Quality Health Professions Programs: Path to Program of Merit Designation

Abstract In 2015, the Program of Merit was expanded and adapted to implement a voluntary evaluation process for health professions programs that are choosing to integrate gerontology/geriatrics competencies in order to prepare students for working with older adults as well as their informal care partners. These programs are now eligible to apply for the Program of Merit designation. The Program of Merit for Health Professions Programs is based on the AGHE Standards and Guidelines for Gerontology/ Geriatrics in Higher Education, Sixth Edition (2015), specifically Chapters 11 and 12. This session will provide the information and support systems in place for health professions programs to be recognized with the AGHE Program of Merit designation.

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AGHE Program of Merit for Health Professions Education

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1736 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 536-536

Author(s):

Donna Weinreich

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Older Adults ◽

Informal Care ◽

Evaluation Process ◽

Health Professions ◽

Technical Support ◽

Health Professions Education ◽

Sixth Edition ◽

Care Partners ◽

Standards And Guidelines

Abstract In 2015, the Program of Merit was expanded and adapted to implement a voluntary evaluation process for health professions programs that are choosing to integrate gerontology/geriatrics competencies in order to prepare students for working with older adults as well as their informal care partners. These programs are now eligible to apply for the Program of Merit designation. The Program of Merit for Health Professions Programs is based on the AGHE Standards and Guidelines for Gerontology/ Geriatrics in Higher Education, Sixth Edition (2015), specifically Chapters 11 and 12. This session will provide an overview of the process, review the application content, and provide technical support for interested participants.

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Moving Toward a Third Generation of Medical Education

Research Anthology on Instilling Social Justice in the Classroom ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-7706-6.ch053 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 926-939

Author(s):

Wendy M. Green

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

First Generation ◽

Health Professions ◽

The United States ◽

Health Professions Education ◽

Third Generation ◽

Education Programs ◽

The Third ◽

Transformative Approach ◽

Issue Health

The number of health professions education programs continues to increase across the United States and globally, but unequal access to healthcare remains a pressing issue. Health professions education has shifted from a first-generation approach, centered on didactic teaching, to a second-generation approach, centered on problem-based learning. In a Lancet paper, Frenk and colleagues argued for the incorporation of a transformative paradigm within health professions education facilitating the move towards the third generation of health professions education. Drawing on Mezirow and Freire, they argued for the incorporation of a transformative paradigm to improve health professions education by better aligning medical education and population needs. This chapter examines how a transformative approach to health professions education could be implemented and where it would be most effective. It also looks at how a transformative paradigm within health professions education could provide an additional lens to understand health disparities, structural inequity, and diversity.

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AGHE Program of Merit for Gerontology Programs

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1737 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 536-536

Author(s):

Pamela Elfenbein

Keyword(s):

Technical Assistance ◽

Prospective Students ◽

Application Process ◽

Education Programs ◽

Knowledge And Skills ◽

The Public ◽

Campus Administrators ◽

Quality Program ◽

Gerontology Program

Abstract The POM designation provides gerontology programs with an AGHE “stamp of approval,” which can be used to verify program quality to administrators, to lobby for additional resources to maintain a quality program, to market the program, and to recruit prospective students into the program. This worldwide process of evaluation for both Gerontology programs verifies for students that the program is consistent with globally vetted criteria in gerontology endorsed and recognized by AGHE; assures the public of the quality of programs and their graduates; clarifies for employers the knowledge and skills imparted to students who graduate from POM designated gerontology programs; informs campus administrators of global guidelines, expectations, and practice in gerontology education programs; and indicates to interested students that the program is of high quality. Those interested in the Gerontology Program of Merit will be able to ask questions, understand the application process, and ask for technical assistance.

