Melen R. McBride

Bioterrorism and Emergency Preparedness in Aging (BTEPA): HRSA-Funded GEC Collaboration for Curricula and Training

Abstract Frail elders living alone or in long-term care settings are particularly vulnerable to bioterrorism and other emergencies due to their complex physical, social and psychological needs. This paper provides an overview of the recent literature on bioterrorism and emergency preparedness in aging (BTEPA); discusses federal initiatives by the health resources and services administration (HRSA) to address BTEPA; describes the collaborative efforts of six HRSA-funded geriatric education centers (GECS) to develop BTEPA geriatric curricula and training; and offers recommendations for BTEPA education and training, clinical practices, policy, and research. The GEC/BTEPA collaboration has produced model curricula, including emergency planning for diverse groups of older persons; enhanced networking among stakeholders in a fast paced environment of information sharing and changing policies; and developed interdisciplinary educational resources and approaches to address emergency preparedness for various settings in the elder care continuum.

Harnessing Technology and Collaboration for an Online Ethnogeriatric Educational Resource

Abstract The paper describes the development and testing of a Web-based educational resource for usability and acceptability by health care providers who care for ethnic older adults. The work was undertaken as a dissertation project. The purpose of the Website is to provide on-demand ethnogeriatric information to enhance provider-patient interaction. Focus groups of clinicians and ethnic older adults were used in order to identify content relevant to the care of frail ethnic older adults. Collaboration with the Stanford Geriatric Education Center, On Lok Senior Health Services, Inc., Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education, and a network of virtual consultants provided support to the project. The site contains information on 15 cultures, 12 religions, and 6 ethnic minority cohort groups. Testing by snowball sampling generated survey data from 96 respondents, consisting of general practitioners (24%), pediatric specialists (20%), and geriatric specialists (18%). The Website was considered useful for provider-patient communication (77%) and would be recommended to others (99%). The Web-based information resource, called “Diversity, Healing, and Healthcare,” currently exists as a resource rather than as a defined learning module and can be accessed at http://www.gasi.org/diversity.htm.

The Evolution of Academic-Based Geriatric Emergency Preparedness and Response (GEPR) Training for Medicine, Health, and Behavioral Sciences

This chapter provides a historical perspective of the evolution of policy, funding, training, and resources to address the age-appropriate needs of older persons and the healthcare workforce that serves them in planning, response, and recovery from disasters. The collaborative efforts are described of six U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources Services Administration (USDHHS/HRSA) funded Geriatrics Education Centers that have made a significant impact on training for health professionals, the continuum of geriatric care services, and the ability to leverage financial support. Academic courses, faculty development, clinical and practice training, and continuing education programs are described. Focused programs on mental health, acute care settings, community-based long-term care and populations with functional, access, and unique needs are included so they can be replicated in other settings to enhance academic and community disaster planning and response. Strategies are recommended to support and advance the national goals of preparedness for older adults and their families from mainstream communities as well as from culturally and functionally diverse communities. Lessons learned, unmet needs, and evolving trends are included that have significant implications for future education and resource development for geriatric emergency preparedness and response.

Outcomes of Academic-Based Geriatric Emergency Preparedness and Response (GEPR) Training for Medicine, Health, and Behavioral Professions

The progression of evaluation approaches shifting from counting training activities to measuring outcomes from evidence-based training is documented for six U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration-funded Geriatric Education Centers that have collaborated on geriatric emergency preparedness and response (GEPR) training and evaluation initiatives. The Kirkpatrick’s chain of impact evaluation model is used as the framework for describing modalities and outcomes at the reaction, learning, behavior, and results levels. The chapter provides examples of GEPR Collaborative training programs and resources that provide insight into evaluation approaches and their impact on the healthcare workforce, changes in geriatric/gerontological services, the ability to leverage support, development, and use of new resources and the provision of care for older persons. Outcomes are described that lead to lessons learned and recommendations for enhancing evaluation efforts. The importance of legislative and policy directives are explored relative to the creation of a national standard for culturally proficient preparedness and response to “all-hazards” disaster and governmental and community resilience as 17 million people with multiple chronic conditions (MCC) steadily grow with the aging baby boomer generation. In addition, the next generations and populations with culture-based survival and safety needs are aging as well. A case is made for using multimodal evaluation strategies to create standardized tools to measure GEPR training outcomes to meet Healthy People 2020 objectives and to strengthen preparedness and response skills of healthcare provider networks and populations of older adults from diverse communities across the nation.