ATSU celebrates 10 years of Aging Studies

This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the Aging Studies Project’s annual Lecture on Aging at A.T. Still University (ATSU). It all began in 2003 with the first Lecture on Aging. Alternating between ATSU’s Kirksville, Mo., and Mesa, Az., campuses, each year’s free, public lecture features a nationally recognized expert on an important topic in aging. This year’s lecture, “So Many Drugs, So Little Time: A Focus on Polypharmacy,” will be given by Joseph Flaherty, MD, a professor of medicine at St. Louis University and assistant program director for the St. Louis University Geriatric Medicine Fellowship program. This milestone lecture will take place in Missouri at noon and be telecast on the Arizona campus at 10:00 a.m.

The Aging Studies Project (ASP) has grown exponentially over the last decade. ASP’s goal is to bring all students into direct contact with community-based elders, expand learning resources for students and community members, and provide opportunities for interdisciplinary clinical interaction to strengthen student capacity for the interprofessional teamwork needed especially for geriatric care. This University-wide program emphasizes interactive, experiential learning for students and offers community outreach to elders and service agencies. By bringing students into direct contact with elders, it expands the learning opportunities for students and community members, as well as demonstrates the interprofessional teamwork needed for geriatric care.

Students have participated in programs like Service Saturdays, where they spend time on Saturdays working with residents in nursing homes and independent living centers on topics like nutrition education. Other programs and partnerships with community agencies over the years have included independent living, geriatric finance, drug therapy, death and dying, heart medications, patient safety and more. Most recently, a collaboration between ASP, Northeast Regional Medical Center, ATSU, and Truman State University is developing free heart health education programs on how to reduce sodium in the diet.

For more information on the ASP, visit http://www.atsu.edu/aging-studies-project/.