STRENGTHENING GERIATRIC KNOWLEDGE AND USE OF INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAMS AMONG ALLIED HEALTH STUDENTS AND PRACTITIONERS

With grant support from the DHHS Bureau of Health Professions, the Geriatric Health Institute (a joint venture between Sioux Valley Hospital and the University of South Dakota \[USD] School of Medicine) collaborated on training allied health students and practitioners in geriatrics and interdisciplinary team assessment. Goals of the 3-year grant were to establish didactic and clinical education in rural areas and increase the number of allied health professionals serving medically underserved communities. Allied health professionals and students enrolled at USD in the disciplines of Communicative Disorders, Dental Hygiene, Dietetics, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy were engaged in both didactic and clinical education during 1993-1996. Results from this training grant included significant improvements in geriatric knowledge over time, successfully attained attendance goals by discipline, placement of graduates in medically underserved areas, and strengthened collaborative initiatives and interdi...