School of Nursing faculty awarded $7,000 grant for student training

October 28, 2020

Georgia Southern University Associate Professor of Nursing Debra Hagerty, DNP, was awarded a grant for $7,100 to support student training in the care of older adults who may have sensory deprivations such as arthritis, visual impairments or gait disturbances. 

Hagerty will use the grant money, which was awarded by the Georgia Health Foundation, to purchase simulation material for use in the School of Nursing’s hospital simulation lab and classroom on the Armstrong Campus.

Sensory deprivation training will allow nursing and health professions students to experience the same physical deficits and mobility difficulties that affect older adults with chronic medical conditions.

“We realize there is no better way to teach empathy and caring than to immerse individuals in similar experiences and situations,” said Hagerty. “Nursing students, as well as other health professions students, will benefit immensely by having the opportunity to experience many of the chronic conditions and deficits that beset aging seniors. I want to demonstrate to students what challenges they may face when caring for baby boomers as they age and conditions like visual impairment, stroke, arthritis or dementia become more prevalent.”

The training will be offered as part of a nursing leadership course, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement student group and incorporated into additional opportunities for other health professionals to learn and collaborate.