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Moving Toward a Third Generation of Medical Education

Advances in Library and Information Science - Handbook of Research on Transdisciplinary Knowledge Generation ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-9531-1.ch007 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 88-101 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wendy M. Green

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

First Generation ◽

Health Professions ◽

The United States ◽

Health Professions Education ◽

Third Generation ◽

Education Programs ◽

The Third ◽

Transformative Approach ◽

Issue Health

The number of health professions education programs continues to increase across the United States and globally, but unequal access to healthcare remains a pressing issue. Health professions education has shifted from a first-generation approach, centered on didactic teaching, to a second-generation approach, centered on problem-based learning. In a Lancet paper, Frenk and colleagues argued for the incorporation of a transformative paradigm within health professions education facilitating the move towards the third generation of health professions education. Drawing on Mezirow and Freire, they argued for the incorporation of a transformative paradigm to improve health professions education by better aligning medical education and population needs. This chapter examines how a transformative approach to health professions education could be implemented and where it would be most effective. It also looks at how a transformative paradigm within health professions education could provide an additional lens to understand health disparities, structural inequity, and diversity.

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A Theoretical Framework for the Development of Views of One’s Own Aging

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.017 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 6-6

Author(s):

Sarah Marrs ◽

Jennifer Inker ◽

Madeline McIntyre ◽

Leland Waters ◽

Tracey Gendron

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Medical Students ◽

Assisted Living ◽

Health Professions ◽

Theoretical Framework ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Mentoring Program ◽

Term Care ◽

Before And After ◽

Students Attitudes

Abstract Senior mentoring programs have been established that provide medical students exposure to a community-dwelling older adult mentor. The goal of these programs is to expose students to healthy older adults, increase knowledge of geriatrics, and prepare them to care for an aging population. However, even while participating in a senior mentoring program, health professions students still demonstrate some discriminatory language towards older adults (e.g., Gendron, Inker, & Welleford, 2018). In fact, research suggests ageist practices occur, intentionally or not, among all health professions and within assisted living and long-term care facilities (e.g., Bowling, 1999; Dobbs et al., 2008; Kane & Kane, 2005). There is reason to believe that how we feel about other older adults is a reflection of how we feel about ourselves as aging individuals. As part of an evaluation of a Senior Mentoring program, we found that students’ attitudes towards older adults were not significantly improved (t (92) = .38, p = .70). To further explore this, we collected subsequent qualitative data. Specifically, we asked students to respond to the open-ended prompt before and after completing their senior mentoring program: How do you feel about your own aging? Our findings have revealed just how complex students’ views towards aging and elderhood are, pointing to a need to develop a theoretical framework for how these views are formed. Thus, the results of this qualitative grounded theory study illustrate the stages of development medical students’ progress through as they come to accept themselves as aging humans.

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Telehealth Competencies for Interprofessional Teams Caring for Older Adults and Care Partners

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.2886 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 796-796

Author(s):

Becky Powers ◽

Kathryn Nearing ◽

Studi Dang ◽

William Hung ◽

Hillary Lum

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Best Practices ◽

Veterans Health Administration ◽

Veterans Health ◽

Health Administration ◽

Delivery Of Care ◽

Face To Face ◽

Evaluation Measures ◽

Interprofessional Teams ◽

Care Partners

Abstract Providing interprofessional geriatric care via telehealth is a unique clinical skillset that differs from providing face-to-face care. The lack of clear guidance on telehealth best practices for providing care to older adults and their care partners has created a systems-based practice educational gap. For several years, GRECC Connect has provided interprofessional telehealth visits to older adults, frequently training interprofessional learners in the process. Using our interprofessional telehealth expertise, the GRECC Connect Education Workgroup created telehealth competencies for the delivery of care to older adults and care partners for interprofessional learners. Competencies incorporate key telehealth, interprofessional and geriatric domains, and were informed by diverse stakeholders within the Veterans Health Administration. During this symposium, comments will be solicited from attendees. Once finalized, these competencies will drive the development of robust curricula and evaluation measures aimed at training the next generation of interprofessional providers to expertly care for older adults via telehealth.

