First-year medical students and the aging patient: a curricular model

First-year medical students at UCLA are introduced to the special health problems of the elderly by a process in which they interview symptomatic volunteers at both extended care and ambulatory care facilities. In. addition, they interview healthy elderly volunteers to gain information on gerontology and lifespan development, with supplementation from selected readings, films, lectures and panels. This curricular model seems effective in reducing prejudice about the aged and in training future physicians to render humane competent care in the field of geriatrics.