Psychology Student Intern - Ruby Moore

A Helping Hand

My name is Ruby Moore and I am a psychology major here at Rockhurst University. I decided to do my internship in health care working with the elderly population. I am centering my focus around older adults with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. During my internship, my goal is to provide comfort to these individuals who are affected by this disease. I've learned in training that individuals with Alzheimer's disease are affected because there are tangles within the brain cells that do not allow certain stimuli to be produced. Dementia is associated with Alzheimer's and there are several stages.  I also work with the general elderly population and my goal is to identify the psychological and physiological changes that affects these individuals' moods and behaviors on a daily basis.  I have learned in previous psychology classes some of the typical changes that elderly individuals may experience. For individuals who may not be experiencing problems with dementia, they might be affected psychologically because they have been taking care of themselves all of their lives and now may need someone to step in and help provide care for them.

The typical day for me is providing passionate care for these individuals and assisting them with any of their needs. The most important thing is doing what makes them happy and keeping them satisfied. Building positive relationships with these individuals is also very important in order to build trust and allow me to provide care for them. When working with these individuals, you must be willing to be very patient and have an understanding of their situation. We learned in training that when an individual gets agitated, do not to take it personal because they are not upset with us. When there is a challenge with not being able to calm them down when they are agitated, we give them a little space and return after a few moments. I am enjoying my experience so far as an intern and I am learning more each and every day. I am hoping that I can use the skills I've learned through my internship and apply them to my career as a future Psychologist.