From aging . . . to saging- the Ohio State Senior Partners Program: longitudinal and experiential geriatrics education.
Ohio State College of Medicine began its Senior Partners Program (SPP) in 2001 as part of its commitment to integrate geriatric education throughout all four years of the medical curriculum. For participating senior partners and medical students, the SPP has signified a journey through a continuum of aging. Initial evaluations suggest that students have gained appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes to care for seniors responsively and cost effectively. Perhaps most important is the attitude change that this experience has brought about in the students, who are now substituting the health model for the traditional disease model of aging, and who have learned to lay aside their stereotypes of aging. Student debriefings and faculty evaluations indicate improved learning of geriatric skills and knowledge associated with the SPP. Ongoing program modification and evaluation will help guide Ohio State's next steps in geriatrics education.