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Recent national reports asserted an urgent imperative for transforming working conditions for the direct care workforce in the US. These clarion reports identified key influencers in reform as federal and state governments, workers’ unions and coalitions, individual and organizational employers. Equally essential and well-positioned local actors have been overlooked in the conversation—namely, municipalities, area agencies on aging, higher education, philanthropic entities, and community. Although deemed “essential,” direct care workers have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper examines an early public-private partnership initiative designed to recruit and train PCAs in Virginia.

Catch a Glimpse of Me is an ongoing project that uses video to help staff deliver more person-centered care for people with dementia living in long-term care. Focus groups consisting of residents, family and staff members were conducted to develop a template for the development of the videos. The five themes they identified as being important to include are: family; interests and hobbies; memories and moments; life space and getting personal. The article describes the process of developing the videos and discusses the ongoing potential of the Catch a Glimpse of Me project.

The number of older adults residing in assisted living facilities (ALF) and utilizing adult day care services is expanding with the increasing population of older adults. Currently, there are no standardized requirements for continuing education for assisted living and adult day care service staff at a national level. Given that 62% of states within the United States require continuing education for ALF staff and/or administrators, a more formalized system is needed that provides evidence-based gerontological training to enhance the quality of care and services provided to older adults. This article describes the challenges and lessons learned from conducting a program evaluation of a Statewide Training and Continuing Education Program for Assisted Living Facility and Adult Day Care Service staff in Virginia. Survey evaluation data from a 6-year period was examined and a formative program evaluation was conducted. The findings from the survey evaluation and formative evaluation are discussed as are the lessons learned.

Objective: The purpose of this exploratory study was to evaluate teamwork in gerontological practice. Methods: Participants (N = 475) were recruited through an online survey link sent through organizations and institutions serving older adults. Results: Findings demonstrated that age, length of time in profession and having a more positive view of teamwork made a positive difference in level of professional identity. Qualitative analysis demonstrated that personal and professional growth was identified thematically as an important element of teamwork. Conclusions: This study identifies that professionals working in aging services professions who practice teamwork identify value in teaming both personally and professionally. Identifying teaming experiences as relevant to professional identity development is important for elder workforce development and retention.

Purpose: Language carries and con veys meaning which feeds assumptions and judgments that can lead to the development of stereotypes and discrimination. As a result, this study closely examined the specific language that is used to communicate attitudes and perceptions of aging and older adults. Design and Methods: We conducted a qualitati ve study of a twitter assignment for 236 students participating in a senior mentoring program. Three hundred fifty-four tweets were qualitatively analyzed to explore language-based age discrimination using a thematic analytic approach. Results: Twelve percent of the tweets ( n = 43) were found to contain discriminatory language. Thematic analysis of the biased tweets identified 8 broad themes describing language-based age discrimination: assumptions and judgments, older people as different, uncharacteristic characteristics, old as negative, young as positive, infantilization, internalized ageism, and internalized microaggression. Implications: The language of ageism is rooted in both explicit actions and implicit attitudes which make it highly complex and difficult to identify. Continued examination of linguistic encoding is needed in order to recognize and rectify language-based age discrimination.

This study examined the impact of personalized versus generalized education about environmental fall prevention recommendations on older adults’ adherence with recommendations. Secondary aims focused on the impact of recent falls and perceived susceptibility of future falls on adherence with recommendations. Twenty-four community-dwelling older adults aged 65 to 89 years were randomized into two groups to receive either personalized or generalized education intervention on environmental fall prevention recommendations. A significant difference was found in the mean total percentage of adherence with recommendations of those receiving personalized education (69%) compared with those receiving generalized education (37%). No statistically significant relationship was found between sustaining recent falls, nor perceived susceptibility to future falls, and their extent of adherence with environmental fall prevention recommendations. Providing personalized education for environmental fall prevention recommendations may improve older adults’ adherence with the recommendations given.

