Development and implementation of a train-the-trainer curriculum on successful and productive aging

Despite the fact that Japan has developed many exemplary social policies for their expanding older population and programs to foster elderly workforce participation, shortage of personnel with a comprehensive understanding of gerontology has limited these efforts. In response to the need for greater gerontological education among the Japanese who will work in the allied health professions, we developed an intensive training program on "Successful and Productive Aging," with two associate degree colleges in Japan. Emphasizing lessons learned from the United States experience, the three-week program covered issues in health promotion/disease prevention, health maintenance/independence, mechanisms of formal/informal caregiving, and presentations by a multidisciplinary faculty, case-based problem-solving exercises, and field visits to various agencies and geriatric facilities in the greater Boston area. The educational program was field-tested with 5 faculty from Japan who were asked to evaluate the program based on whether the learning objectives were met, perceptions of relevance of subject matter to students in Japan, and perceptions of teaching methods' effectiveness. We present the results of this successful cross-national collaboration, with emphasis on how information gathered is being integrated into teaching plans upon returning to Japan.