Addressing ageism as a framework in an effective training curriculum for health promotion staff working with older adults

Health promotion for older adults is gaining increased attention as a viable model to improve health outcomes and reduce costs for the growing senior population. This trend, along with the existing shortage of healthcare professionals, highlights a greater need for appropriately trained staff working in aging services. Many traditional training programs focus on educating staff about older adult issues, skill building, communication and problem-solving. Although these are important, these trainings often lack the perspective of addressing individual attitudes and perceptions, as well as institutional practices and policies, that involve ageism. This form of discrimination based on chronological age could be a barrier to quality health services for older adults.

We will present a training curriculum for staff offering telephonic health education and coaching to older adults. Key training components address the topics of ageism and stereotypes that could impact the effectiveness of the intervention. This strategy builds sensitivity to such stereotypes into the framework of working with older adults. Staff members review common myths about aging, and are presented with facts that dispel these myths. Training approaches include exercises to address biases, and discussions about examples of ageism from media and advertising that are prevalent in our society. Health coaches and customer service staff are trained to recognize the heterogeneity of the older adult population, and base interactions on health status and individual strengths. Individuals with this training can more effectively address the growing healthcare needs of seniors. Results from training evaluations and lessons learned will also be presented.