{"title":"The need for culturally responsive teaching in death education: a call to action.","authors":"Autumn Decker, Raven H Weaver, Cory Bolkan","doi":"10.1080/02701960.2025.2502540","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2025.2502540","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With an aging population growing in size and diversity, more older adults will need support from the future geriatric workforce. Professional services will face issues related to end-of-life, making knowledge about death, grief, and loss essential. Most, however, report inadequate access to gerontological, geriatrics, or death education, particularly delivered with cultural humility. Colleges/universities can help fill this gap through formal death-and-dying-curricula, but faculty often feel unprepared to teach these sensitive topics. This study explored the experiences (e.g. lessons learned, best practices) of 27 instructors teaching death-related courses via semi-structured interviews. A consistent concern emerged among faculty regarding limited resources on cultural diversity. This prompted a post-hoc analysis of the existing data via a deductive content analytic approach to explore how a culturally responsive-sustaining (CR-S) education framework could inform future work. Evidence to support all four principles of CR-S emerged and three additional principles were identified that may build on the CR-S framework. Findings emphasize the need for more culturally relevant materials and multidisciplinary course delivery. We offer actionable suggestions for integrating cultural humility into death education and advocate for amplifying diverse voices in the field.</p>","PeriodicalId":46431,"journal":{"name":"GERONTOLOGY & GERIATRICS EDUCATION","volume":" ","pages":"1-18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144032239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The ethnogeriatric imperative: strategies for increasing Black physician representation in geriatric medicine.","authors":"Brandy Harris Wallace, Leanne Clark-Shirley, Pallavi Rao Podapti, Rosie Anderson, Raya Elfadel Kheirbek","doi":"10.1080/02701960.2025.2501188","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2025.2501188","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The increasing diversity of the aging population in the United States underscores an urgent need for a more racially and ethnically diverse geriatric physician workforce. Recent statistics reveal a positive relationship between physician-patient racial concordance, life expectancy and health outcomes of Black Americans. Despite this need, Black physicians, as a subgroup, remain significantly underrepresented in geriatric medicine. In this paper, we submit that the ethnogeriatric imperative is a useful framework for developing strategies to increase the representation of Black geriatricians in the U.S. We offer strategies to accomplish this goal: enhancing mentorship and developing career pathways early on during the undergraduate, pre-medicine years. By acknowledging the existing challenges facing geriatrics, we can develop recruitment and retention interventions that move toward a more inclusive field, one that advances health equity.</p>","PeriodicalId":46431,"journal":{"name":"GERONTOLOGY & GERIATRICS EDUCATION","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144050012","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anita M Reina, Ashley N Adawi Suker, Fiona Douglas, Kerstin Emerson, Ke'von T Hamilton, Austin D Dobbs, Curtis Harris, Jenay M Beer, Lisa M Renzi-Hammond
{"title":"Assessing certified nursing assistants' interest in well-being-oriented continuing education to improve job sustainability and career progression.","authors":"Anita M Reina, Ashley N Adawi Suker, Fiona Douglas, Kerstin Emerson, Ke'von T Hamilton, Austin D Dobbs, Curtis Harris, Jenay M Beer, Lisa M Renzi-Hammond","doi":"10.1080/02701960.2025.2500092","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2025.2500092","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The US population is aging rapidly, and the direct care workforce is currently insufficient to meet the healthcare demands of the aging population. Low-wage, high-stress healthcare careers, such as certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in direct care settings, have limited opportunities for career advancement, low professional fulfillment, and a particularly high turnover rate. One solution is to provide educational opportunities that support career advancement and improve professional fulfillment. This study explored factors contributing to CNAs' career progression opportunities, job satisfaction, burnout, and educational needs. 221 currently employed CNAs (<i>M</i> = 36.45 ± 10.84; 73.3% female) completed a 20-item electronic survey containing demographics, career satisfaction, career progression opportunities, and continuing education interests/motivations items. A sample subset also completed the Professional Fulfillment Index. Participants (<i>N</i> = 221; <i>M</i> = 36.45 ± 10.84; 73.3% female) reported high satisfaction in their career choice (<i>M</i> = 4.17/5.00 ± 1.00) but only moderate satisfaction with their career progression opportunities (<i>M</i> = 3.76/5.00 ± 1.21). Those who were satisfied with career progression opportunities were less likely to experience burnout (OR = 0.51, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and more likely to experience increased professional fulfillment (OR = 2.42, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Educational opportunities focused on easing burnout, promoting well-being, and providing training that directly translates to career progression may promote career fulfillment and reduce turnover.</p>","PeriodicalId":46431,"journal":{"name":"GERONTOLOGY & GERIATRICS EDUCATION","volume":" ","pages":"1-19"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144062670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ravishankar Ramaswamy, Stephanie W Chow, Noelle Marie Javier
