My Misericordia Experience

Misericordia, Heart of Mercy

Juan Barriga

UNIV 390

April 25, 2014

The Beginning

• Before working with the residents, I had mixed feelings

- Nervousness

- Fear of doing poorly at my internship

- Anxiety

- Fear of not knowing what to expect

During the Middle of My Internship

• I began to:

- Observe instructors and see how they interacted with the residents

- I was more of a follower than a leader

- Developed a close relationship with the residents

- Brought enthusiasm and engaged residents in art/creative writing activities

Projects (St. Patrick’s Day)

Misericordia’s “Community Believers”

1. Quality of Life

2. Connection

3. Spirituality

4. Responsibility

Our “Big Project”

Spring Projects (Creative Writing)

Spring Projects (Art)

What I Learned

• I learned the importance of being empathic

• I learned the importance of putting others before myself

• I, too, valued the four values of being a community believer

• I learned that these residents are no different from any of us

- They should all deserve the same dignity and respect just as anyone else

• Even by caring and keeping residents company, it can make that much of an impact on their lives

• I learned the importance of collaborative learning

• I learned the importance of community building with staff, residents, etc.

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” - Ernest

Hemingway

Thanks for the Memories, Misericordia!