3. Educates trainees in forensic and ethical issues vital for practicing geriatric psychiatry. This subsequently allows
trainers to provide superb patient care.
Author: Tatyana Shteinlukht MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Director, Geriatric Psychiatry & ECT rotations/electives,
University of Massachusetts Medical School; Medical Director, ECT service, UMass Memorial
Additional Author: Lina Cassandra Vawter MD, University of Massachusetts Medical School
F-03 Making it Real: Connecting Students and Elders through Oral History
Teaching younger undergraduate students about aging and the aging process holds many challenges for both educators and the
student themselves. For educators the main challenge is breaking down barriers that often come in the form of ageist attitudes
and beliefs. For many students the fundamental challenges include the artifi cial classroom environment and the abstract notion
of aging in general. Oral history was used as a tool to connect students in an Aging and Society class to gerontological issues,
their own life experiences, the attitudes and beliefs they hold about elders and the aging process in general. Over several
class sessions the students worked together to develop the interview protocol which included sections related to cohort-related
issues, growing older in the Worcester, MA region and politics and community involvement. As a part of this multi-phase project
the students were assigned a refl ection paper in addition to the project report. Student refl ections were generally positive and
included statements about their fears as well as insights into what they learned about themselves and about growing old.
Primary Author: Kiri Cook, Clark University, kcook@clarku.edu, 215.317.5246
Additional Author: Kelly Niles-Yokum PhD, Director, Gerontology Studies Program, Colleges of Worcester Consortium,
508.754.8629 ext. 3017
F-04 Integrating Tools Learned Abroad with Community Projects at Home
This poster describes the process and outcomes of integrating knowledge gained abroad with a community project conducted at
a local agency in Worcester, MA. As an intern at Centro Las Americas, the presenter worked closely with members of the Latino
Elder Program, and put to use the tools he learned while a student in Spain to conduct a mixed-method needs assessment.
The methodology included focus groups, surveys and background research related to the project. Both personal interactions as
well as fi ndings from the needs assessment revealed many of the disparities that affl ict this minority population. The presenter’s
participation in the project concluded with the discussion of potential methods to better serve this population and alleviate some
of the discrepancies that become obstacles in their daily living and level of health.
Primary Author: Avanti Peters, Student ‘09, College of the Holy Cross, ampete09@holycross.edu
Additional Author: Kelly Niles-Yokum PhD, Director, Gerontology Studies Program, Colleges of Worcester Consortium,
508.754.8629 ext. 3017
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