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A Review of My Internship as a Social Worker at "Daycare"
1. The internship was held at the Chimejeon Dim (Busan Daycare) Day and Night Care Center, located at 137 Gobun-ro, Yeonje-gu, Busan.
2. I selected a suitable internship location by contacting nearby nursing homes and day care centers in order.
3. Specific internship tasks (work experienced during the internship, internship journal writing tips, etc.)
Assisting with the elderly at the day and night care center, from pick-up and drop-off to check-in and meal assistance, and assisting with various programs.
This included assisting with the elderly's daily living needs and maintaining the cleanliness and sanitation of the living rooms and the center.
Since this was written a few weeks after completing my internship, I reviewed my internship journal, which I kept daily at the internship center and wrote about my daily routine, to refresh my memory. The daycare center where I did my internship was a five-story building. The first floor housed a cafeteria and offices, the second and third floors were for classes, and the fourth and fifth floors were spaces for the residents to exercise. On my first day of internship, I brought along the journal and writing utensils I'd been instructed to prepare during pre-training at school. For my first internship, I drove the Starex vehicles of the residents from each neighborhood. Working in pairs, I helped the residents out of the vehicles, safely boarded the building's elevator, and then disembarked at their designated floors. After the residents were seated, I began dementia-specific cognitive exercises at 10:00 AM. Since many of the residents had mobility issues, I began warming up with exercises similar to Korean traditional exercises, such as raising my arms high and swinging them from side to side while seated. This was followed by finger exercises, such as clapping my palms, clapping my hands, and clapping my fingers. I also performed foot exercises, such as stomping and lifting my feet. Afterwards, the caregivers and social workers conducted orientation training, asking the elderly about the day, month, and year, their current location, and the season.
At 11:00 AM, the interns helped serve the elderly with rice, side dishes, and soup on individual plates. They also helped those with eating difficulties eat their side dishes and soup. After lunch, they rested for a while. At 1:00 PM, they engaged in various educational programs, including reminiscence therapy, which involved recalling past events, matching regional specialties, and other activities to help the elderly refresh their memories. They also worked tirelessly to answer questions. Following this, during the Silver Arts class (picture matching, drawing, coloring, etc.), the interns divided their classes into subjects of interest. After several classes, at 4:00 PM, they began dinner, serving rice, side dishes, and soup on individual plates, just like during lunch. After dinner, they finished their day by helping the elderly with discharge. For a month, we started our day with cognitive exercises, usually in the morning. The subsequent training varied each day. Laughter therapy, proverb matching, crossword puzzles, plate slams, cup dance, rolling a ball while holding a piece of cloth with someone next to you, putting a ball in a clear pipe, singing along while tapping a plastic bottle, dictation, band exercises, drawing board puzzles, and picture cutting and pasting were just a few of the cognitive enhancement activities we conducted. The interns even helped adults who struggled to keep up with the materials, helping them learn how to do the exercises together.
4. Impressions after the Internship
Actually, I had only heard of the "Senior Day and Night Care Center," but I had no idea what it was or what it did.
The first thing I heard on my first day of internship was the five-letter word "senior kindergarten."
It all came down to those five letters.
It wasn't until I returned home after the first day that I felt dizzy. I couldn't sit all day, carrying the elderly.
My legs were swollen from all that walking, and it was only then that I realized how tired I was. But the choice was mine,
and since I'd already made it through Day 1, there was no turning back.
I thought this month would be a really long one,
but the month that seemed so long had passed in an instant.
I'm now over 50, and there are about 30 years between me and the elderly here,
but I know full well that those 30 years aren't that long.
I'll eventually grow old like them,
and while my parents, who are about the same age as those elderly people, think they're more alert now,
I realized that no one knows how long that will last.
As someone who doesn't even care for my own parents, I spent all day caring for and observing others' parents.
I realized that the term "social welfare" isn't just a textbook subject, but a part of reality and everyday life.
While a more academic approach is possible, ultimately, social welfare begins and ends with people.
It may be packaged as a profound academic discipline, but its true essence is ultimately interpersonal relationships.
I and those around me are aging together, so I don't really feel it.
I am aging, and my parents and those around me are all aging with me.
However, while my appearance may be aging, my spirit remains the same.
Even if someone has dementia, it's only a weakened short-term memory, but their heart remains the same.
I hope that as someone who has taken my first steps in social welfare, I will never forget this original intention.
Whether people are old, young, or physically disabled, they are all the same at heart.
During the 160-hour, 8-hour internship, I attended the facility every day except Saturdays and Sundays for about a month, conducting the above-mentioned internship. The challenge was that those who received a grade 3 or higher had extreme mood swings, treating the interns rudely, and some even resorting to verbal abuse. This was a bit of a mental struggle, but the many elders who treated me warmly were more supportive than those who did not, making it a rewarding experience. Furthermore, the internship helped me to be more tolerant of not only dementia patients but also healthy elders. Finally, I realized that we too could live such lives when we grow older, which was both heartbreaking and disappointing. This concludes my rambling review of the internship. Thank you.
2025. Sept. 09. < Tuesday >
대한인터넷방송협회장 남 상 학
Nam Sang-hak, President of the Korea Internet Broadcasting Asso
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