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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 teaching approach remains unexplored among occupational therapy students. We recruited a convenience sample of 21 occupational therapy graduate students for a mixed methods study. Participants engaged in a two-hour session during which they performed daily tasks like meal preparation, laundry, and dressing while wearing various components of a geriatric simulation suit. Empathy levels were evaluated before and after simulation using an abridged and modified version of the Comprehensive State Empathy Scale. Participants engaged in focus group discussions regarding their experiences with using the geriatric suit. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the qualitative data. A significant rise (p<0.001) in mean empathy scores following geriatric simulation was noted. Three main themes and nine sub-themes emerged from the focus group discussions, indicating that participants gained a deeper understanding of the challenges encountered by older adults and demonstrated greater empathy towards them. The findings of this study address the existing gap in literature, demonstrating that geriatric simulation is an effective method for promoting empathy towards older persons among occupational therapy graduate students.

The qualitative research explored the perceptions toward evidence-based practice competency of nursing students in caring for older adults. Nine participants met the criteria using purposive sampling and were invited to join in the study of evidence-based practice experiences in nursing students. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Three main themes emerged: 1) Knowledge enhancing evidence-based practice with three sub-themes: implementing the nursing process, searching for trustworthy information, and selecting appropriate guidelines; 2) Skills driving evidence-based practice with three sub-themes including nursing practice skills, critical thinking skills, and language skills; and 3) Attitude fostering evidence-based practice with two sub-themes as well as increasing the quality of care for older adults and improving the nursing profession. Therefore, the following study should test component factors of evidence-based geriatric nursing competencies for nursing students, leading to developing the competency of nursing students in care for older adults in the future.

China's elderly population is on the rise, and there is a growing need for improved education for professionals in geriatric health care and management. "Age-Friendly Interior Design" is a mandatory component of the curriculum for students majoring in aged care and management. Problem-Based Learning (PBL) has been introduced as an innovative teaching model. The study aims to achieve several objectives: 1) To compare the knowledge, skills, and interests of students after using Problem-Based Learning (PBL) against predefined criteria. 2) To compare the knowledge, skills, and interests of students after using the Traditional Teaching Method against predefined criteria, and 3) To compare the knowledge, skills, and interests of students after using Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and the Traditional Teaching Method. This research engaged students pursuing degrees in geriatric nursing and management at a university in Sichuan, China. It encompassed both a control group consisting of 42 students and an experimental group with 48 students. The findings indicated that both PBL and traditional teaching methods had a positive impact on enhancing students' knowledge, skills, and interests to some extent. Problem-based learning (PBL) was more effective in improving these aspects than traditional methods with a significance level of 0.05.

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 students with interest in aging. This paper offers a review of the state of geriatric and gerontology education in Ghana. The paper specifically examines current geriatric-focused training programs in public universities, and existing national aging policies with implications for the development and implementation of aging education in institutions of higher learning in Ghana. The review findings point to an urgent need for governmental and institutional commitment to promote aging studies as a component of health professions curricula in Ghana. Critical steps to prioritizing and forging a path to instituting geriatric and gerontology education in Ghana are discussed.

Background: In the past few years there has been a growing interest in the employment of verbal productions as digital biomarkers, namely objective, quantifiable behavioural data that can be collected and measured by means of digital devices, allowing for a low-cost pathology detection, classification and monitoring. Numerous research papers have been published on the automatic detection of subtle verbal alteration, starting from written texts, raw speech recordings and transcripts, and such linguistic analysis has been singled out as a cost-effective method for diagnosing dementia and other medical conditions common among elderly patients (e.g., cognitive dysfunctions associated with metabolic disorders, dysarthria). Aims: To provide a critical appraisal and synthesis of evidence concerning the application of natural language processing (NLP) techniques for clinical purposes in the geriatric population. In particular, we discuss the state of the art on studying language in healthy and pathological ageing, focusing on the latest research efforts to build non-intrusive language-based tools for the early identification of cognitive frailty due to dementia. We also discuss some challenges and open problems raised by this approach. Methods & Procedures: We performed a scoping review to examine emerging evidence about this novel domain. Potentially relevant studies published up to November 2021 were identified from the databases of MEDLINE, Cochrane and Web of Science. We also browsed the proceedings of leading international conferences (e.g., ACL, COLING, Interspeech, LREC) from 2017 to 2021, and checked the reference lists of relevant studies and reviews. Main Contribution: The paper provides an introductory, but complete, overview of the application of NLP techniques for studying language disruption due to dementia. We also suggest that this technique can be fruitfully applied to other medical conditions (e.g., cognitive dysfunctions associated with dysarthria, cerebrovascular disease and mood disorders). Conclusions & Implications: Despite several critical points need to be addressed by the scientific community, a growing body of empirical evidence shows that NLP techniques can represent a promising tool for studying language changes in pathological aging, with a high potential to lead a significant shift in clinical practice.

