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Senior Activities and Programs

  • Through the MSU Service Learning Center many MSU students become involved in various area senior centers. These include: ALFA Adult Day Care, Whitehills Health Care Center, Burcham Hills Retirement Center, and East Lansing Health Care Center. Students involved in these programs provide a wide variety of voluntary services including: Respite care giving; assisting participants with various arts and crafts, exercise and other recreational activities; weekly visitation; creating and organizing evening activities; assisting dieticians; coordinating, assisting with, and publicizing special holiday events; nursing assistants; mealtime aids; and as pet activity assistants. There were 40-50 students placed in these programs through MSU's Service Learning Center during 2001-2002. In addition, approximately 20 MSU students volunteered as reminicising group leaders at a local center to encourage the residents to talk about the past, their families, past jobs, and good times in the past.
  • "The Pastor's Blend", a male singing ensemble made up of mostly MSU faculty and retired faculty, give several benefit concerts each year at area senior centers and residential facilities. The concerts are designed to give entertainment and spiritual motivation.
  • The Sigma Kappa sorority sponsored a Senior Swirl dance and a Valentine's Day brunch at Burcham Hills Retirement Center. Several of the sorority members also do manicures for the center's residents. Alpha Gamma Rho and Delta Sigma Phi also participated in the "Adopt-a-Senior" program. In addition, during the fall of 2002, the MSU Greek Community hosted Music Fest, a fundraising event at IM West to benefit Burcham Hills. The event raised money by showcasing local bands and will be continued in 2003.
  • MSU students from the Department of Psychology facilitated small group discussions with local seniors as part of the Seniors in Transition class. The discussions centered on how one can learn to accept life changes and move forward in a positive way to have a more enriched life.
    • MSU fraternities often take part in "Make a Difference Day" where local seniors are assisted with yard clean-up.
    • Students from the MSU English Department participated in a Life Reading Project sponsored by the East Lansing Senior's Program. Students joined community members in small reading groups to talk about a selection of reading material taken from the students' courses. The discussions focused on the human issues raised in the readings.
    • MSU's Military Medical Student Association assisted the Lansing VFW in placing flags at the gravesites of military veterans in honor of Memorial Day in May of 2002.
    • A MSU faculty member lead a discussion at the East Lansing Senior's Program on genetically modified foods to give them a better understanding of the social, political, and scientific issues surrounding the production and consumption of such foods. A course on this subject is also offered through the MSU Evening College. Subsequent to this discussion, some EL seniors became part of a focus group for the Department of Resource Development in a study of public perceptions of plant biotechnology and how individuals make decisions about genetically engineered food.
    • Omega Tau Sigma, professional fraternity for the College of Veterinary Medicine, visit residents of White Hills Nursing Home on a weekly basis with their pets. Residents enjoy interacting with the students and their four-legged friends.
    • The docent outreach program at MSU's Kresge Art Museum offers slide presentations to residents of senior centers and retirement homes.