This blog was initiated following the MGA Roundtable Discussion on Outreach in Elder Housing as a way for the entire MGA Network to share best practices, creative approaches, questions, solutions, and networking opportunities around this issue. Click on the title above to add a comment or to see what others are saying.
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Breaking Down Walls: How Student Teams Are Transforming Elder Housing Communities
Moving healthcare education from campus to community is creating powerful ripples of change
When COVID-19 forced many older adults into isolation, the residents of subsidized housing complexes across Lynn, Salem, and Peabody faced a perfect storm of challenges. Already dealing with limited incomes, chronic health conditions, and social isolation, they suddenly found themselves even more cut off from the world—and from each other.
But what emerged from this crisis was an innovative solution that’s helping to bridge the generational divide.
The Problem We Couldn’t Ignore
Picture this: apartment buildings filled with older adults who rarely leave their units, afraid to interact with neighbors, struggling to manage multiple chronic conditions, and lacking digital and health literacy to effectively communicate with their doctors. Service coordinators at these housing complexes were seeing the same issues repeatedly:
- loneliness and isolation
- Resident conflicts and bullying
- Poor chronic disease management
- High fall risk
- Mental health struggles
- Difficulty navigating healthcare systems
Meanwhile, nursing, occupational therapy, and social work students were learning about interprofessional teamwork in classrooms but had limited opportunities to practice these skills in real community settings.Enter the Healthy Independence Program
What if we could solve both problems at once?
That’s exactly what we did through Salem State University’s Center for Interprofessional Education and Collaboration. We created the Healthy Independence Program (H.I.P.)—a bold experiment that takes student healthcare teams directly into elder housing communities.
Here’s how it works: Teams of nursing, occupational therapy, and social work students, supervised by faculty, spend eight weeks running weekly health promotion and prevention programming at different apartment complexes. Each session had a theme that was developed in collaboration with the needs identified by the residents. Each week’s theme was different but all sessions includes:
- Blood pressure clinics and health screenings
- Medication management education
- Therapeutic exercise programs
- Home safety assessments
- Healthy meals and social interaction
- Targeted programming on themes like “Mental Health through Mindfulness,” “Coping with Conflict,” and “How to Talk to Your Doc”
The Results Speak Volumes
The progress has been remarkable. Among the 43 residents who participated in our exit surveys, three powerful themes emerged:
Feelings of Community: Residents told us that our weekly sessions were often the only time they left their apartments. One participant shared that the program helped them “re-establish friendships” after COVID isolation.
Empowerment Through Education: Many residents said no one had ever asked them about their stress management or conflict resolution strategies. They gained practical coping skills and learned how to better prepare for doctor visits.
Safety and Self-Advocacy: Participants reported feeling safer in their buildings, more comfortable interacting with neighbors, and more confident communicating with healthcare providers.
Service coordinators noticed fewer bullying incidents, increased community engagement, and residents actively requesting more programming.Students Win Too
The 20 students who completed pre- and post-assessments showed statistically significant improvements in their readiness for interprofessional practice, particularly in:
- Collaboration skills
- Understanding of professional roles and responsibilities
- Team functioning abilities
One nursing student reflected: “I never realized how much occupational therapists and social workers could teach me about seeing the whole person, not just their medical condition.”The Sustainability Challenge
Here’s where we need your help and ideas. While the program has proven effective, we’re grappling with crucial questions:
- How do we maintain programming beyond the academic calendar?
- Where can we find sustainable funding for materials, food, and faculty time?
- What other community partners might join this effort?
We envision expanding to include music therapy, health literacy programming, technology classes, nutrition education, and mental health support throughout the year. Salem State has students in all these areas, but limited resources constrain our reach.Thinking Outside the Traditional Box
The traditional model of healthcare education—students learning in hospitals and clinics—isn’t meeting the needs of our aging population or preparing students for community-based practice. We need dynamic partnerships between universities, housing authorities, healthcare systems, and community organizations.
Imagine if local businesses sponsored programming, retired healthcare professionals volunteered as mentors, or technology companies provided digital literacy training. The possibilities are endless when we stop thinking in silos.Join the Conversation
What community outreach programming is happening in your area? What organizations or businesses might be interested in supporting this kind of work?
The Healthy Independence Program proves that when we move learning from campus to community, everyone wins. Students gain real-world interprofessional skills, older adults improve their health and social connections, and communities become stronger and safer.
But we can’t do this alone. Building healthier, more connected communities requires all of us to think creatively about partnerships and sustainable solutions.
What ideas do you have for supporting community-based health programming? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Jeramie Silveira, OTD, is Director for the Center for Interprofessional Education and Collaboration at Salem State University. The Healthy Independence Program was developed in collaboration with Carol Gawrys, DNP, and Brian Curry Krieger, MSN. For more information, contact jsilveira@salemstate.edu.
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