With the world's population aging, geriatric care is more important than ever before. However, many studies have shown that nursing students are less likely to choose geriatric nursing as career than other nursing fields. Nursing students play a vital role in the development of geriatric nursing. Thus, this study aimed to explore the current situation of nursing students' career choice motivation in geriatric nursing and to analyze the influencing factors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted. This study was performed from March 2021 to September 2022 among nursing students from four universities in Shandong Province, China. Data on nursing students' attitudes toward geriatric, aging anxiety, knowledge about aging, and career choice motivation were collected through questionnaires, and analyzed by ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. A total of 1007 questionnaires were collected. Nursing students' career expectancy score for geriatric nursing was 19.06 ± 4.00 and the value score was 46.65 ± 7.50. The study revealed that gender, education level, taking geriatric care courses, experience in caring for older adults, believing in bright prospects for geriatric care, geriatric attitudes, and aging anxiety were critical factors that influenced nursing students' motivation in choosing a career in geriatric nursing. Nursing students' motivation to choose a career in geriatric care needs to be improved in China. Nursing educators should take interventions to actively guide students and promote the cultivation of geriatric nursing talent.

Given the increased demand for health professionals to work with older adults, research on the factors that influence students' career choices is critical in order to increase the popularity of gerontology. The purpose of this study was to investigate willingness and related factors of undergraduate nursing students to work with older adults. A descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 579 undergraduate nursing students in Turkiye. The data were collected using the descriptive characteristics form, the 12-item expectations regarding aging scale (ERA-12), Kogan's attitudes toward old people scale (KAOP), and willingness to work with elderly people scale (WEPS). Descriptive statistics and multiple regression were used for data analysis. The WEPS, ERA-12, and KAOP mean score of the students were 68.57 ± 11.54 (range: 20-120), 59.83 ± 15.09 (range: 0-100), and 142.98 ± 18.63 (range: 34-238), respectively. Expectations regarding aging, attitudes toward older adults, prior experience caring for older adults, and completing an elective geriatric nursing course positively predicted the total score of WEPS. These variables accounted for 14% of total variance of WEPS (R[superscript 2]: 0.137, F: 12.995, p < 0.001). Age, sex, and academic year also positively predicted the total score of WEPS, but it was not statistically significant. The willingness of nursing students to work with older adults was moderate. To enhance nursing students' willingness to work with older adults, nursing programs should foster a positive attitude toward older adults and expectations regarding aging. Greater willingness of nursing students to care for older adults will eventually improve the quality of care for the geriatric population.

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 following recent guidelines for creating educational podcasts. The podcast episodes were used in a case-based group assignment to work on during the course and to present findings at the end. Evaluation: Student experiences were evaluated using a mixed-methods survey. Results: From November 2019 to January 2021, case-based podcasts, averaging 17 minutes in length, were created and evaluated. Most students found the content of the podcasts relevant to working with older adults and increased their understanding of the issues facing members of that population. Qualitative analysis of the survey findings found that the overall strengths of the podcasts were that they were well structured, provided an authentic, real-world experience, allowed listeners to experience an innovative teaching strategy, promoted reflection, and encouraged students to consider a future career working with older adults. Students also recommended ways to improve the podcasts. Conclusion: Delivering living case studies using podcasts is a feasible, inexpensive and effective teaching method for improving physiotherapy students' attitudes towards caring for older adults. Students enjoyed learning via the podcasts and found them a valuable way to better understand the issues facing older adults. The living case podcasts could have broad applicability to other aging and health courses.

A rapid demographic transition to aging populations is imminent over the next decade, especially in Southeast Asian countries. An aging population presents a host of medical challenges, such as multimorbidity; chronic illnesses; and geriatric syndromes, such as frailty, falls, dementia, and incontinence. In order to tackle such issues efficiently, there is an urgent need to train future doctors in geriatric medicine. Aged care is a specialty in medicine that was not traditionally part of the undergraduate medical curriculum. With the changing demographic, aged care content needs to be integrated into the existing curriculum for undergraduate medical students. In this paper, we present an introductory novice level geriatric module that was developed for first-year medical undergraduate students in Monash University, Malaysia. The module consisted of collaborative active learning sessions on healthy aging, interaction with older adults from the community, and a simulated experiential activity. Feedback was collected from students on module completion. The immediate impact of the module was positive from the student responses. The findings from this study will be useful to inform the development and implementation of future educational interventions for aged care, as well as to support the establishment of a vertically integrated aged care curriculum, in order to prepare future doctors to provide healthcare for the ageing Asian population.

