Experiential learning in a virtual “Living Lab in Aging” course in a mental health setting: A qualitative study

ABSTRACT

The rapidly aging population and the increasing number of chronic and degenerative diseases associated with aging have led to a rise in demand for aptly trained health-care professionals to address the changing needs of the aging population. However, there is a drastic shortage of health-care professionals in geriatric care as the challenge to attract younger generations into geriatrics and gerontology continues. To this end, experiential learning – an engaged learning process where students learn by doing and reflecting upon those experiences – may lead to better applied knowledge, skills, competence, and interest regarding care for older adults. This study examines experiential learning in the form of a “Living Lab” – a field-based practicum education model – and how it promotes student learning in terms of interaction with, and knowledge and attitudes about, geriatric inpatients living with mental health conditions in a specialty psychiatric hospital in Canada. Using qualitative narrative inquiry, we explored students’ (n = 14) experiences of participating in a Living Lab. Three interconnected themes were identified and collectively suggested that participation in the Living Lab improved student self-efficacy, knowledge, and skills to work with the geriatric population. It also helped reshape student attitudes toward this population.

KEYWORDS:

• Experiential learning
• geriatric
• mental health
• interprofessional collaboration
• stigma

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary Material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2022.2150843

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

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Funding

The author(s) reported that there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.