Prioritizing, teaching, and promoting geropsychology to generalists: Commentary on foundational geropsychology competencies.

Schmidt, Nicholas; Moye, Jennifer

doi:10.1037/cps0000071

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…First, due to the great need for training psychologists to work competently with older adults, we provide psychologists-in-training clinical exposure to the community-dwelling, rural, older adult population with a focus on providing intervention for those with mild-to-moderate behavioral health symptoms. These are the older adults who are least likely to seek treatment for their behavioral health concerns, and exposure has been identified as an essential component of building geropsychology competency (Hinrichsen et al, 2018; Schmidt & Moye, 2022). Second, this project is intended as a community engagement service to older adults in our community for whom access to these behavioral health screening services is needed.…”

Section: The Senior Fest Projectmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification and referral of at-risk older adults: A clinical training perspective.

Koontz,

Canady,

Sexton

2024

Professional Psychology: Research and Practice

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As the percentage of older adults aged 65 and over continues to rise dramatically in the United States and globally, psychology must develop ways to meet the behavioral health needs of this age group. The psychology workforce devoted to working with older adults is insufficient, and one consequence of this deficit is the underidentification of behavioral health symptoms in this age group, often closing the door for further intervention. Older adults with mild-moderate symptoms and who reside in rural and/or underresourced areas are least likely to seek help for behavioral health concerns, and, when they do, it is most often requested from their primary care provider who may not recognize symptoms as indicative of a behavioral health concern. Psychologists in training participated in a clinical experience to improve their competence in providing services to older adults. This training and community engagement experience focused on the identification of mild-moderate behavioral health symptoms within a rural, community-dwelling older adult population over a 6-year span. Students provided behavioral health screenings, psychoeducation, feedback, and referral to assessment/treatment services for older adults during regional health and wellness events. Screening results revealed high rates of anxiety, mild neurocognitive disorder, and depressive symptomology in our sample (n = 658) of older adults, providing evidence for routine and systematic screening and early detection of behavioral health symptoms in the older adult age group. Impacts on readiness to work with older adults by those who completed this clinical training experience are discussed. Public Significance StatementThis article presents a combined training and community engagement program to increase psychology students' readiness to provide care to older adults. Trainees reported that the program enhanced their professional competence regarding working with older adults, many of whom presented with concerns including mild neurocognitive disorder, anxiety, and depression.

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Section: The Senior Fest Projectmentioning

confidence: 99%