Aged Care Insite Issue 100 | April-May 2017 | Seite 9

news
Voices of experience
A university-driven program is connecting
older adults with aged care students.
Dr Maree Bernoth. Photo: Twitter
A
ged care health students have
much to gain by hearing from
older adults in the classroom,
Australian researchers have said.
Associate professor Maree Bernoth, from
Charles Sturt University (CSU), has involved
people living in residential aged care in the
learning experience in her own classroom
and has noticed the benefits for both
student and older adult.
“Older people have first-hand knowledge
about ageing and we’ve found when they
come into the classroom and share their
stories it has a powerful effect,” Bernoth
said. “The students come away with a
greater empathy and understanding, and
the older people feel a greater connection
to the community.”
Bernoth, along with colleagues from CSU,
have now received a Liveable Communities
Grant from the NSW government to develop
a resource to help engage older people in
aged care education.
The Older Persons Teaching and
Empowering Aged Care Health Students
(OPTEACH) project will see CSU researchers
speak with older people who’ve already been
involved in teaching programs to find out
more about their experience and how they
think it can be improved.
Bernoth said: “Older people in residential
care can feel very isolated and getting
them into the classroom to tell their stories
is one way of showing their experience is
valued by the community.
“Our aim is to find out what sort of support
is needed to help them to become engaged
with education and development programs,
not just at Charles Sturt University but at
other institutions and in training programs for
staff within the sector.
“Educators also need support to make
this kind of experience possible and we
want to develop a set of resources that
all aged care educators can draw on to
include older people in residential care in
their teaching programs.” ■
OPTIMISE CARE TO THE
ELDERLY WITH THE AMH
AGED CARE COMPANION
Aged Care Companion -
Available in hard copy or online
This companion is a trusted, practical reference for healthcare
professionals who work with older people. It contains the latest
evidence-based information and is useful when conducting
medication reviews and other activities (eg case conferencing)
aimed at improving patient outcomes. There is also information
on the management of more than 70 conditions common in older
people, including dementia and its behavioural symptoms, delirium,
cardiovascular diseases, fall prevention, osteoporosis, COPD,
insomnia, depression and wound management. It also contains
general principles on the use of medicines in older people.
The current release contains new content including a topic on
actinic keratosis, information on the process of deprescribing,
which is important for optimising the use of medicines in older
people, along with a simple diagrammatic guide to inhaler devices
with links to instructions for use and considerations for choosing a
suitable device in older patients. Other topics reviewed include
asthma, COPD, gout, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and dyspepsia.
For more information go to www.amh.net.au.
agedcareinsite.com.au
7