ENSURING A KNOWLEDGEABLE GERIATRIC WORKFORCE: INTERDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION IN LONG-TERM SERVICES AND SUPPORTS. (20th December 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tucker-Roghi, Gina; Towsley, Gail; Edelman, Linda
• Is Part Of: Innovation in aging. Volume 6(2022)Supplement 1
• Page Start: 78
• Page End: 78
• Publication Date: 2022-12-20
• Subjects: Aging -- Periodicals; Gerontology -- Periodicals; 612.67
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igac059.315
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2399-5300

Abstract

Abstract: In this symposium, we describe five interdisciplinary educational programs to enhance the geriatric workforce in long-term services and supports (LTSS): Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), assisted living, and home health and hospice. The interdisciplinary teams that came together to offer the programs leveraged technology to maximize access to experts in both the curriculum development process and the delivery of the educational programs for a wide range of target learners. The first program, an interdisciplinary telementoring series on dementia care for therapists in SNFs, was developed by a team of experts from occupational, physical and speech therapy. The program included asynchronous online didactic content and case-based learning relevant to therapists. The second program engaged faculty from seven graduate programs: Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Dentistry, Social Work, Nursing and Physician Assistant to co-create an interprofessional LTSS graduate certificate in Gerontology. The certificate encompasses asynchronous online courses to enable flexibility across programs and cover content specific to LTSS. In the third program, LTSS nurses completed an online educational course to better prepare them to care for complex older adults, improve leadership skills, become more resilient, and complete QAPI projects. The fourth program focused on utilizing interdisciplinary perspectives to educate LTSS direct care staff on the unique needs of LGBTQ older adults. The fifth program offered a virtual telehealth clinical experience to prepare physical therapy students for practice in a SNF setting. The curriculum included eight virtual modules and four telehealth patient encounters that exposed students to interdisciplinary teams in the SNF context.