Due to advancements in medical science leading to increased life expectancy, the number of older adults is on the rise. Empathy is crucial in catering to the unique needs of this vulnerable population. The use of geriatric simulation suits to cultivate empathy among health science students is gaining traction. Nevertheless, the efficacy of this…

The rise in older population in Ghana is accompanied by challenges that may require trained professionals with specialized knowledge in geriatrics and gerontology to help address. Research, however, points to an existing shortage of geriatric-trained professionals in Ghana; a problem that can be addressed with the education and training of…

Objective: To describe the creation of an educational podcast with 'living cases' of older adults to support students' learning on a gerontology course and report on students' evaluation of the project. Setting: Gerontology course in a graduate programme. Method: We developed a podcast series based on interviews with older adults in the community…

Interprofessional health-care models have been largely recognized as a critical component of effective and efficient health-care provision. While many health professions have established methods of exposing their students to interprofessional health models, social work has been slow to join in on this educational movement. In an effort to provide…

Community advisory boards (CABs) have been used to improve research outcomes involving specific communities and populations, including older adults. There is potential to synergize the use of CABs to encompass both research activities and the education of healthcare professionals to help meet increasing demands for a geriatric healthcare workforce…

Purpose: Relative to the overall population, older adults consume a disproportionally large percentage of health care resources. Despite advocacy and efforts initiated more than 30 years ago, the number of providers with specialized training in geriatrics is still not commensurate with the growing population of older adults. This contribution…

The University of Saskatchewan's Longitudinal Elderly Person Shadowing (LEPS) is an interprofessional senior mentors program (SMP) where teams of undergraduate students in their first year of medicine, pharmacy, and physiotherapy; 2nd year of nutrition; 3rd year nursing; and 4th year social work partner with community-dwelling older adults.…

Important home and community-based issues in the lives of older adults and caregivers relate to end of life. It is well documented that education on end of life, including curricula and textbook content for health and human service professionals, is lacking. This study analyzed another aspect of education: continuing education sessions offered at…

As the number of older adults in the United States increases, so will the expected number of allegations of elder abuse. Adult protective services (APS) staff are likely to handle much more complex situations, and in growing numbers, due to the presence of chronic and life-limiting conditions of their clients. The APS workers, in this national…

Purpose: The Gentle Persuasive Approaches (GPA) curriculum was developed as an adjunct to other educational initiatives that were part of Ontario, Canada's Alzheimer Strategy. GPA emphasizes that an individual's unique personal history has a direct application to the interpretation of and response to their behavior. It incorporates strategies into…

The Ohio Valley Appalachia Regional Geriatric Education Center tested a proficiency assessment tool with 779 previous workshop participants (27 percent responded). The instrument successfully identified 10 of 27 predictors of attendance at a geriatrics workshop. (SK)

Included herein is the conference proceedings of the 26th Annual Conference on the Teaching of Psychology: Ideas and Innovations, sponsored by the Psychology Department of the State University of New York at Farmingdale. The conference theme for 2012 was: The value of an undergraduate degree in psychology: Why psychology--Why now?. The Conference…

In a three-year collaborative venture between a hospital and a university, an interdisciplinary team trained 684 allied health professionals and students in geriatrics. Outcomes included increased geriatric knowledge, more graduates serving rural underserved areas, and more interdisciplinary clinical initiatives. (SK)

A training curriculum on mental health and aging was developed and disseminated to 32 natural caregivers throughout a frontier state using a train-the-trainer model. Those certified as trainers included social workers, religious professionals, volunteers, long-term care employees, nurses, home health workers, and professional and informal…

Researchers have repeatedly found negative attitudes toward the aged among health professionals. Evaluates the impact of oral health status upon dental student attitudes toward the aged. Suggests that attitudes of students may become initially more negative due to exposure to generally poor oral conditions of elderly patients. (Author)