Kaitlyn Hillstrom didn’t know what to expect when she applied for a summer internship at Lakeview Ranch.

While her mom and three sisters all have worked at the residential dementia home, Hillstrom was hesitant. But looking back on the summer, she realizes it has given her a new appreciation for the challenges people with dementia face every day.

“They all deserve the respect and dignity. They are still people, and we need to treat them as people,” the Dassel-Cokato High School senior said.

Hillstrom is one of three health care interns at Lakeview Ranch Inc. this summer, learning what the health care world is all about through on-the-job experience.

The women participated in the Summer Health Care Internship Program — sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Health’s Office of Rural Health & Primary Care — which brings students and health care employers together to give students experience in a health care environment and employers a chance to be more involved in their communities. It also is intended to encourage more young people into health care professions.

“If we can get more young people, both males and females, interested in doing this stuff, we’re securing more care for the future,” said Connie Lutz, a registered nurse at Lakeview.

Read the complete story in the Aug. 21 Independent Review print edition.