The Feasibility of Ethnodrama as Intervention to Highlight Late-Life Potential for Nursing Students and Older Adults

Abstract

One barrier to the expansion of geriatric health care providers is the limited desire of nursing students to work with older adults. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using ethnodrama as an intervention to highlight late-life potential. Twelve baccalaureate nursing students were paired with 12 residents of an assisted living facility to complete transformative learning activities focused on the topic of late-life potential culminating in a performance of an ethnodrama developed from these data. Transcripts of initial student meetings, self-reflections, the performance, postperformance discussion, and open-ended survey questions were analyzed using in vivo and pattern coding. Older adult participants recognized and emphasized positive late-life potential, whereas students explored potential throughout the life span and reflected on its meaning in their own lives. Increasing discussion about late-life potential may alter the stigma associated with aging.

KEYWORDS:

• possible selves
• arts-based intervention
• transformative learning

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the Jonas Nurse Leaders Scholar program funded by The Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence and the Noorda Scholars Award funded by the Ray and Tye Noorda Family Foundation.