HARRISBURG â The Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) has joined with Slippery Rock University (SRU) to launch a pilot program to offer students in recreational therapy and behavioral sciences programs real world experience by completing service-learning projects that included interactions with older adults.
The Butler and Mercer County Area Agencies on Aging connected more than 100 seniors with PDA, who coordinated with the university to launch the program during SRUâs 2020 fall semester. The program will continue in the universityâs spring semester.
During the pilot program, students from the Recreational Therapy for Older Adults and Aging and the Older Person classes engaged with seniors typically twice a week either over the phone or virtually if the senior had access to videoconferencing technology. The students earned service-learning hours, gained skills in virtual assessment and implementing interventions while participating in a variety of activities with