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…

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…

Although nurse aides take on a high share of care activities in nursing homes, almost nothing is known about how they develop the knowledge and skills to do so. This study attempts to close this research gap by answering the following research questions: (1) How do novice aides learn and develop and how is their learning trajectory structured? (2)…

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…

The aim of this study is to determine whether clinicians' estimates of patients' walking time agree with those determined by accelerometer devices. The walking time was measured using a waist-mounted accelerometer device everyday during the patients' waking hours. At each weekly meeting, clinicians estimated the patients' average daily walking…

Purpose: Turnover among direct-care workers (DCWs) continues to be a challenge in long-term care. Both policy makers and provider organizations recognize this issue as a major concern and are designing efforts to reduce turnover among these workers. However, there is currently no standardized method of measuring turnover to define the scope of the…

This study evaluated the attitudes of physician assistant students (PAS) and practicing physician assistants (PA) toward geriatric patients and the expressed intent of PAS and practicing PAs toward practicing in the specialized field of geriatric medicine using a cross-sectional study design. The 233 participants each completed a questionnaire…

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…

Introduction: This study uses a cross-sectional approach in terms of evaluating attitudes toward the elderly among health sciences students. The aim of this study was to measure attitudes among final year pregraduate students of seven health care careers. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted with final year students of medicine (M),…

Purpose: We describe and evaluate a project designed to pilot test an evidence-based clinical intervention for assessing and treating depression in older adults in rural primary care clinics. Project ADAPT--Assuring Depression Assessment and Proactive Treatment--utilized existing primary care resources to overcome barriers to sustainability…

The rapidly growing older population has generated the need for more gerontological or geriatric care professionals. This study evaluated the undergraduate programs offered by the departments of medicine, nursing studies and social work at a university in Hong Kong, based on the data of a recent alumni survey. It also identified factors that…

The improvement and expansion of health care for our older population must now be a major priority of all health care providers. All allied health professionals should strive to learn more about the processes of aging and translate this knowledge into specialized services and medical care for older people. (Author/CT)

Responses from 20% of 3,850 nurses, pharmacists, physicians, physician assistants, and social workers surveyed, from rural and urban areas, displayed variability in preferred continuing education program length and a preference for self-directed learning. Lack of financial aid and preference for local events suggested that programs requiring…

Describes an intensive instructional program designed and implemented to prepare health assistants to serve chronically ill older persons in the home. Under professional supervision, the health assistants extend health care to the chronically ill. All assistants continued in a health related role after the project. (Author/JAC)

Long-term care administration often involves care for older adults. Yet, in California, neither academic training required for licensure in this area, nor continuing education for maintaining licensure, specify any knowledge of geriatrics or gerontology. A formal standardized approach to academic preparation for licensing would help ensure quality…