Interprofessional education activity to improve communication with older adults

Given the increasing older adult population, students in the health professions need to be trained to work in interprofessional teams to effectively interact with and manage communication difficulties in this population. Through an interprofessional education case study activity focused on communication with a complex older adult patient, 92 students from Communication Sciences and Disorders and Nursing learned about interprofessional collaboration, age-related hearing loss, and communication strategies. Participants completed a knowledge assessment quiz, the Interprofessional Attitudes Scale (IPAS), and a post-activity evaluation survey. Pre- and post-activity results revealed a significant improvement in participants' knowledge of age-related hearing loss and its effects on communication, and significant improvements related to attitudes toward interprofessional education and shared learning on the IPAS. The findings of this experience indicate that the activity was effective in educating students about age-related hearing loss and communicating with older adults. The activity was valuable and had a positive impact on students' attitudes toward collaboration.