Residents at the Hemstock and Hearthstone Place returned to school for an afternoon thanks to Lakeland College.

Approximately 30 residents at the Lloydminster senior living facility and 12 Lakeland students enjoyed an introductory lecture on psychology with Dr. Kelly Mutter, a university transfer professor. He brought the lesson to the residents with the help of Thea Lomibao, a Lakeland business student who also works at the facility.

“She really inspired me because she enjoys working with everyone there so much. She refers to them all as friends and I think that inter-generational mix and connection is great,” says Mutter. “Sharing this lecture with the senior residents is something I am very passionate about. I find that young students I work with on a regular basis are interested in psychology and in fact all of us are.”

Held in the chapel, the lecture covered why psychology is a science, the four goals of psychology, a thought experience and an interactive activity. 

“It brought back memories, it was very interesting,” says Ella Kent, a resident of the facility. Kent attended university herself and taught in country schools north of Lloydminster and in the Marwayne area.

“It's something I would have liked to have had before I had children,” says Charmaine Hickman, with a laugh. A mother of six, Hickman says it was her first time experiencing a university lecture as she finished school after Grade 10. “It was a treat, I really enjoyed it.”

“It was definitely an interesting experience attending a university lecture,” says Doreen O'Grady. Fond of learning, O'Grady hopes another arrangement for a lecture is planned because “it would help keep old folks like us occupied,” she teased.

For Lomibao who has worked at Hemstock and Hearthstone Place for several years, she was happy to share this part of her life with the residents. “I think they really enjoyed the inter-connection between the students and themselves. They were really engaged in it,” she said. “It feels amazing to do this because they always ask me how I am doing in class and what I am working on, so I have this grandparent-type relationship with them. Living so far from my grandparents, it gives me that connection I am missing out on.”

Happy with the turn out and the feedback she's received, Lomibao hopes to help share another lecture at the facility in the summer with Mutter. Residents though won't have to wait to learn more because they have an open invitation from Mutter to join his classes at the Lloydminster campus.

Photo: Thea Lomibao (centre) was excited to share her university experience with her friends at Hemstock and Hearthstone Place.