Gerontology, as an academic discipline, provides professionals with the conceptual knowledge and the skills necessary to address the complexities of working with a diverse aging population. We know little about what attracts professionals to the aging field and what maintains commitment to these careers. The aim of this study was to investigate the roles of career motivation, job satisfaction, anxiety about aging, and professional identity in relation to career commitment among those working with older adults. Participants (N = 756) were recruited through organizations and institutions serving older adults and responded to an online survey. Participants' motivation for working with older adults, level of job satisfaction, and exposure to formal gerontological education significantly predicted career commitment. In addition, aging anxiety mediated the relationship between job satisfaction and career commitment. This study sheds lights on perspectives of professionals working with older adults and highlights areas for future gerontological research and training.

The purpose of this study was to explore how stereotypes affect physical performance in older adults. During Experiment 1, older adults were primed with objects representing aging stereotypes to determine whether these objects can activate stereotypes of aging. Results from the first part of this study provide evidence that certain material objects have implicit meaning and can activate stereotypes of aging. During Experiment 2, 96 community dwelling older adults were randomly assigned to one of three groups: exposure to positive stereotypes of aging (n = 32), exposure to negative stereotypes of aging (n = 32), or a neutral condition (n = 31). Gait speed, standing balance, and lower extremity muscle performance were tested before and after exposure to the objects. Results revealed no significant differences between those exposed to positive stereotypes, negative stereotypes, or the neutral condition. Physical performance was not affected by exposure to objects related to stereotypes of aging. Compared to ...

Graduate education in gerontology has an essential role in providing the foundational knowledge required to work with a diverse aging population. It can also play an essential role in promoting best-practice approaches for the development of professional identity as a gerontologist. The primary goal of this study was to determine what factors predict the professional identity and career path of gerontologists. In addition, the study explored how experiential learning influenced professional identity for newcomers to the field and for those experienced in an aging-related field ("professional incumbents"). Graduates (N = 146) of Association for Gerontology in Higher Education-affiliated graduate programs participated. Professional identity as a gerontologist was predicted by length of time in the field, age, satisfaction with coworkers, and satisfaction with opportunities for advancement. Experiential learning contributed to professional identity in important but different ways for newcomers to the field and for professional incumbents. The inclusion of an academic/experiential learning model within graduate gerontology programs promotes the development of professional identity and career path for all graduate students.

This study evaluated the impact of oral history interviews on life satisfaction of older adults who were interviewed by college students enrolled in a gerontology course. Using an experimental, pretest–posttest design, baseline life satisfaction scores of elders in the intervention group were compared to those in the control group immediately following three one-hour oral history interviews (posttest) and again 10 weeks later (retest). At posttest, no differences in life satisfaction were found between groups, but differences approached statistical significance at the 10-week retest indicating that, over time, oral history interviews may contribute to improved quality of life among elders.

This conceptual paper is based on interdisciplinary work the authors have participated in as part of the renewed push for civic engagement, the various forms it takes, and the multiple constituencies involved in its promotion. We focus on what theoretical and empirical content could be incorporated into courses on aging so that students can be prepared to critically think about, understand, and analyze both practice and policy aspects of civic engagement and aging. We provide three learning cases that can be used as classroom exercises, suggest sample assignments, and examine implications of engagement for older adults. We append a sample syllabus that can be used as a framework to convey this content in an elective course or as a module of a social gerontology course. The call for civic engagement is being heard throughout the United States across sectors and across population groups. In this article, we begin with background information on the renewed push for civic engagement, the various forms it take...

In this study, the effectiveness of an oral history assignment was assessed in a traditional gerontology class versus a distance education (DE) gerontology class. Attitudes toward older adults and the aging process were measured before and after students in the traditional (n = 29) and DE (n = 16) setting completed an oral history assignment. Scores were evaluated at posttest for differences between groups. The assignment positively influenced students' attitude toward older adults in both classes. Results indicate that this assignment was as effective in the DE setting as in the traditional setting. Findings suggest that oral history is an effective teaching assignment in a DE gerontology class.

In this article, the authors take a systematic look at transaction costs and barriers to a university-community partnership during the design and implementation of a Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training Certificate. The development of the authors’ university-community partnership was fueled by a funding source that enabled the Virginia Geriatric Education Center to work with three large health care systems. The purpose of the grant was to develop a geriatric interdisciplinary team curriculum for community-based health care professionals. The interdisciplinary planning committee, consisting of both university-based educators and community-based practitioners, designed a 50-hour curriculum that covered diverse clinical topics with an interactive format. In the process, the authors identified within-site, across-site, and between-partner barriers that need to be addressed for successful implementation.

