Clinical and Mall

Today we went to the Centro de Salud de Nuestra Senora del Pilar. Jorge met us at the center and introduced us to a nurse who works there. She was very nice! We sat in a room and she gave us a powerpoint presentation about what community nursing is like in Spain. It was really interesting. She told us that people get to choose which nurse they would like to see. They have 7 different centers that are split into “zonas”. You usually see a nurse that is within your zone but if you want to go to another you can. The nurses usually have set appointments everyday but usually several other people to see. They see about 20 people every day. Each nurse has his or her own office and exam room that is connected. It was super neat! Afterwards we went and did a windshield survey of the area. It is considered one of the lower income neighborhoods in the city. It was neat to see the elderly population and immigrant population walking around. The nurses at the center really emphasized that they have a HUGE elderly population. Aside from taking care of patients in the clinic, the nurses also do home visits. They visit people who usually have problems moving around. For example, many of the buildings in that part of Alcala are 5 stories but have no elevator. If you hurt your hip or you are just too old, you become trapped inside your home. A huge problem that the nurses see in homes here are pressure ulcers. The nurses also have classes where they teach different groups of people. For example, they have a class about memory and Alzheimer’s. They also organize groups of old people and they get them moving. For example, they walk around and introduce the old people to another. The nurse strays back from the group of old people walking around the neighborhood and VOILA! They are out exercising. The nurses also go to the schools and teach the kids about health. One of the things they really emphasize is administering vaccines and flu shots when the season comes. After we went on the windshield survey, we went out to eat. We couldn’t find anywhere that was open… except for a bar. We wandered for a while trying to figure out where to go. Mary went to a panaderia (bakery) and bought a neopolitano (a yummy croissant filled with chocolate). We decided to get sandwiches at the bar so we all sat down. Most of us went to the pastry shop, either before or after lunch. They’re so good we just can’t pass it up! While we were figuring out where to eat we passed a fruit and vegetable store, the man was standing in the doorway trying to get people to buy his produce. We all started talking with him. He eventually ended up giving us 6 peaches (kind of) for free!! Another young man standing by him asked me if I had a Facebook… I told him I was married! Hahaha. We ordered sandwiches that were good. Jessica ate calamari on her sandwich. Some of us tried it! It was so good! After lunch we went to the Roman city of Complutense. It was neat to see the Roman ruins, many of which are still being excavated. After that we came back to the hotel we are staying at to finish preparing our presentations for the ward health fair. Mary almost got stuck on the bus talking to a kind elderly woman that told her she loves when we come to study in her country...but when the bus was about to leave the stop where we all got off, she had to yell, "Senor! Puertas!" It was pretty funny. Some of us took naps when we got to the hotel and others just relaxed. Afterwards, we went to the Catedral Magistral de Alcala de Henares to try to get a tour to go up into the tower. It was closed but we were able to walk around a lot more because the gate was open. It was beautiful!! Afterwards, some of us split up and we all wandered around Plaza de Cervantes. Some of us went to a candy store run by an Asian man and got some fun gummy-like candy to eat during the presentations we have to listen to. J Overall we had a great day!!

-Larissa