{"title":"Development and implementation of an anti-ageism curriculum for medical students.","authors":"Ravishankar Ramaswamy, Stephanie W Chow, Noelle Marie Javier","doi":"10.1080/02701960.2025.2500087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2025.2500087","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ageism refers to the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) directed toward people on the basis of their age. Ageism is rampant and pervasive, often socially acceptable; however, it can be harmful to older adults' health and longevity. Education can reduce ageism, especially when coupled with intergenerational contact interventions. We conceptualized and implemented an anti-ageism curriculum for third year medical students to improve their awareness, attitudes and behaviors toward older people. First, we assigned students to engage in self-directed learning and reflection. Then, we had an hour-long interactive virtual didactic session involving case discussions, facilitated by interprofessional faculty. Then, we elicited students' commitment to change related to anti-ageism. We found a significant increase in students' self-assessed confidence in identifying ageist remarks and actions and in reducing their own ageist biases. Our curriculum was associated with an increase in medical students' perception that older patients are more appreciative of the care they receive and a decrease in their perception that taking a medical history from older patients is frequently an ordeal.</p>","PeriodicalId":46431,"journal":{"name":"GERONTOLOGY & GERIATRICS EDUCATION","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144064962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vinita Shastri, Chalise Carlson, Dat-Hoang Gia, Ravnit Bhatia, Michael Vallario, Shannon Healer, Sowmya Iyer, Christine E Gould
{"title":"In <i>their</i> shoes: multimodal training using virtual reality to improve knowledge and confidence in caring for LGBTQ+ older adults.","authors":"Vinita Shastri, Chalise Carlson, Dat-Hoang Gia, Ravnit Bhatia, Michael Vallario, Shannon Healer, Sowmya Iyer, Christine E Gould","doi":"10.1080/02701960.2025.2491520","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2025.2491520","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>LGBTQ+ older adults experience health disparities disproportionately and face age, sexual identity, and gender identity discrimination, yet education is lacking amongst health care professionals. Virtual reality (VR) is a potential tool to combat prejudice and unrecognized bias in clinicians, which is imperative for improving care for marginalized populations. We implemented a multimodal workshop on the care of LGBTQ+ older adults using case-based learning (Aquifer Geriatrics), VR simulation (Embodied Labs), and a discussion with LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinators. A retrospective pre and post survey was collected to ascertain the workshop's effect on learner confidence and knowledge of caring for this population, along with the effectiveness of VR in medical education. Responses were measured on a Likert scale of 1-10, with improvement measured by comparing the increase in scores before and after training. The post survey included an open-ended prompt regarding intent to use learning. The workshop was held 3 times with 33 survey respondents. Results indicated significantly increased knowledge/confidence in all areas. Free text data analysis identified ways respondents intended to apply the learning in everyday work. These findings suggest this workshop was considered an effective teaching strategy that improved confidence and knowledge, and channeled empathy for this underrepresented population.</p>","PeriodicalId":46431,"journal":{"name":"GERONTOLOGY & GERIATRICS EDUCATION","volume":" ","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144062673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Grace Me Pearson, Sally Dowling, Yoav Ben-Shlomo, Emily J Henderson
{"title":"Inspiring tomorrow's geriatricians: a qualitative exploration of the facilitators and barriers to medical students choosing geriatric medicine.","authors":"Grace Me Pearson, Sally Dowling, Yoav Ben-Shlomo, Emily J Henderson","doi":"10.1080/02701960.2025.2488781","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2025.2488781","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Education in the care of older people, beginning at undergraduate-level, will help to meet the needs of our aging population. Thus, we need to understand why and in what ways medical students have difficulty engaging with older people and geriatric medicine. Twenty-two medical students studying at the University of Bristol (UK) participated in focus groups, exploring their attitudes toward older people and toward geriatric medicine. Five themes were derived using reflexive thematic analysis. Relationships with older relatives contribute toward students' perceptions of older patients and can enhance their empathy. However, some compartmentalize personal experiences from professional practice to mitigate moral distress. Students are aware of ageism, and in turn encounter challenging views among the older population, which both present significant challenges. It was clear that career decision-making is multi-faceted; inspiring role models, welcoming learning environments, and undergraduate experience were all important. Critically, undergraduate exposure to the full breadth of geriatric medicine and the spectrum of aging was key to changing students' negative pre-conceptions about caring for older people and geriatric medicine. Undergraduate medical education offers a crucial point during medical training where we can intervene to improve the attitudes of and inspire career interest in tomorrow's doctors.</p>","PeriodicalId":46431,"journal":{"name":"GERONTOLOGY & GERIATRICS EDUCATION","volume":" ","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144020662","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yelena Perkhounkova, Clarissa Shaw, Maria Hein, Carissa K Coleman, Kristine Williams
