Future geriatrician has calling to serve older adults

By Carmen Ochoa

Thank You, AARP.

When I first started college last fall, I knew that I enjoyed older people, and could see myself working with them as a professional. Now, less than a year later, I am confident in my path, and believe I have a calling to serve them. How can a little less than a year make such a big difference? The answer is easy. The answer is AARP.

I came into this internship, a wide eyed freshman, living in a new city, surrounded by new people, and suddenly, working in a real office where people worked daily to improve the lives of people 50+ in the community, through advocacy work, community presence, volunteering, and so much more.

As someone who is interested in the health aspects of aging, it was eye opening to see aging more comprehensively - through being able to watch debates over long term care insurance and Medicaid expansion, to learning about what makes a community more “liveable” for older Americans, to helping promote Social Security solvency and protecting older people from fraudsters. I was able to meet the president of AARP, and work alongside some of the most dedicated, talented, and professional people I have ever met, truly, a dream come true.

I want to be a geriatrician, which means I will be spending the greater part of the next decade studying science- chemistry, biology, physics, anatomy, and more. The need for a doctor to have a stellar understanding of science is a given. We all want a doctor that can understand and cater to our needs. With a geriatrician, that is even more important, as our bodies - along with our needs and desires - change as we age. But to also have a doctor that understands the burdens of caregiving, the importance of Medicare, the changing demographics of an older America, that is the all too often overlooked and just as important a side of serving older adults. While I can now put AARP on my resume, I can also use what I have learned, and I have no doubt that it will in turn make me a better human being and a more compassionate physician.

So, thank you AARP. A special thanks to Nebraska State Director Connie Benjamin (below left), for allowing me this opportunity to spread my wings and further develop my passion. I will carry what I have learned with me throughout my life, and know that I will be all the better for it.

Carmen Ochoa, a pre-med student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, recently completed a year-long internship with AARP.