Growing older with intellectual and developmental disabilities: implementing and evaluating a project ECHO for dementia education.

The needs of the rapidly expanding population of adults growing older with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families span both the IDD and the aging service systems. The use of Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) for professional education can bridge gaps and span boundaries between them at the macro, meso, and micro levels. A series of 10 ECHO sessions over 12 months was developed, incorporating key content on IDD and AD/ADRD for 145 providers in over 20 agencies. Impacts were assessed by a follow-up survey sent to participants after each program. The evaluation included quantitative assessment of ECHO features and a retrospective pre- and posttest of knowledge acquisition; a separate item assessed intention to apply information. Qualitative data were collected from open-ended items. The case presentation and discussion were the most effective ECHO components. Knowledge acquisition was significant for all sessions; most important uses included providing better care to clients/patients, training staff, and educating family and/or caregivers. Participants were aligned with two distinct groups, one with a predominant knowledge focus, the other with an emphasis on networking. Project ECHO can bridge gaps and span boundaries between the IDD and aging care systems at multiple levels, improving interprofessional collaboration and care by addressing both knowledge and networking needs of providers.

An interprofessional geriatrics faculty development program: exploration of the barriers and facilitators of capstone projects.

Faculty development programs (FDPs) are an effective, evidence-based method of promoting knowledge, skills and self-efficacy of faculty. However, implementation and sustainability of curricular capstone projects developed by faculty as part of these programs are rarely reported. Challenges to sustaining programmatic implementation of interprofessional FDP curricular content into academic and clinical settings over time were not found in peer-reviewed literature. To better understand the sustained impact of our geriatrics-focused FDP, we explored barriers and facilitators to implementation and sustainability of capstone projects designed by faculty Scholars in our FDP. Thematic analysis of virtual interviews with 17 Scholars revealed several key factors that impacted the implementation and Dynamic sustainability of curricular projects. Three major themes and sub-themes were identified: Project Implementation (Supportive Factors, Hindering Factors and Filling in Gaps in the Field); Pedagogical Development (Enhancement of Skills and Culture Change); and Sustainability Impact (Project Sustainability, Career Development and Passing the Torch). Results suggest it is important to ensure logistical support, dedicated time, and organizational or institutional support. Implementation of geriatrics-focused FDPs provides an evidence-based approach to sustainability. Further study of the ongoing barriers and facilitators to sustainability is encouraged.

Infusing geriatrics expertise in health professions education through interprofessional faculty development.

As the population of older adults continues to grow, the need for health care professionals trained in the delivery of interprofessional care for older adult patients is critical. The purpose of this paper is to detail the outcomes of an interprofessional, geriatrics training program for healthcare professionals with a faculty appointment. Specifically, we gathered outcomes at four levels: reactions/satisfaction, learning, behavioral, and organizational. Our findings suggest that programs structured like the Faculty Development Program (FDP) have the potential to increase the amount of geriatrics content introduced in already existing health professions curricula, as well as to offer faculty needed training in how to provide their students with interprofessional learning experiences.

Perceived self-efficacy gains following an interprofessional faculty development programme in geriatrics education.

This study was designed to document outcomes of a 10-month, 160-hour interprofessional faculty development programme in geriatrics. The programme was structured around a series of collaborative competencies in older adult care established. Six domains covering 23 competencies were used to create an evaluation instrument designed to measure changes in self-efficacy as a result of the training programme. These competencies are covered through a series of interactive and didactic seminars offered on a monthly basis throughout the academic year. Twenty-six faculty participants indicated their levels of perceived self-efficacy with respect to each partnership for health in aging competency before and after the training. Statistically significant results were found with respect to every competency in each domain. Prior to the training self-efficacy levels were lower than the mean ratings collected 10 months later when the training concluded. The largest perceived self-efficacy gains were seen in the "evaluation and assessment", "care planning and coordination across the care spectrum", and "healthcare systems and benefits" domains. These may reflect areas that were not covered extensively during the participants' previous healthcare-related training. Overall, the data demonstrate how a carefully constructed interprofessional faculty development programme can successfully engender confidence in geriatric competencies across multiple professions.

Marginal gerontology and the curriculum palette.

The thrust of human development over the life course is individuation. Birth groups grow more heterogeneous with age. Aside from there being a number of commonalities among members of cohorts, the stamp of life lived tends to increase individual differences, whether these be in organ functioning or other physical measures or social, psychological or economic characteristics. At the same time, there are large modal tendencies with age that have import for policy making, service planning, and social institutions. This article asks: How does gerontology reconcile the individual and the group? What must educational gerontology do to help capture individuation? How can the educational gerontology curriculum encourage not just the accumulation of facts and information but a deeper wisdom, a knowing, about what it means to grow older? This article suggests that our content, our methods, and our values have limitations. The standard educational gerontology curriculum provides the primary colors or core for understanding but needs to be augmented with a fuller palette. This palette should be both more comprehensive and less prescriptive, being adaptable to minority, sub-group, and other cultural contexts. The aim is to complement gerontology's traditional focus on the what and the how, with an appreciation of the who and the why, recognizing both the external persona and the internal self as important to understanding and teaching about human aging.

Abuse, neglect, and exploitation: considerations in aging with lifelong disabilities.

Persons with lifelong disabilities are newcomers to later life. Many are relatively high functioning, engaged, and happy members of their communities. Some are, and have been, victims of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. This article reviews factors that contribute to the current incomplete picture of the victimization of these older adults, reports the state of existing data on prevalence and treatments, and suggests initiatives to strengthen continued community living and improve both prevention and identification strategies.