Staff and faculty members at Keiser University’s Fort Myers campus recently role-played as part of an Occupational Therapy Assistant program lesson geared toward sharing the importance of the role that health care professionals play relating to the aging process when stereotypes come into play.

As part of the scenario, each student assumed the role of an elderly individual transitioning through independent, semi-independent and fully dependent living situations, while also navigating challenges including a neglectful nursing home director and a shady financial advisor. As each character became more dependent, they were forced to relinquish income, self-image and valued possessions, culminating in challenging results.

Afterward, Dr. Vanessa Khan shared a moving passage that emphasized the profound impact that healthcare professionals can have on those in nursing homes.