Richfield Living was proud to once again partner with Jefferson College of Health Sciences to host the 6^th Annual Health and Wellness Day on Thursday April 19th at the Alleghany Room in The Oaks.

The room hummed as Jefferson College of Health Sciences students welcomed and registered 78 guests and operated wellness stations. These stations helped assess and educate event participants to be mindful and make smart choices when it comes to personal health.

“There was a very good energy there,” said Assistant Professor of Nursing Nannette Borling. “Everyone was excited, engaged and motivated to learn more about their health.”

The wellness stations included strength and flexibility, fall prevention and home safety, blood sugar testing and diabetes information, medication review and safety, brain fitness, blood pressure and stroke risk assessment, as well as sleep and relaxation techniques.

“The day was a lot of fun,” said student Brooke Windley. Windley, a Roanoke native, graduated from Virginia Tech in 2017 with a degree in Human Nutrition and Exercise. After taking courses in different studies including biology and accounting, Windley decided to pursue a career in nursing. “A lot of my family members have been sick and after witnessing the compassion that all the nurses had for them, I realized this is what I wanted to do. This is something I could do and give to others.”

While the main goal of the event is to increase general health awareness of the participants, all involved benefitted from the outreach.

“This event was a win-win,” said George Child, President and CEO of Richfield Living. “The students got great hands-on experience in building rapport with patients, practice with medical procedures and the sharing of knowledge, while participants, especially our residents, enjoyed the interaction and learned important information about their health.”

“Events like this are grooming our future health leaders and caregivers,” said Sue Devine, Chief Health Services Officer at Richfield Living. “It not only is a wonderful opportunity for intergenerational engagement, it affirms for the students that their service to the population is extremely important, especially to our elders.”

Richfield residents and team members enjoyed the day and the interaction with the students. Resident Jennie Sue Murdock remarked this is the fourth year she has attended the annual event. “We are very thankful for Jefferson College’s partnership” said Murdock. “This is an event that I always look forward to and each year it just keeps getting better and better.”