COVID-19 provided an opportunity to experiment with alternative delivery mechanisms for a medical education programme offered through open and distance learning with face-to-face training as an essential component of the programme. Non-availability of hard copies of the course material (92%) and lack of communication from the university (32%) as well as training centres (42%) were some of the challenges faced by students of the Geriatric Medicine programme of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) during the COVID pandemic. Around 90% were willing to attend online classes and 65% to 77% were willing to present cases online for discussion. A programme-specific web portal containing all resource material and information was visited by 85% of students. Most students attended the online classes and 68% attempted the formative assessments based on the online classes. Online classes were recorded and uploaded and were found useful by 90% of students. The experiment successfully demonstrated the feasibility and acceptance of delivering practical skills using online technological tools. Further integrating technology to complement some of the face-to-face component could be used as a permanent and effective delivery strategy, which could also reduce resource requirements.

Nationally, social work students face limited access to clinical education that examines the intersection of older adults, chronic disease, and mental health. This is critical due to a rapidly aging population and a shortage of geriatrics trained social workers. Scant data exists on the effectiveness of clinical simulations to prepare social work students in geriatrics and mental health specialties. In this study, 118 MSW students completed a simulation through the Standardized Patient (SP) Program consisting of a gerontology course, patient interview, debriefings, self-efficacy and counseling skill outcomes, and qualitative surveys. Students reported gains in knowledge, counseling self-efficacy, and clinical skill competency. Simulations assess students in clinical scenarios to improve counseling skills towards achieving clinical competency.

A scarcity of workers calls into doubt our capacity to support and care for an aging population. To gain a better understanding of the next generation of potential workers that will serve the aging population, 644 French-speaking students in grades 10 and 11 in the province of New Brunswick (Canada) were surveyed. The goals were to learn more about the attitudes, knowledge, and career interests that French-speaking, bilingual youth hold with respect to older adults. The participants' responses indicate slightly positive attitudes toward older adults and little knowledge of this group. Results also showed that interest in a career working with older adults is primarily linked to holding positive attitudes toward them. By offering a deeper insight into young people's perceptions of an aging population and contributing to a field lacking in research, the results of this study provide insight into measures that can be taken to ensure the future sustainability of the workforce for an aging population.

Whilst adaptive experts have well-researched beliefs and attitudes towards learning, what is unclear are the interactions that occur within the learning environment that constitute their learning experiences. The practice of geriatric medicine emphasises the interdisciplinary care of complex frail older adults. Our study sets out to understand the learning experiences of adaptive experts in geriatric medicine by examining how interactions at the intra-personal, inter-personal and organisational levels contributed to the development of adaptive expertise. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study through semi-structured interviews of 16 geriatricians experts from a tertiary hospital in Singapore. Data were analyzed via reflexive thematic analysis. The core essence of the learning experiences was described as a journey of 'knowing when we do not know', which was characterised by three themes: (i) Anchoring ethos of person-centric care where the experts drew upon their values to develop a holistic view of the patient beyond the medical domain, (ii) Enabling stance of being curious where their curiosity and openness to learning was nurtured through the practice of reflection, and with the benefit of time as a commodity and for development of expertise, and (iii) Scaffolding organisational culture of inquiry where an environment that is supportive of learning is built on the culture of psychological safety and the culture of mentoring. Taken together, our study highlighted the importance of interactions at the intra-personal, inter-personal and organisational levels in the learning experiences of adaptive experts.

The evaluation results of the Orthogeriatric Unit at Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria Hospital, Tenerife, Canary Islands, are set out in this paper. The fundamental aim has been the assessment of comprehensive rehabilitation and the improvement of quality of life, which would allow a faster discharge process for patients over 65 years of age. A transversal and longitudinal assessment has focused on its aims and its results, the reference criteria or quality standards and the contributions made by the working team. The longitudinal analysis shows that the days in hospital are considerably reduced, surgical interventions have increased and the waiting time between admittance and surgery is reduced, and the prescription of a rehabilitation process after surgery and discharges has increased. The transversal analysis reveals differences in length of rehabilitation between the Orthogeriatric Unit patients and the outpatient alternative, proving that a significant improvement and optimisation has been achieved.

This article reports the results of a study on the impact of an online meditation (OMP) program in building resilience and geriatric social work competencies among postgraduate social work students across contexts. The OMP was fairly effective (Cohen's d range=4.84-5.49, p[less than or equal to] 0.012), and students who participated in it exhibited greater resilience and geriatric social work competencies compared to the wait-list control group. Posttest resilience scores were higher for female students and Christians. Female students studying in the United States and Sweden with non-social-work subjects at the undergraduate level and doing field placement in assisted living settings demonstrated greater geriatric social work competencies posttest. Adherence through regular attendance of the OMP lessons and self-practice mediated the relation between sociodemographic predictors and outcomes. The OMP is a useful addition in the postgraduate field training curriculum with some refinements for male students from different cultures with a social work undergraduate degree and doing fieldwork in community or hospice settings.

