Stephanie Julian, Intern at Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Inc.

Stephanie Julian is an intern at Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Inc.  They provide services to elderly residents of Ashland, Crawford, Huron, Knox, Marion, Morrow, Richland, Seneca and Wyandot counties.

Tell us a little bit about your internship placement, your job duties, and the activities you've been involved in. 
I have been working with different programs that the Agency offers to senior citizens in an effort to keep them safely at home. An example is Care Coordination, where I work with senior citizens to connect them to services and work with any issues that may arise related to their services. Recently I have been doing the home visits for the program. With this program I facilitate HEAP, Home Energy Assistance Program, an outreach in the different counties the Agency serves. I have also been site coordinating at two different low-income senior housing centers where I assist the residents with any problems they may be facing. I also work on contact calls for two programs where I check on the clients every ninety days.  

How has Ashland University's Social Work Program prepared you for your internship? 
The program gave me the knowledge of different theories and frameworks, which has helped me to understand the reasoning behind many of the services provided and how case managers view the person’s health and environment.  Also, the practice assessments helped me learn to ask clients questions in a conversational tone. 

What have you enjoyed most about your internship so far? 
I have enjoyed working with the different clients the most. I started out doing phone calls and during the time I was working with the issues the client and their supports were facing, I learned about the different resources the community and the Agency provide. Home visits have become my favorite part of my internship because they allow me to go into the person’s home and see their conditions and their environment. When talking on the phone you do not get the full sense of what the person is facing to stay at home. On home visits, you can look around and offer any assistance that may be beneficial to the person. 


More information about Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Inc. can be found here.   

All social work students undergo a 500-hour internship in their senior year, during which they put into practice the skills they have learned throughout their time at Ashland University while gaining valuable experiences to prepare them for employment or graduate studies after graduation.  For more information about Ashland University’s Social Work Program, please visit our website.