USC Interprofessional Geriatrics Curriculum Positions Students to Help Older Adults

The University of Southern California (USC) has for the past academic year been engaged in the USC Interprofessional Geriatrics Curriculum, reports USC News . The curriculum beings together students from the fields of medicine, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant, psychology, pharmacy, and social work. They form teams to support seniors to get them through the pandemic. "It's a confluence of ideas," says USC Professor Seyed Parham Khalili. "It's teaching them to learn on their own how to work interprofessionally and how to break down these unfortunate silos between health professionals." Teams met online with faculty advisers over the past year to discuss patient care. Several raised issues about their older adult partners who were stuck at home and had limited mobility. Physical therapy students offered recommendations for safe exercises, while students from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work offered ideas about screening for mood disorders.