have an experienced dancing couple to first
introduce everyone on how to do each type of dance.
Gagne’s cognitive theory : Conditions of Learning – gain attention and Stimulate recall of prior
knowledge (Richey, 2012)
Contemporary brain theory: John Medina rule #4 - attention
Enter through the doors of our
Dance Hall
We use many mental and physical strategies, some more
effectively than others, to learn new skills. We learn a dance
step when someone describes it to us, but we learn better by
“doing” them as we observe and imitate. However, research
has shed some light on the brain’s action observation network
(AON), which fires up both when we perform an action and
when we watch someone else perform it. Research has
yielded evidence that the brain has a shared network for
observing and doing.
Contemporary brain theory: Scott T. Grafton, M.D., 2009
Conclusion: Lesson Learned
There are different approaches to learning/teaching andragogy opposed to pedagogy.
o People’s brains are larger today than they were many years ago.
o Stress has a negative effect on learning..
o Emotions affect the brain’s ability to process information.
o Adults use self-directed learning to pursue their interests.
o Transformational Learning is about fundamental change, but not all learning leads to
this kind of change. Transformational Learning can lead to significant social and
personal change.
o Humans learn from each other.
o IQ does not guarantee success in the workplace.
o Everybody has all of the multiple intelligences; however, some of the intelligences
come out stronger than others. We are all unique.
o As we mature, we acquire more experience, which becomes a resource for our
learning.
o Humans cannot multitask.
References
Cherry, K. (2012). About.com Psychology. Retrieved December 8, 2012, from
Introduction to Classical Conditioning:
http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/a/classcond.htm
Culatta, R. (2012). Instructional Design. Retrieved December 8, 2012, from Social
Learning Theory (A. Bandura):
http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/social-learning.html
Grafton, S. T. (2009, October 5). What Can Dance Teach Us about Learning?
Retrieved December 6, 2012, from The Dana Foundation:
http://www.dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=23500
Imel, S. (1998). Transformative Learning in Adulthood. ERIC Digest no. 200, no. 200.
References
Knowles, M. (1984). Andragogy in Action. Applying modern principles of adult
education. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. A collection of chapters examining
different aspects of Knowles' formulation.
Lahey, M., & Rosen, S. (2002). Dietary Factors Affecting Learning and Behavior.
Retrieved December 6, 2012, from Childrens Disabilities:
http://www.childrensdisabilities.info/allergies/dietlearningbehavior1.html
Loughlin, K. A. Womens Perceptions of Transformative Learning Experiences within
Consciousness-Raising. (1993) San Francisco, CA: Mellen Research
University Press.
Medina, J. (2009). The 12 Brain Rules Illustrated. Retrieved December 6, 2012, from
Brain Rules: http://www.brainrules.net/the-rules
References
Richey, R. C. (2012, January 12). Conditions of Learning. Retrieved August 31, 2012,
from learning_theories_conditions_of_learning: http://teorijeucenja.zesoi.fer.hr/doku.php?id=learning_theories:conditions_of_learning
Smith, M. (2002, 2008). infed.org. Retrieved December 8, 2012, from Howard Gardner,
Multiple Intelligences and Education:
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm
System, L. M. (2012, July). Your Brain - Use it or Lose it. Retrieved December 9, 2012,
from Memorial.org: http://leememorial.org/healthmatters/
Taylor, Edward W. The Theory and Practice of Transformative Learning: A Critical
Review. 1998, Information Series no. 374. Columbus: ERIC Clearinghouse on
Adult, Career, and Vocational Education, Center on Education and Training for
Employment, College of Education, the Ohio State University,.