Healthy Men and Women Living with AIDS

7/20/2011

Our final class was a blast. We had a big celebration over lunch, with food, and music and decorations. Then, we split the group into men and women and had a separate class for each. I had guest speakers for them on our last day to present our final topic. Lauren Lanehart discussed women's health. She's a fellow Honors student as well as a great friend. Lauren's service learning project involved working in the 1917 Clinic to improve cervical cancer screenings, and she also worked to educate and empower women with HIV. She talked with the Jasper House women about vaginal infection, cervical cancer, abnormal pap smears, and constipation. It was amazing how much the women were able to open up to me and Lauren in private. I couldn't have asked for a better last day with them!  The men went with my fellow nursing student, Adam Turman. He is a great student and friend. He's got lots of energy and is amazing at educating his patients. He talked with the men about adequate nutrition, benign prostate hyperplasia and its risk factors, prostate cancer, erectile dysfuction, and inctoninence. I felt the men needed the opportunity to open up and ask questions to Adam without a female present, so I didn't sit in on this class. However, after Adam left the men came up to me and asked me when Adam was coming back to talk to them again. They seemed to really enjoy his class. Overall, I feel like my service learning project was a great success!