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Education and skills training for care partners of hospitalised older adults: A scoping review

Health Education Journal ◽

10.1177/00178969211034192 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 001789692110341

Author(s):

Madeline Carbery ◽

Samantha Schwartz ◽

Nicole Werner ◽

Beth Fields

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Hospital Admission ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Older Adult ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Hospital Care ◽

Skills Training ◽

Individual Care ◽

Care Partners ◽

The Usa

Background: The care partners of hospitalised older adults often feel dissatisfied with the education and skills training provided to them, resulting in unpreparedness and poor health outcomes. Objective: This review aimed to characterise and identify gaps in the education and skills training used with the care partners of older adults in the hospital. Methods: We conducted a scoping review on the education and skills training practices used with the care partners of hospitalised older adults in the USA via sources identified in the PubMed, PsychINFO and CINAHL databases. Results: Twelve studies were included in this review. Results illustrate that nurses utilise multiple modes of delivery and frequently provide education and skills training tailored to the needs of care partners at the latter end of hospital care. The provision of education and skills training varies greatly, however, including who provides education, in what way information is conveyed, and how care partner outcomes are measured. Conclusion: This is the first scoping review to describe and synthesise the education and skills training practices used with care partners of hospitalised older adults. Findings highlight the need for education and skills training to be interprofessional, tailored to individual care partners’ needs and begin at, or even before, the hospital admission of older adult patients.

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Enhancing Behavioral Health Competencies for Senior Center Staff: Lessons Learned From Workforce Training Efforts

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.001 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 1-1

Author(s):

Bronwyn Keefe ◽

Jennifer Tripken

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Behavioral Health ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Organizational Level ◽

Senior Center ◽

Senior Centers ◽

Knowledge And Skills ◽

Center Staff ◽

The Impact

Abstract Increases in the numbers of older adults with mental health and substance use concerns compel us to identify best practices in training to address these issues. Senior Centers are an ideal location for behavioral health education programs as they are the go-to place for many older adults. This session will describe a program funded by The Retirement Research Foundation and offered in collaboration with Center for Aging and Disability Education and Research at Boston University and NCOA to increase senior center staff knowledge and skills. Approximately 250 senior center staff in Illinois, Florida, and Wisconsin completed an online certificate in Behavioral Health and Aging. Results show that 100% of respondents felt that the training was useful for their job; 93% felt that they will be a more effective worker as a result of the training; and 97% felt that the information they learned in the training will make a difference with the people they serve. We held key informant interviews to assess the impact of training and participants stated that their knowledge, skills, and behaviors were influenced by the program. At the organizational level, leaders reported new programming related to behavioral health and revised practices and protocols. This presentation will cover: (1) the extent to which training participants mastered the competencies needed for effective practice; (2) knowledge and skills gained from the training program; (3) Senior Centers’ capacity to identify and refer older adults to mental health services; and (4) organizational changes related to behavioral health programming with older adults.

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Digital Storytelling in Older Adults With Typical Aging, and With Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia: A Systematic Literature Review

Journal of Applied Gerontology ◽

10.1177/07334648211015456 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 073346482110154

Author(s):

Adriana Maria Rios Rincon ◽

Antonio Miguel Cruz ◽

Christine Daum ◽

Noelannah Neubauer ◽

Aidan Comeau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Literature Review ◽

Systematic Literature Review ◽

Digital Storytelling ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Form Of Life ◽

Self Confidence ◽

Care Partners

The rates of dementia are on the rise as populations age. Storytelling is commonly used in therapies for persons living with dementia and can be in the form of life review, and reminiscence therapy. A systematic literature review was conducted to examine the range and extent of the use of digital technologies for facilitating storytelling in older adults and their care partners, and to identify the processes and methods, the technologies used and their readiness levels, the evidence, and the associated outcomes. Eight electronic databases were searched: Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Abstracts in Social Gerontology, ERIC, Web of Science, and Scopus. We included 34 studies. Mild cognitive impairment or dementia represented over half of medical conditions reported in the studies. Overall, our findings indicate that the most common use of digital storytelling was to support older adults’ memory, reminiscence, identity, and self-confidence; however, the level of evidence of its effectiveness was low.

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