In view of population aging, more older persons are being admitted to acute hospitals. However, the level of care that older people receive is suboptimal. Nurses' negative attitudes and inadequate level of knowledge strongly influence the level of care. The study sought to explore medical and surgical nurses' knowledge and attitudes related to aging and older persons and to identify factors influencing their knowledge and attitudes. An online questionnaire was distributed to 339 nurses (experience ranging from 1-15 years), working in eleven medical and nine surgical wards within a Maltese acute-care hospital. One hundred and sixty-four questionnaires were collected (response rate: 48.4%). The Kogan's Attitude toward Old People scale and Palmore's Facts on Aging Quiz were used. The association between these two domains and a number of socio-demographic factors was sought. The participants had moderately poor level of knowledge (mean knowledge score:14.87 ± 2.92) and a moderately positive attitude (mean attitude score: 4.48 ± 0.58) about older adults. A Spearman correlation showed a positive relationship between knowledge and attitudes. The only factor positively influencing both knowledge and attitudes, was whether nurses had additional training in gerontology and geriatrics. Moreover, being a charge nurse, working in a surgical ward or having an older person living in the same household, resulted in better knowledge. The study highlights the importance of providing additional geriatrics and gerontological education for acute nurses to improve their knowledge base about aging and their attitudes toward older adults. This could result in older people receiving improved level of nursing care during hospitalization.

Collaboration between academia and actors outside academia (AOAs) has been proclaimed as a way for society to confront challenges in different fields. This 'participatory imperative' is anchored in EU research policy. The paper explores the participatory imperative in contemporary Swedish aging research. Three kinds of motives for participatory research as a way to societal impact emerged in the social voices of researchers granted money and AOAs with experience of participating in research. Participatory research was a "suitable research method for certain types of research objectives," an "answer to AOAs' outspoken needs for new knowledge" and a "result from the interviewee's double identity as a clinician and a researcher." Moreover, four types of activities were talked of. Participatory research was described as "dissemination of results," as "commissioned work," as "joint action" and as "education." The paper closes by promoting a synergistic approach where collaboration is enacted within already existing infrastructures of research and education. Scholars are encouraged to integrate collaboration with AOAs in their daily work as teachers and researchers. By doing so, new constellations of actors will emerge; constellations that are equipped to tackle real-world issues in new ways.

The need for improved competency in the health care and caregiving workforce is shaped by several factors. These include demographic shifts, a shortage of trained geriatricians, lack of primary health-care providers with adequate training in geriatrics, and persisting unmet needs reflected by poor health status indicators of older Floridians. Geriatric education to meet the evolving needs of older adults is critical for primary care professionals, residents, and students to meet the ongoing shortage of geriatricians. Nova Southeastern University South Florida Geriatric Workforce Education Program delivered didactic education to two health-care systems involved with geriatric patient care. Participants of the educational program were fellows, primary care residents, and students. The objective of the training program was to build competencies to ensure that all providers have the knowledge and skills to provide care for older adults with chronic illnesses using didactic education on diabetes, oral health, and heart failure. We collected Pre-Post data through REDCapTM, a mature, secure web application for building and managing online surveys and databases. The results from the pre-post analysis indicate an increase in knowledge in all three geriatric modules. T-Test of Pre-Post education scores are significant for all three modules indicating a significant increase in knowledge with p < 0.05. Our study suggest that the educational intervention resulted in an improvement in the knowledge of the participants. Future studies should incorporate detailed knowledge assessments that suggesting an ongoing structured sustainable training program on geriatric issues.

This article focuses on the use of interprofessional case discussions as an interactive learning approach to cultivate professional identity formation among multiple professions while simultaneously promoting geriatric education and enhancing learning about diverse disciplines needed for care of the older adult.

Social work field placements are considered the signature pedagogy of the social work profession. Traditionally, students are placed in a single agency for the academic year. Given that antitrafficking intervention is fairly new to the social work profession, interns may not be able to get the most out of an experience in a single agency. Using support from the literature on the most satisfying and beneficial aspects of internships and a rotational field model for geriatric social work students, a multiagency internship model for interns interested in human trafficking is proposed for other universities after it was implemented at a large Midwestern university.

The current study examines how Japanese and international care workers at a geriatric healthcare facility in Japan manage one of the most fundamental elements of handover interactions -- person reference and recognition to identify a particular care receiver and discuss their specific conditions and needs. By using Conversation analysis (CA) as a central mode of inquiry, this study examines how the participants approach the establishment of referential common ground while simultaneously attending to the progressivity of ongoing activity, and how written records on care receivers are incorporated into the process. The juxtaposition of three international care workers' performances effectively illustrates how the international care workers' performative competence is co-constructed with their Japanese colleagues in this interactive process and how the participants exhibit different kinds of orientations towards the activity arranged for the dual purpose of actual handover and for the international care workers' language learning and socialization. As a contribution to a growing body of CA studies of second language talk at work, this study considers possible tensions between engaging in a language-learning activity regarding specific linguistic elements during a particular professional activity and learning to become a competent actor in the particular activity.