{"title":"Developing and validating an intervention-specific knowledge assessment for person-centered communication in nursing home continuing education.","authors":"Yelena Perkhounkova, Clarissa Shaw, Maria Hein, Carissa K Coleman, Kristine Williams","doi":"10.1080/02701960.2024.2444922","DOIUrl":"10.1080/02701960.2024.2444922","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The assessment of knowledge gain from educational interventions is a common practice in dementia care research. This study aimed to refine and validate the Changing Talk Scale (CHATS), a tool for assessing knowledge of effective and person-centered communication in nursing home staff. CHATS was integrated into the Changing Talk: Online (CHATO) education program to measure the knowledge gains resulting from it.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Test items for CHATS were created based on the 13 learning objectives of CHATO. These items underwent iterative revisions based on psychometric analyses across four pilot studies, culminating in two 13-item alternate forms. These forms were evaluated using psychometric analysis and linear mixed modeling with 664 staff members from 15 nursing homes across the US.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The reliability of CHATS, measured by Cronbach's α, was .56 and .49 pre-education, and .70 and .77 post-education for the two forms respectively. The mean CHATS scores were higher for staff with higher education levels and increased after the CHATO, irrespective of staff or nursing home characteristics.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The development and validation of a test to capture knowledge requires the consideration of multiple aspects. CHATS effectively demonstrated knowledge gains from the CHATO intervention across various types of staff.</p>","PeriodicalId":46431,"journal":{"name":"GERONTOLOGY & GERIATRICS EDUCATION","volume":" ","pages":"295-309"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12018141/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142898914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Student-teacher communication preferences in Taiwanese older learners.","authors":"Chin-Hui Chen","doi":"10.1080/02701960.2024.2334734","DOIUrl":"10.1080/02701960.2024.2334734","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The role of teacher-student communication in enhancing the learning experience of older learners has received limited attention. This sociolinguistic study addresses this gap by examining the perspectives on this issue held by Taiwanese older learners. Survey data from 231 Taiwanese older learners were analyzed using ANOVA and independent-samples <i>t</i>-tests, with the aim of establishing how their age ranges and occupational backgrounds influenced their concordance with teacher communication strategies found in existing literature. While teachers were reported to assume that older learners from elite backgrounds preferred more communication accommodation in class, this study's results indicated that those with no work experience or who identified as farmers demanded greater respect, flexibility, and diversity of language codes. Age was also significantly correlated with learners' communication preferences, with those aged 76+ requiring more extensive accommodations than their younger counterparts did.</p>","PeriodicalId":46431,"journal":{"name":"GERONTOLOGY & GERIATRICS EDUCATION","volume":" ","pages":"204-222"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140207863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Brandy Schwarz, Mike V Richardson, Kathlene Camp, Rene Thomas
{"title":"Comparison of face to face and online delivery of a dementia-specific experiential learning activity.","authors":"Brandy Schwarz, Mike V Richardson, Kathlene Camp, Rene Thomas","doi":"10.1080/02701960.2024.2366279","DOIUrl":"10.1080/02701960.2024.2366279","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professions shifted from face to face(F2F) to online educational delivery methods. Research evaluating the effectiveness of online educational delivery is mixed.The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a dementia-specific experiential learning activity(ELA) delivered to Doctor of Physical Therapy(DPT) students face to face(F2F) versus online. Participants included a sample of DPT students (<i>n</i> = 171) from four consecutive cohorts. In this quasi-experimental, single-site two-factor design study, students participated in either a F2F(<i>n</i> = 84) or online version (<i>n</i> = 87) of an ELA. They completed a dementia survey pre-(T1) and post-ELA(T2). Pre- and post-survey analysis demonstrated significant improvements between T1 and T2 for both groups. The interaction of group by time F(1,169) = 287.61, <i>p</i> < 0.01 indicates a main effect for groups over time. Analysis did not demonstrate significance between versions for T1 or T2. The interaction of time by group F(1,169) = 1.08, <i>p</i> = 0.30 indicates there was not an interaction of time by group.This study provided strong evidence that students benefitted from the dementia-specific ELA regardless of delivery method. Both methods proved equally effective, as there was no statistically significant difference between them. Programs may consider online experiences to increase schedule flexibility and content accessibility.</p>","PeriodicalId":46431,"journal":{"name":"GERONTOLOGY & GERIATRICS EDUCATION","volume":" ","pages":"244-253"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141437666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Suzanne R Hawley, Theresa St Romain, Nicole Rogers
{"title":"Evaluation and comparison of aging education for undergraduates across multiple fields of study.","authors":"Suzanne R Hawley, Theresa St Romain, Nicole Rogers","doi":"10.1080/02701960.2024.2334738","DOIUrl":"10.1080/02701960.2024.2334738","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The college years represent a key opportunity for broadening the future gerontology workforce by introducing students to the aging content that may influence their career decisions, yet this content is often limited to students with behavioral health and health professions majors. The present study sought to determine the degree to which a Midwestern university's general education course on aging could increase learning, interest, knowledge, and ability to use knowledge for undergraduates across multiple fields of study. Participants included 560 undergraduate students, 48% of which were health professions majors, 28% behavioral health majors, and 23% majors in other fields. While all groups reported significant increases in learning, knowledge, and interest in aging studies, ANOVA found significant differences by students' field of study in reported ability to apply course knowledge in their career or organization. As demand increases for workers versed in the needs of the older adult population, it will be important for educators to incorporate career connections into aging studies coursework and make abundantly clear how students in all fields of study are necessary for the future gerontological workforce.</p>","PeriodicalId":46431,"journal":{"name":"GERONTOLOGY & GERIATRICS EDUCATION","volume":" ","pages":"223-231"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140337176","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}