Background: Older persons consume disproportionately more healthcare resources than younger persons. Tri-Generational HomeCare (TriGen), a service-learning program, aims to reduce hospital admission rates amongst older patients with frequent admissions. The authors evaluated the educational and patient outcomes of TriGen. Methods: Teams consisting of healthcare undergraduates and secondary school (SS) students-performed fortnightly home visits to patients over 6 months. Self-administered scales were used to evaluate the educational outcomes in knowledge and attitudes towards the older people and nine domains of soft skills pre-and postintervention. Patients' reported satisfaction and clinical outcomes were also assessed. Results: Two hundred twenty-six healthcare undergraduates and 359 SS students participated in the program from 2015 to 2018. Response rates were 80.1 and 62.4% respectively. One hundred six patients participated in TriGen. There was a significant increase in Kogan's Attitudes towards Old People Scale (KOP) scores for healthcare undergraduates and SS students with a mean increase of 12.8 (95%CI: 9.5-16.2, p < 0.001) and 8.3 (95%CI: 6.2-10.3, p < 0.001) respectively. There was a significant increase in Palmore Facts on Aging Quiz (PFAQ) score for SS students but not for healthcare undergraduates. Most volunteers reported that TriGen was beneficial across all nine domains assessed. There was also a significant decrease in hospital admission rates (p = 0.006) and emergency department visits (p = 0.004) during the 6-month period before and after the program. Fifty-one patients answered the patient feedback survey. Of this, more than 80% reported feeling less lonely and happier.

Background Older persons consume disproportionately more healthcare resources than younger persons. Tri-Generational HomeCare (TriGen), a service-learning program, aims to reduce hospital admission rates amongst older patients with frequent admissions. The authors evaluated the educational and patient outcomes of TriGen. Methods Teams consisting of healthcare undergraduates and secondary school (SS) students - performed fortnightly home visits to patients over 6 months. Self-administered scales were used to evaluate the educational outcomes in knowledge and attitudes towards the older people and nine domains of soft skills pre- and post-intervention. Patients’ reported satisfaction and clinical outcomes were also assessed. Results 226 healthcare undergraduates and 359 SS students participated in the program from 2015 to 2018. Response rates were 80.1% and 62.4% respectively. 106 patients participated in TriGen. There was a significant increase in Kogan’s Attitudes towards Old People Scale (KOP) scores for healthcare undergraduates and SS students with a mean increase of 12.8 (95%CI: 9.5 – 16.2, p < 0.001) and 8.3 (95%CI: 6.2 – 10.3, p < 0.001) respectively. There was a significant increase in Palmore Facts on Aging Quiz (PFAQ) score for SS students but not for healthcare undergraduates. Most volunteers reported that TriGen was beneficial across all nine domains assessed. There was also a significant decrease in hospital admission rates (p = 0.006) and emergency department visits (p = 0.004) during the 6-month period before and after the program. 51 patients answered the patient feedback survey. Of this, more than 80% reported feeling less lonely and happier. Conclusion TriGen, a student-initiated, longitudinal, inter-generational service-learning program consisting of SS students and healthcare undergraduates can reduce ageism, develop soft skills, inculcate values amongst SS students and healthcare undergraduates. In addition, TriGen potentially reduces hospital admissions and emergency department visits, and loneliness amongst frequently admitted older patients.

Background Interprofessional (IP) practice is an essential aspect of healthcare to meet the challenges of an aging population. Tri-Generational HomeCare (TriGen) is an undergraduate student-initiated, longitudinal, IP home visit program focused on older patients with frequent hospital readmissions. Methods Teams comprising healthcare undergraduates and secondary school (SS) students performed home visits for frequently admitted patients (three or more visits in past six months) on a fortnightly basis over a period of six months. They were supported and trained by healthcare professionals from Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), a regional healthcare system, and North West Community Development Council (NWCDC), a social service organisation. A multimethod approach was used, with the administration of Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) pre- and post-intervention, and gathering post-intervention quantitative and qualitative feedback. Results 80.1% of 226 undergraduate participants from 2015 to 2018 enrolled in the study. There was a significant decrease in RIPLS total score from a mean of 80.3 pre-intervention to 79.0 post-intervention with a mean difference of 1.3 (-2.5 – -0.089, p = 0.035). Subscale analysis revealed a significant increase in the subscale “Roles and Responsibility” with a mean difference of 0.46 (0.14–0.77, p < 0.01). There was no significant change in the subscale “Teamwork” and a significant decrease in the subscale “Professional Identity” with a mean difference of -0.14 (-2.1– -0.77, p < 0.01). This was discordant to the participants’ feedback. 91.6% of respondents agreed they could “better appreciate the importance of IP collaboration (IPC) in the care of patients”. Qualitative analysis revealed takeaways including learning from and teaching one another, understanding one’s own role and the role of other healthcare professionals, appreciating teamwork and developing friendship with undergraduates from other professions. Conclusion We demonstrated the feasibility of an IP, longitudinal, undergraduate-initiated home visit program that may improve attitudes towards one’s role and responsibilities in IP care for future IPC.

Background The older persons consume disproportionately more healthcare resources than younger persons. Tri-Generational HomeCare (TriGen), a service-learning program, aimed to reduce hospital admission rates amongst older patients with frequent admissions. The authors evaluated the educational and patient outcomes of TriGen. Methods Teams consisting of healthcare undergraduates and lay volunteers – secondary school (SS) students - performed fortnightly home visits to patients over 6 months. Self-administered scales were used to evaluate the educational outcomes. Patients’ satisfaction and clinical outcomes were also assessed. Results 226 healthcare undergraduates and 359 SS students participated in the program from 2015 to 2018. Response rates were 80.1% and 62.4% respectively. 106 patients participated in TriGen. There was a statistically significant increase in Kogan’s Attitudes towards Old Persons scores pre- and post-intervention for healthcare undergraduates and SS students with a mean increase of 12.8 (95%CI: 9.5 – 16.2, p < 0.001) and 8.3 (95%CI: 6.2 – 10.3, p < 0.001) respectively. There was a statistically significant increase in Palmore FAQ score pre- and post-intervention for SS students. Most volunteers reported that TriGen was beneficial across all nine domains assessed. There was a statistically significant decrease in hospital admission rates (p = 0.006) and emergency department visits (p = 0.004) during the 6-month period before and after the program. 51 patients answered the patient feedback survey. Of this, more than 80% reported feeling less lonely and happier. Conclusion TriGen, a student-initiated, longitudinal, inter-generational service-learning program consisting of lay students and healthcare undergraduates can reduce ageism, develop soft skills, inculcate values amongst lay volunteers (SS students) and healthcare undergraduates. In addition, TriGen potentially reduces hospital admissions and emergency department visits, and loneliness amongst frequently admitted older patients.

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