Most geriatric care is provided in non-hospital settings. Internal Medicine and Family Medicine residents should therefore learn about these different clinical sites and acuity levels of care. To help facilitate this learning, a geriatrics training curriculum for internal medicine residents was developed that focused on cognition, function, goals of care and medication management in both in-hospital and non-hospital settings. Residents rotated through both in-hospital and non-hospital settings as one block rotation. They took a test of geriatric learning before the rotation and then took the same test at the end of the rotation. Residents showed an improvement in several geriatric domains on completion of a combined in-hospital and non-hospital rotation curriculum. We concluded that the development and implementation of a combined rotation curriculum has practical application to resident learning and the potential to improve geriatrics care outside of hospital settings.

Emergency physicians (EPs) often regard care for older adults as complex, while they lack sufficient geriatric skills. This study evaluates the effect of a geriatric education program on EPs' geriatric knowledge, attitude and medical practice when treating older adults. A mixed-methods study was performed on EPs from two Dutch hospitals. Effects were measured by pre-post tests of EPs' (n = 21) knowledge of geriatric syndromes and attitudes toward older adults, and by a retrospective pre-post analysis of 100 records of patients aged 70 years or more. Six EPs were purposively sampled and interviewed after completion of the education program. The program significantly improved EPs' geriatric knowledge. EPs indicated that the program improved their ability and attentiveness to recognize frailty and geriatric syndromes. The program also significantly improved EPs' attention for the older patient's social history and circumstances (P = 0.04) but did not have a significant effect on medical decision making. EPs valued especially the case-based teaching and indicated that the interactive setting helped them to better understand and retain knowledge. Combined quantitative and qualitative data suggest that EPs benefit from geriatric emergency teaching. Future enhancement and evaluation of the geriatric education program is needed to confirm benefits to clinical practice and patient outcomes.

We developed online training modules focused on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) designed to improve best care practices in long-term care settings, such as nursing homes, as a part of a federal grant focused on improving geriatric education for interprofessional (collaboration among different professions providing patient care) team members working in primary care settings. Faculty and clinicians with ADRD-expertise created and implemented an online asynchronous "ADRD Best Care Practices in Long-Term Care" program that includes audio-visual recorded presentations, a threaded case study, and supplemental information. Prior to enrolling in the course, participants complete a demographic survey and a modified 15-item version of the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale. After completing the modules, participants complete a satisfaction survey and the ADKS. A total of 94 participants completed both the pre- and post-surveys. Satisfaction evaluation data showed that the majority of participants reported that the information presented was very clear (74.5%), was useful for their work (88.3%), and would improve the care that they provide to their geriatric patients (93.6%). Out of 15 possible.

Seasoned geriatric community health workers offered valuable data that will inform educators and community health workers working with older persons. Geriatric community health workers' views about retirement and about facilitators and barriers that keep them engaged with older adults during retirement were identified. Twenty geriatric community health workers participated in semi-structured, qualitative interviews conducted by the research team. Sixty percent of the participants (N = 12) reported plans not to work during retirement, although 40% (N = 8) expressed interest in full- or part-time employment post-retirement. When asked about their expectations to stay in the field of aging or gerontology in some capacity during retirement, 30% (N = 6) expected to stay in gerontology during retirement. The findings from this research will help organizations and educational institutions create programs and resources that will encourage geriatric community health workers to continue working in the field of aging during retirement.

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 their students with increasingly important educational opportunities, one Southeastern university implemented the Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP), which promotes interprofessional collaboration within schools of nursing, medicine, and social work. This teaching note provides a detailed account of how one school of social work used GWEP to enhance interprofessional student learning. Preliminary findings illustrate the importance of integrating cutting-edge interprofessional education opportunities into social work curriculum.

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 informal dementia caregivers about dementia and caregiving. We provided eight half-day conferences for informal caregivers to educate them about Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) and make them aware of community and state resources. Demographic and program evaluation surveys including an assessment of Alzheimer's disease knowledge were administered to participants. A total of 563 community-based caregivers attended the conferences. Participants tended to be female, White, and well-educated. Evaluation surveys showed high levels of satisfaction with the training. Paired t-tests showed no significant differences in AD knowledge prior to and following the training. Although there were no statistically significant improvements in participant ADRD knowledge, participant reported satisfaction levels with the conferences were high with the agreement that their educational needs were met and that the information that they learned will help improve the care they provide to the individual(s) with ADRD.

