Seeing Aging Anew: Using Arts-Based Teaching to Enrich Interprofessional Geriatrics Education

TL;DR

This paper explores how arts-based teaching can improve geriatrics education by fostering empathy and communication skills among healthcare professionals.

Contribution

The paper introduces two arts-based curricular innovations aimed at enhancing geriatrics education through interprofessional learning.

Findings

Arts-based teaching promotes empathy and communication skills essential for caring for older adults.

Arts-based education helps reframe aging and increases interest in geriatrics among non-specialists.

The curricula were successfully implemented in various educational settings including homes and nursing homes.

Abstract

Arts and humanities-based pedagogy encourages a human-centered approach to learning that is valuable to all health professions education (HPE). This type of teaching promotes empathy, tolerance of ambiguity, capacity to wonder, observation and communication skills, and assists with dialogue across differences. These are all priority skills for people who serve older adults across the educational continuum. Arts-based education can also help to reframe aging, building interest and investment in geriatrics among non-geriatrics trained clinicians. In this presentation, we review the uses of arts-based teaching implemented across a variety of educational settings including the home and nursing home for interprofessional learners from paramedicine, medicine, nursing and public health. We will specifically highlight the core aspects of two arts-based curricular innovations focused on geriatrics education and will assist participants in identifying opportunities to use components of these curricula in their own HPE.