What an amazing example of how Ayuda runs off the kindness and hard work of its volunteers! We did not have the usual hoards of students come to the Tustin Senior Center, which originally made me worried, but everyone stepped up and we were able to have everything go smoothly, if not more efficiently. We were also lucky enough to have Dr. Ahn, a prosthodontic faculty member, come to his first Ayuda which, judging by his smile, will not be his last. And a special thanks to the class of 2013 since every single person from that class stayed until we were all packed up and finished!
This was a unique and special clinic because we were working with a geriatric population as opposed to kids. It was great to utilize the abilities of Ayuda to help a different segment of underserved populations. With blood pressure cuffs and premedication, the volunteers adapted seamlessly and switched treatment planning gears to best help the patients. We created a new position that Jason Cook filled to manage the diagnosis, radiographs, and triage pathologies between the different stations. He did a great job making sure the ideal treatment was performed for the patients. The seniors that came to the clinic were extremely nice and thankful for the work that we provided. They were a talkative bunch with some great stories that they were happy to share.
My favorite part of this Ayuda was easily the students. Everyone made my job really easy. They worked hard in their station and moved to new stations when needs changed with a smile. Many volunteers worked through their lunch and put off breaks to make sure everything was taken care of. Thank you again to everyone that came and spent their Saturday helping seniors. See you next clinic!
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| Austin Baruffi - Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC Class of 2013 |
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