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 in aging populations worldwide. We describe the development and process outcomes of a CAB that synergizes geriatric research and education of students in an allied health profession (occupational therapy). Implementation costs from June 2017-June 2019 were recorded. In-depth interviews were conducted with CAB participants, who were community-dwelling older adults living in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Interview data were analyzed using a constant comparison method based on a grounded theory approach. Themes were derived regarding barriers, facilitators, and benefits of CAB participation for older adults. Fourteen older adults (aged 65 and over) were initially recruited. The total direct cost of CAB implementation was 4050 United States Dollars over two years. Barriers to CAB participation for older adults included unexpected schedule conflicts due to illness and lack of understanding of the research process, while facilitators included accessible meeting spaces, staff support, flexible participation options, and financial support (e.g., transportation). Perceived benefits of CAB participation included gains in social capital, more positive views of research, and social connectedness. Key lessons learned are described and can be used to inform a novel approach to developing and implementing CABs to improve outcomes of geriatric research and education.

Through a collaborative university-hospital partnership, a student-led service model (SLS-model) was implemented to increase student placement capacity within a physiotherapy department of a 150 bed Sydney hospital. This study investigates the perceived barriers and enablers to increasing student placement capacity through student-led services (SLS) and the outcomes for hospital stakeholders and the university. Using mixed methods design, investigators interviewed nine clinical educators and surveyed thirty-four students over a ten month period to identify perceived barriers and enablers, clinical supervision models, experiences, support, and strategic innovations to increase student placement capacity. Content analysis of the interviews and quantitative visual analogue scores were statistically analyzed. Results demonstrate that student placement capacity increased by 212.5% at this hospital. Barriers and enablers included: student and clinical educator characteristics; placement support; workload and SLS-model context. Despite the perceived barriers challenging SLS implementation, enablers facilitated the SLS-model to increase healthcare service provision and increase student placement capacity for physiotherapy students at this hospital.

Obesity is a major public health problem affecting all ages in both developed and developing countries. It is considered the fifth leading risk factor for deaths all over the world as about 2.8 million people die due to obesity each year directly or indirectly. Obesity in elderly is considered one of the most serious public health challenges for all over the world. It is a complex; multifactorial disease arises from the interactions between genetic, environmental and behavioral factors together with other factors results in energy imbalance and promotes excessive fat deposition. Aim: to Determine Prevalence and Risk Factors of Obesity among Elderly attending Geriatric Outpatient Clinics in Mansoura City. Method: Descriptive, analytical, cross sectional hospital based research design was used. The study carried out on 126 elderly attending Geriatric outpatient clinics in the specialized medical hospital and general hospital in Mansoura City. Data was collected using 3 tools, sociodemographic and clinical data structured interview sheet, Health promoting Lifestyle profile II (HPLPII), Body Mass Index. Results: The results indicate that the prevalence of obesity among elderly attending Geriatric Outpatient Clinics in Mansoura City was 33.3% and there was significant relation between positive family history of obesity, unhealthy lifestyle as poor nutritional habits, and lack of physical activity, poor stress management and obesity. Conclusion: Increase awareness about obesity and healthy lifestyle is essential for elderly to prevent obesity and its complications.

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) What are the potential and problems of these informal training schemes? (3) How can the enacted training schemes be improved to assure effective and efficient learning and development of novice aides? In total, 19 nurses were interviewed to answer these questions. The analysis revealed that novice aides learn almost exclusively through observation and imitation as well as explanations of more experienced nurses. The typical learning trajectory of aides is structured such that they start to care for residents described as "simple" and progressively proceed to take care of more "difficult" ones. Such a trajectory allows nurses to construct hierarchically ordered knowledge in a meaningful way, minimises consequences of potential errors, and attempts to avoid discouragement that leads to early dropout and turnover. Strong learning potential has been found in more formalised discussion opportunities where collective experience with residents is discussed. Problems in acquiring the required knowledge and skills arise especially when instructing nurses believe that the prior experience of novices is sufficient for the work at hand, as well as when work practices require competences that are highly opaque. Suggestions of how to avoid pitfalls and how to foster existing learning potential are given.

Home care workers deliver care services to community-dwelling seniors across Canada, but home care workers' variable education and unfamiliarity with assessment data systems can impede client-centered care. This pilot study therefore examined the effectiveness and feasibility of five educational modules on geriatric care, developed with a pedagogical framework used to educate and empower home care workers, in improving care beliefs and attitudes, care provision challenges, and satisfaction with modules. Online versions of modules, which used clinical scenarios and interRAI home care to guide care procedures, were developed. Participants' care beliefs and attitudes, care provision challenges, and satisfaction were measured before and after module delivery using non-standardized questionnaires. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, whereas qualitative data was analyzed using content analyses. Although most participants already completed training at least once a year (52.9%) and believed they were knowledgeable of clients' needs (85.3%), modules showed significant improvement on 46.4% of participants' care attitudes and beliefs. Participants thought that modules focused on important educational topics for home care workers (94.3%) and provided useful information (n=19). The majority (79.5%) of participants were satisfied with modules and 68.6% could see them being completed online in the future. Educational modules, focusing on integrated and applied geriatric care interventions significantly improved home care workers' gerontological knowledge and skills. Accessible and low-cost continuing education on geriatric home care hereby presents as an effective and acceptable way of building home care workers' care capacity.

