To meet the special needs of and provide quality health care to nursing home residents, the health care workforce must be knowledgeable about the aging process. Health professionals are minimally prepared in their academic programs to care for older adults, and few programs have required rotations in geriatrics. Teaching nursing homes (TNHs) have…

Examines geriatric health teams, discussing four dimensions of models for professional functioning (logic of assessment, focus of efforts, locus of responsibility, and pace of action) and three dimensions of models for team functioning (focus of attention, decision-making style, and beliefs about interprofessional dependence). (Author/NB)

Administered Palmore's Facts on Aging Quizzes I and II and Facts on Aging Mental Health Quiz as single test to third-year medical students before and after their six-week Community Health and Family Medicine clerkship. Clerkship contributed to small improvement in students' knowledge about aged; net bias scores decreased from pretest to posttest.…

Examined effect of experimental program in gerontology and geriatrics on third-year medical students. Experimental students (n=45) participated in four group sessions emphasizing psychological, sociodemographic, and physiological aspects of aging and interpersonal communication skills. Participants developed more positive attitudes and…

Reviews the important pedagogical, clinical, and ethical issues involved in the design and use of case studies in the study of aging. Reviews literature in narrative and clinical ethics on case studies as stories, including consideration of facts and values, debate on generalization versus specificity, and the need for interpreters. Considers the…

Assessed hearing health knowledge of 336 younger and older adults using the Hearing and Health Inventory. Data analyses revealed serious knowledge deficits regarding hearing aids, communication with the hearing impaired, and the effects of drugs and diseases on hearing. Strategies for developing hearing health education for clients are…

Describes a two-year, multisite, curriculum-development project aimed to increase the pool of professionals trained in geriatric and/or gerontological social work. Methods included providing advanced training in aging, cultural competence, and interdisciplinary practice; developing, implementing, and testing an innovative student curriculum based…

A training model is formulated and related to a theoretical perspective of the self-concept. Some judgments regarding the impact of short-term training are made. Major research issues and alternative research strategies are presented. Paper presented at 27th Annual Meeting of Gerontological Society, Portland, 1974. (Author)

Outlines a framework for organizing discussions of quality of life for elderly persons with disabilities, reviews relevant empirical research, and develops a framework for understanding the different interpretations of quality of life as it is used in communication among health care providers, elderly patients, and their families. New models of…

Experiential learning has proved a useful tool in adding meaning to an undergraduate course in the problems of aging and delivery of long-term care. Sensory deprivation and institutionalization commonly experienced by the elderly can be simulated. The response to this educational process increased the students' understanding of sensory…

To enhance mutual understanding between the social work and nursing professions and to improve the care of the aged an interdisciplinary approach to teaching was instituted. Students exposed to the interdisciplinary approach not only learned to work well with each other but exhibited improved perceptions of the aged. (Author)

Assessed long-term effects of a seminar on aging for first-year medical students (N=19) prior to medical school graduation. Compared to controls (N=28), seminar students held more favorable attitudes toward the elderly and perceived contacts with elderly patients in a more complex manner, suggesting lasting effects. (Author/JAC)

Residents in a home for the aged taught German to students who received college credit. Results suggest that geriatric residents can assume active roles and engage in profound interpersonal relationships until death. Students derived many of the same benefits in addition to improving language skills. (Author)

Presents a model for understanding the socialization process of physicians, nurses, and social workers as a way for acquiring a professional identity based on values and meanings. Explores the literature as it relates to this framework and describes the educational implications of these patterns for professionals who must work together. (RJM)

Education from infancy to old age is a necessity and a responsibility as society looks to the future; and educational institutions could become the sites of cooperation of science and society in the service of the human family in realization of the goals of lifelong learning. Paper presented at 27th Annual Meeting of Gerontological Society,…