This study investigated the effectiveness of a multiyear geriatric interdisciplinary team training (ITT) program conducted by a geriatric education center in cooperation with three large health care systems. Approximately 40 half-day training sessions were planned and implemented by the university-community partnership. The training sessions included core content on team processes and substantive clinical material on geriatric concerns and disease states (dementia, diabetes, etc.). Statistical analyses revealed that a critical amount of training is necessary to induce positive changes in team skills and attitudes about geriatric health care teams. Results also indicated that maturity, practical experience, and some previous formal training in geriatrics or gerontology are predisposing factors contributing to the effectiveness of geriatric ITT. Because resources to implement these kinds of comprehensive training programs are often limited, more focused educational interventions are advisable.

In this paper, the design and development of a long-distance course on geriatric interdisciplinary teaming are presented. The focus is on the conceptualization of the course, followed by details surrounding developing a design team; designing curricular content; deciding delivery methods; scripting; overseeing and editing videos; and determining assignments and grading criteria. Lessons learned in the process are provided.

This work describes the results and lessons learned from a community-academic partnership to research the effect of training on the capacity of rural home care aides to care for older persons with dementia. The research study increased the aides' knowledge of Alzheimer's and related disorders and, for one group, the aides' satisfaction. The authors used content analysis to identify barriers and facilitators of success of the research partnership. These factors are discussed and placed within a framework of innovation concepts.

The process of needs assessment, program design, implementation, and institutionalization of a Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training Program is examined. Three program components target health care professionals and students/pre-professionals: a video-based geriatric interdisciplinary team training course that has portability and is appropriate for training in a variety of settings; a system of identifying, enhancing, and evaluating geriatric placements in interdisciplinary teamwork; and a series of training units leading to a Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training Certificate. Over the three-year program development period, 40 students completed the graduate course, 12 new clinical training sites were developed for training in interdisciplinary teamwork, and 39 half-day Geriatric Interdisciplinary Team Training sessions were developed, offered, and evaluated for 537 health professionals. Fifteen health-care professionals were certified through the 50-hour geriatric interdisciplinary team ...

approach are advantageous in a rapidly changing health care system where managed care and integrated services are of increasing importance. A statewide Geriatric Education Center, in cooperation with faculty from multiple disciplines at a state-supported major medical college and other nationally known experts in this area, developed a graduate level distance learning course to enhance awareness of the importance of interdisciplinary teaming. Evaluation results documented an increase in the skills important to effective interdisciplinary team functioning. Greater improvements in attitude toward health care teams occurred among students employed in jobs where they worked primarily with older adults. Pre-training and post-training motivational differences were also found to distinguish students engaged in direct care, geriatric employment. Results are discussed in relation to other evaluation studies in this area and the advances likely to be documented with increased recognition of the benefits in employin...

This article describes recent trends that have led to an emphasis on a learner-centered approach to gerontology and geriatrics education especially in distance-based education. A learner-centered approach to education has combined with technological advances to stimulate distance-enhanced education for students in geriatric and gerontology programs. The technological advances, especially the Internet, that have enhanced the capacity of educational programs to involve students in the learning process even though separated from the instructor by time and distance, are discussed. In response to the needs of health care professionals who were seeking to enhance their skills in research, education, and leadership in their respective professions, including gerontology, the learner-centered Doctoral Program in Health-Related Sciences (DPHRS) was established in the School of Allied Health Professions of Virginia Commonwealth University. The specifics of this distance-enhanced, learner-centered program are described. The article ends with strategies for encouraging a learner-centered experience with special focus on distance-based education.

This work describes the results and lessons learned from a community-academic partnership to research the effect of training on the capacity of rural home care aides to care for older persons with dementia. The research study increased the aides' knowledge of Alzheimer's and related disorders and, for one group, the aides' satisfaction. The authors used content analysis to identify barriers and facilitators of success of the research partnership. These factors are discussed and placed within a framework of innovation concepts.