Age-related challenges to health and well-being among older adults give rise to a distinctive array of risk factors for suicide, calling for a unique approach to suicide interventions. Americans over the age of 65 are disproportionally overrepresented in the number of completed suicides. This paper examines the epidemiology of geriatric suicide, reviews age-specific risk factors for suicide, discusses interventional modalities for use with suicidal older adults, and describes the role of the counselor in geriatric suicide interventions. In particular, we focus on a gerocounseling perspective to guide strategies for intervening with older adults contemplating suicide. This model utilizes a multidisciplinary approach derived from the integration of physical, psychological, and sociological aspects of aging. Additionally we consider the potential for emerging therapeutic models promoting resilience, sense of coherence, and dignity to be incorporated into counseling services for older adults. Specific therapies discussed include Cognitive Reappraisal, Reminiscence Therapy, and Dignity Therapy. We conclude with a discussion of the potential application of the principles of palliative care in designing and implementing holistic approaches to counseling older adults presenting with suicidal ideation. (Contains 3 tables.)

Health care professionals including physicians, nurses, and audiologists are charged with providing comprehensive geriatric care for millions of aging adults. As baby boomers mature, prevalence of age-related hearing loss (ARHL) among adults aged 45+ years has risen from 30% to 50%. New findings have emerged regarding risk factors affecting ARHL prevalence. Many aging adults have medical comorbidities, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension, which substantially increase the risk for ARHL. Recent studies highlighted links between cognitive skills, psychological health, and lifestyle choices like exercise and smoking that also relate to hearing loss. Thus, both intrinsic and extrinsic factors influence risk for ARHL. However, many practitioners are unaware of the relationship between such risk factors and ARHL. Therefore, this tutorial article highlights key research findings and summarizes current knowledge for clinical application. Specific audiologic and interdisciplinary strategies for clinical intervention are recommended within a framework of developing community-specific hearing health promotion programs.

This article deals with the study of current status and prospects for development of nursing professions in Germany. It outlines the classification of "Healthcare Professions" and "Healthcare and Nursing Professions", which are also identified with "Nursing Professions". Besides, such concepts as "nursing", "qualification level 2", "qualification level 3", "job vacancy duration" have been defined here. It describes more detailed the second and third qualification levels of nursing professions according to the German Classification of Occupations of 2010. In addition, the article highlights the problem of shortage of nursing personnel in Germany at the level of skilled workers and specialists. Within this paper, the authors analyze the actual data on the shortage of German nursing personnel in healthcare and nursing and geriatric nursing at the level of skilled workers and specialists. Special attention in the paper is paid to the fact that Germany as a member of International Council of Nurses and World Health Organisation, takes part in a worldwide care campaign "Nursing Now", that was launched on 27 February 2018. It is designed for three years and aims to achieve many goals by the end of 2020: strengthen the role and potential of the nursing professions, thereby improving the health of the world's population. Much attention in the article is paid to the description of the new German Nursing Professions Act of 17 July 2017 that will enter into force on 1 January 2020. That is why rather perspective is further studies on the peculiarities of professional training of German nursing personnel before and after 1 January 2020.

Continuing education (CE) provides community healthcare practitioners an opportunity to develop and maintain competence after their initial training is complete. With increasing clinical demands and limited resources for practicing community providers, the need for easily accessible, high-quality continuing education is in growing demand. Also, given the aging of the U.S. population, CE that addresses the complex care needs of older adults is of critical importance. These CE opportunities are particularly needed in rural areas where physicians typically maintain a single-physician private practice and are unable to leave their patients to attend in-person CE. Unfortunately, access to CE with geriatrics-focused content can be challenging in rural communities where opportunities may be limited and access to administrative, financial, and technological resources and/or support are minimal (Hendrickx and Winters 2017). To meet this identified need, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Geriatric Education Center (GEC) and UAB Reynolds Program partnered with the UAB Division of Continuing Medical Education (CME) to develop enduring interprofessional geriatrics education modules (i-GEMs), a web-based geriatrics-focused CME curricula to be disseminated through a previously established on-line portal with 1000+ community physician members. The UAB GEC and Reynolds Program recognized the need for geriatrics-focused CE for other health professionals and worked with the Division of CME to expand the portal to include CE opportunities for additional healthcare professionals (examples include nurses, occupational therapists, physician assistants, and social workers). To ensure that participants of UAB GEC and Reynolds Program curriculum were able to locate the developed content, a geriatrics-specific sub-portal was established. With the expansion of the CME portal, the UAB GEC also identified that to create versatile and interprofessional content, a different approach would be required to develop i-GEMs that would applicable to all targeted healthcare professionals. To meet this new need, the UAB GEC incorporated the development of i-GEMs as a scholarly project into their year-long faculty development program to establish a pipeline for ongoing geriatrics-focused IPE modules. This paper describes the development of the interprofessional CE content, the partnership between the UAB GEC and Reynolds Programs with the Division of CME, as well as the utilization of the i-GEMs by practicing healthcare professionals.

