Great Lakes Home Healthcare and Hospice

As my capstone experience at Great Lakes Home Healthcare and Hospice in Erie, Pennsylvania has come to an end, I feel as though my fellow classmate and I have successfully partnered with both the agency and the surrounding community. The agency was welcoming and offered much guidance and support as Paulina and I identified the major public health issue in the community and began to implement our project to address it.

With ample time spent in Erie, Paulina and I noticed that a large number of residents smoke cigarettes. Knowing that smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, we decided to create a brochure that would increase the community’s knowledge of the health effects of smoking as well as secondhand smoke, and the risks associated with smoking and oxygen therapy. The educational brochure was handed out to 120 patients during a home healthcare visit after the patients completed a twelve-question pre-survey. On the following visit, the patients completed a post-survey consisting of the same twelve questions. Although we have not analyzed all of the results from our project yet, those that we have suggest that overall, the patients' knowledge regarding tobacco use has indeed improved. I was surprised at the number of patients who in fact read our brochure. This makes me very optimistic that with continued use of our brochures, the agency could ultimately reduce this public health priority.

The staff at Great Lakes Home Healthcare and Hospice was so grateful for the opportunity to have Paulina and I at their agency. They speak so highly of Case Western Reserve and Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. The director of the agency told Paulina and I that we truly rise above all other nursing students that have came through their door. It is quite an honor to be thought so highly of and we are very thankful to have been given the opportunity to have our capstone experience at their agency. Paulina and I utilized many of our nursing skills and gained useful knowledge to help us in whatever career path our future may take us. Speaking on behalf of both Paulina and I, we highly recommend continuing to partner with Great Lakes Home Healthcare and Hospice for future capstone experiences.