Development of a Spanish-Language Hospice Video.

The nation faces a persistent issue of delayed access to hospice care. Even though hospice enrollment is considered to be one of the most difficult medical decisions, physician clinics and hospitals lack tools for helping patients/families faced with making decisions about enrollment. Health-care literature lacks discussion of development of decision-making aids in the context of hospice decisions for minority ethnic groups, even though those groups have decisional needs that may differ from those of non-Hispanic whites. To fill the gap, we developed a video of a Latino hospice patient with footages showing how the patient was being taken care of by her family with support from a hospice disciplinary team. A primary objective of this article is to describe how focus groups, existing decision aids, and individual interviews were used to develop and improve a Spanish-language hospice educational video targeting Latino subgroups with linguistic, cultural, and educational barriers. These steps may provide guidelines for developing and revising health-related videos targeting other minority ethnic groups.

The Effects of Service-Learning on College Students' Attitudes Toward Older Adults.

The current U.S. health care workforce shortage is at crisis levels for providers who specialize in elder care. Barriers such as ageism, lack of awareness of the need for workers, and lack of contact with seniors can affect the career choice of young professionals. To explore ways to increase the number of students who pursue gerontology and to expand the elder care workforce, the researchers conducted a qualitative content analysis on the impact of service learning in senior care facilities on students' attitudes toward older adults. Students with senior contact reported increases in positive perceptions of seniors, discovered their own ageist stereotypes, and developed an interest in a career in elder care. Twenty-one months after the service-learning experience, students were surveyed again with their responses indicating continued positive attitude changes along with professional development demonstrating beneficial long-term effects from the experience.