Providing educational interventions to informal dementia caregivers has been shown to have numerous positive outcomes including improving general well-being and quality of life as well as reducing depression, anxiety, and caregiver stress. The purpose of this study is the development, delivery, and evaluation of caregiver conferences to educate…

Background: Speech pathologists have a pivotal role in palliative care, assisting patients with swallowing and communication disorders, yet very little is known about the preparedness of speech pathologists to work in this field. Aims: To investigate the preparedness of speech pathologists for working in palliative care. The term 'palliative care'…

The graying of the Baby Boomers has created a shortage of professionals in aging-related careers. However, colleges and universities with gerontology and aging programs face a challenge of recruiting students. The purpose of this study was to determine what students are looking for in a career and whether these attributes are congruent with…

The need for clinical geropsychologists currently exceeds their availability, and this imbalance is expected to worsen along with the impending growth in the older adult population. Effective geropsychology mentoring may be helpful in meeting this challenge. However, little is known about mentoring within clinical geropsychology. The present paper…

The Geriatric Scholar Program (GSP) is a Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) workforce development program to infuse geriatrics competencies in primary care. This multimodal educational program is targeted to primary care providers and ancillary staff who work in VA's rural clinics. GSP consists of didactic education and training in geriatrics…

The purpose of the ELDER (Expanded Learning and Dedication to Elders in the Region) Project was to address the needs of underserved older adults by providing worksite education to individuals who provide nursing care to older adults in community health centers, home health agencies, and long-term care facilities. Four agencies located in a Health…

Medical graduates require positive attitudes toward older people with cognitive impairment, in addition to knowledge and skills in the diagnosis and management of dementia. The Student Training Project in Dementia (STriDE) project was conducted to ensure that these needs are met through curricula in Western Australian medical schools. Two medical…

Medical care in nursing homes is not provided by board-licensed geriatricians; it mainly comes from physicians in need of educational programs in the field of geriatrics. Such programs, based on curriculum guidelines, should be developed. The purpose of this study was to seek input from nursing home physicians on their perceived needs for training…

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…

Responses from 159 of 837 health and mental health professionals in Alaska showed the following: (1) 54% said community services for the aging were inadequate; (2) 55% felt health professionals' knowledge of aging was insufficient; and (3) 91.8% needed further training in aging and geriatrics, especially regarding mental health and Alzheimer's…

Three focus groups of service agency representatives, state administrators, and rural service providers in Georgia identified their needs for geriatrics training, and barriers to accessing training. Results underscored the need for coordinated continuing-education planning. (SK)

In a needs assessment of 84 rural health care professionals (44.1% physicians, 15.5% pharmacists, 14.3% nurses, 26.1% other), 39% considered their geriatrics knowledge above average. They were interested in learning more about Alzheimer's/dementia, medication use, and adverse effects. Preferred methods were videotapes, CD-ROM, and an…

Includes "Meeting the Needs of the Aging Network" (Browdie); "In Nursing, a Study in Contradictions" (Morrissey); and "In Geriatrics, the Team Approach" (Heinemann). (JOW)

To inform the development of educational programming designed to teach providers appropriate methods of exercise prescription for older adults, the authors conducted a survey of 177 physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners (39% response rate). The survey was designed to better understand the prevalence of exercise prescriptions,…

In response to growing needs of older citizens, the University of Pennsylvania and the Office of Aging of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare developed a three-year gerontological program. A series of faculty seminars was planned as part of the first-year program, after an initial survey of all Pennsylvania institutions of higher…