This study was developed to show a professor's perspective to comprehend his difficulties and challenges, within a different scenario and culture of teaching geriatric dentistry in a nursing home. It was a self-analysis theoretically supported by the Social Constructionism and the Interpretative Autoethnography perspective. Data were constructed by means of participant observation and interaction descriptions. They were analysed by means of a matrix of association. As a result, a culture of adaptation and negotiation was described. Teaching geriatrics is associated with a constant adaptation to technical difficulties. It needs a well-developed interpersonal and professional relation among professors, students, and elderly. It results in constant adjustments and negotiation with feelings and emotions. Teaching geriatrics, in this context, was perceived as a multi-emotional scenario, which enriches the health educational practices.

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' was viewed as an encompassing umbrella term incorporating the management/reduction of symptoms and improvement in a person's quality of life at any point of the disease progression. Methods & Procedures: Participants were Australian-trained speech pathologists who provided adult palliative care services. An online questionnaire was used to gather both quantitative and qualitative data from practising speech pathologists. Qualitative data were analysed and interpreted using conventional content analysis. Descriptive statistics were analysed via the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows Version 22. Non-parametric tests (chi-square and Mann--Whitney U-test) were used for further analysis. Outcomes & Results: The majority (70%) of participants indicated that their university training did not prepare them to practice in palliative care. Participants who received palliative care education at the tertiary level were significantly more prepared to work with palliative patients than those who had not; however, only a minority (27%) had received such training. Just over half (57%) reported having completed post-university professional development in palliative care. The speech pathologist's role in palliative care was also highlighted, with speech pathologists outlining their contribution to the assessment of patients' communication and swallowing abilities. In addition, recommendations for palliative care content to be incorporated into university curriculum were suggested. Conclusions & Implications: Speech pathologists can make important contributions to end-of-life care, but there is much scope for improving the availability and quality of university and post-university palliative care training opportunities so that people receiving palliative care are best supported.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are difficult to detect in old age. This study examined if ASD symptoms in older adults (age > 60) can be detected with the Dutch informant personality questionnaire, (Hetero-Anamnestische Persoonlijkheidsvragenlijst, HAP) in a mental health setting. Patients with ASD (N = 40) were compared to patients with a different psychiatric diagnosis (N = 43; personality disorders excluded). The ASD group had significant higher scores on the scales "Socially avoidant behavior", "Rigid behavior" and "Unpredictable and impulsive behavior". These scales were able to discriminate between individuals with or without ASD. The HAP can thus be used as a screening instrument for ASD symptoms in elderly patients. Further research is needed to clarify what items have the best predictive validity for ASD symptoms.

The BSW Experiential Learning (BEL) Program aims to infuse intergenerational content into the curriculum and recruit students to the field of social work by implementing face-to-face learning opportunities with older adults. This article discusses and compares the experiences of 4 diverse BEL projects that implemented gero-experiential learning activities into 1 or more of the BSW curriculum areas: introduction/social work practice, social welfare policy, human behavior in the social environment, social work research, and field practicum. "Three keys to success" are offered as ways in which gero-experiential activities may be successfully implemented by other programs.

Professional shortages of geriatrically trained social workers pose a barrier to mental health care for older adults. Integrating graduate social work interns into primary care settings may increase the availability of trained social workers. However, few studies provide guidance on how to develop an interprofessional healthcare placement focused on the needs of older adults. This article discusses a model training program created by a psychology department (with input from social work faculty) that can be adapted by schools of social work. Client outcomes (n = 47) indicate significant improvement when using this model.

While there are various approaches to gerontological and geriatrics (and social sciences) education globally, a component commonly included in undergraduate education is a final thesis project. In Turkey, the Department of Gerontology at Akdeniz University has undertaken a unique approach to thesis development that values and draws on accessing the greater expertise and knowledge of faculty and students through joint collaborations. We offer an overview of the eleven stages of a collective thesis development approach as an alternative to the conventional way of conducting oversight of undergraduate thesis projects. With four years of experience, observed benefits of a collective thesis development approach for students include the opportunity to draw on the comradery, insights, and experience of a plurality of educators and aspiring students while developing, executing, and documenting a thesis project. Benefits to advisors/educators include profiting from the strengths in other advisors and wider exposure to current research, findings, and methodological approaches. So while there may be multifold variations in curriculum content and educational approaches, it is of great importance that educators create "spaces" that give value to and foster the pursuit of collective wisdom through joint collaborations.