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Senior mentors, students listen and learn by Heather Murphy Public Relations Traditional reference to the wisdom of community elders contributes to the overall perception that much can be learned from the older, more experienced individuals of society. But as modern society quickens its pace, some seniors often feel left behind in the technological dust or simply that young people don’t care about what they say. An MUSC pilot program spanning the 2002-2003 school year sought to change that mindset for some of the residents at the Canterbury House, an independent retirement community on Market Street.  It also sought to open the eyes and expand the knowledge of MUSC students. David Garr, M.D., associate dean of community medicine and executive committee member of the Center on Aging, described the program as an effort to enhance geriatric education among second-year medical students and other health professionals at MUSC.  Garr worked with Cam Spencer, Canterbury House wellness coordinator, to select individuals 65 years or older to participate in the new program as senior mentors to MUSC students. “We (the faculty) need to prepare the next generation of health care professionals to optimally address the needs of our aging population,” Garr said. “Rather than seeing folks in the office or hospital, those of us involved with the Geriatric Education Program felt it would be very important to have students meet with and learn from independent-living seniors in the settings in which they reside.” Garr, David Bachman, M.D., Renee Meyer, M.D., William Simpson, M.D., and Kesh Hebbar, M.D., served as preceptors for 23 medical students and six physician’s assistant students. The students broke into groups of three, with female students working with female mentors and male students working with male mentors. The groups of students not only learned the basics of the biology of aging, but also about interdisciplinary collaboration. “I thought it would be interesting because of the focus on the geriatric population,” said Wendi O’Connor, medical student. “As more of the population increases in age, it’s important to learn and understand the issues that are important to them, like maintaining nutrition and dealing with the unique experiences of aging and how it affects their health.” O’Connor spoke of the kindness and courtesy bestowed on herself and the other students and felt good about getting to know her senior mentor while increasing her own knowledge base.  “The impression I observed was that the mentors really enjoyed helping us learn, and it seemed to make them feel good to be a part of that,” she said. Indeed, O’Connor’s mentor, Mildred Boleman, 84, said that she loves young people. “They were all just as cute as they could be and I liked them all. The more I saw the girls, I kept thinking to myself, ‘Boy, someone’s going to have some good physicians.’” “Every month, we were able to follow-up on things we had talked about at the previous visit including everything from health problems to family that had come to town,” said Stella Walvoord, medical student, who also worked with Boleman. “Knowing her in more detail seemed to set her at ease about our level of interest. She knew that we were truly interested in her as a person, not just a patient.” Boleman chuckled, “They’d get me talking and asking questions, and at times I felt like I was asking as many if not more questions than they were.”  Recognizing that sometimes young people and seniors don’t always know how to talk to each other, Boleman felt the program helped to teach students how to relate to geriatric patients. “I’d be open to participating again,” she said. “I don’t see how anyone couldn’t like it.” “Dealing with the elderly is not like dealing with an older adult,” Walvoord said. “Seniors have a host of additional issues unique to that age group like cost of medications, isolation, self sufficiency and end-of-life issues, the list goes on. Through this program I learned to care for my elderly patients in a way that enhances their quality of life and keeps them interested in their own health care.”  O’Connor and other students would visit mentors, like Boleman, once a month and conduct different exams each time in the presence of a preceptor, like abdominal exams. Mentor Joleene Wood gets tickled when exams are mentioned.  “They were so precious and so dedicated to what they were doing,” she said. “They were so cautious and worried about scaring or hurting me. Over time though, their insecurities dissipated.”  Wood spoke with a cascade of compliments for her students, calling them compassionate and conscientious, as well as noting how much she enjoyed herself. “I loved working with the girls and the program because it made me feel like I was a part of something bigger than me. I was helping them become better doctors.” Wood noted how “delightful” it was to revisit old memories during the life review with her students and said that she “feels confident that whatever happens in the health care industry, although it needs political and social change,  I know that there are good physicians out there.” Mentor John Rockefeller, 74, said the biggest problem in the aging population is that seniors simply feel useless and not appreciated, and often times the latter is true.  But he sees the program as an opportunity for seniors to become involved and listened to by the community once again. “I enjoyed the young men a lot,” he said. “They were alert, and good Democrats. I enjoyed working with them because I felt that in talking about some of my experiences, I may have given them some information to fall back on should they need it later in their personal or professional lives.” Once a body guard for President Eisenhower, Rockefeller shared the colorful story of his life as a federal government employee, a  junior high history teacher, and as a writer with his students. Like Wood and Boleman, Rockefeller remembered and revisited memories stowed away and was glad to have participated in the program.  “I think they might have helped me more than I helped them,” he said.  While the response to the program from the students and mentors has been positive, the program will be on hiatus during the 2003-2004 school year.  “Hopefully by 2004-2005, this program, or a variation thereof, can become an integral part of the medical school’s curriculum,” Garr said. “Eventually, it would be nice to see this become a program involving students from several colleges going into the community as teams to learn firsthand about the abilities and needs of the older citizens in our community.” “I would recommend a program like this to other students as long as they realize what a commitment it is and that enthusiasm is key,” Walvoord said. “The mentors look forward to having the students there each month. It’s important to remember the goal of the program and to make every visit worthwhile.”     Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.