Assessing Impact of Service-Learning Project on Older, Isolated Adults in Rural America

Abstract

With help from a grant from the Corporation for National Service, service learning was infused into four classes of a graduate gerontology course, Aging Well. Thirty-one students were paired with 31 older adults for a period of up to twenty hours. The impact on the emotional and social wellness of the older adults was assessed through student journals, electronic e-mail reflection, and the administration of a survey to older adults. Analysis indicated that the service provided to the older adults had a positive impact on their emotional and social wellness.