Sacred Heart University - Nursing Programs and Physical Therapy Program
Fairfield, Connecticut
Patricia W. Walker, EdD, Dean, Dori Taylor Sullivan, PhD, RN, Nursing Program Director, Linda L. Strong, EdD,RN  and Michelle M. Lusardi, PhD, PT (faculty contacts)
Phone: (203) 371-7719  Fax: (203) 365-7662
E-mail: strongl@sacredheart.edu, lusardim@sacredheart.edu

Abstract
The baccalaureate curriculum in the College of Education and Health Professions, Nursing Programs includes an 18 credit Interdisciplinary Minor in Geriatric Health and Wellness.  This minor consists of two required courses, Health and Wellness in Later Life and Chronic Illness and Frailty in Later Life and four elective courses that may be chosen from at least two additional disciplines.  As an interdisciplinary minor, faculty from nursing, physical therapy and occupational therapy jointly teach the two required courses.  These courses explore the physical, psychosocial, spiritual, and socio-cultural aspects of aging and the impact of ageism on health care, while stimulating student reflection into their own attitudes and perceptions towards older adults.  Both required courses use the conceptual models of health promotion (Pender, 1996) and disablement (Nagi,1994) to explore, understand and analyze normal and expected phenomena of aging, chronicity, and frailty. Health and Wellness in Later Life focuses on primary prevention, health promotion, and disablement, comparing and contrasting the two models, identifying their complimentary and divergent aspects and explores methods for application of these models. Chronic Illness and Frailty in Older Life continues the exploration and use of these models, but focuses on aspects of secondary and tertiary prevention with minimally to moderately impaired older adults.  Service learning is a required component of both courses, and consist of health fairs conducted in community based independent living environments, and of “friendly visitors / adopted grandparents” with older adults living in assisted living and extended care facilities.
 To complete the curriculum students may choose courses from several disciplines, including a course from the Department of Modern Foreign Languages, Spanish Language and Culture for the Health Professional.  This course combines weekly grammatical objectives such as, greetings and methods of expressing age and time with weekly cultural objectives such cultural notion of personal space, cultural views of aging, health, illness, and disability.  This is a service learning course, and requires students to periodically meet with Hispanic elders who act as language and cultural guides and conversational partners. Course outcomes include the development of a cultural interview, and the preparation of two fiestas that showcase favored foods of conversational and cultural partners.  Additional elective courses can be chosen from the disciplines of Nursing, Psychology, and Religious Studies.

Innovation
This curriculum is unique in that it promotes interdisciplinary collaboration among Nursing, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy students as they investigate, analyze, and understand the health and wellness needs of older individuals.  The interdisciplinary design uses two conceptual frameworks that are commonly associated with either primary care, health promotion, or rehabilitation sciences disablement model and demonstrates the appropriateness and applicability of these models in the promotion of wellbeing for older adults. Using these models promotes increased awareness of collaborative methods and valuing of the contributions of other disciplines.  Service learning allows students to apply their knowledge of their own discipline in an activity that requires common skills and knowledge, namely education, health care advisement, and evaluation. Elective courses provide a different lens through which to view the aging process and the phenomena associated with normal aging and frailty.

Replication
While the disciplines involved are Nursing, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, the focus on health promotion and secondary prevention within the context of physiologic, psychosocial, socio-cultural and spiritual factors form a common language that transcends health care disciplines.  This model can be easily replicated with many of the health care disciplines.