Education and Training

A middle-age woman sitting by the classroom desk.

The purpose of the Community Partnerships core is to develop strategic partnerships with community organizations to strengthen the community's capacity to promote healthy aging among diverse groups of seniors.

Projects

CHAMP Wellness and Resource Fair Partnership with Timpany Center and the Department of Adult and Aging Services of Santa Clara County

In Fall 2010 CHAMP faculty piloted a model for interdisciplinary learning by developing a wellness fair for Timpany Center members. This was expanded to the larger community in Fall 2011 by partnering with the Santa Clara County Department of Adult and Aging Services. More than 200 graduate and undergraduate students from eight academic departments have participated in these annual events to provide wellness education, screenings, and physical activity demonstrations to seniors. In 2016, the journal of Gerontology & Geriatrics Education published our article titled, “Health Promotion Practice and Interprofessional Education in Aging: Senior Wellness Fairs.” Email us if you would like a copy of the full article.

Project SHINE

Project SHINE at San José State University is an intergenerational and intercultural community learning program. SHINE links students with older immigrants and refugees seeking to learn English and navigate the complex path to U.S. citizenship. In community centers, and other selected sites in the immediate area, students tutor elders in English and computer literacy, helping them become more actively engaged in their communities, and teach the U.S. history and civics needed to pass the citizenship exam. Project SHINE San José is a joint effort of San José City College's Community Learning Program and San José State University's Center for Community Learning & Leadership. It is part of a national consortium, funded by the Corporation for National Service, based at the Center for Intergenerational Learning, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.

Interdisciplinary Training in Ethnogeriatrics

Interdisciplinary Training in Ethnogeriatrics (funded by the Bureau of Health Professions - subcontract through the Stanford Geriatric Education Center). Focus was on training SJSU students in the allied health professions to develop cultural competency. Participating departments included: Nursing, Nutrition, Occupational Therapy, and Social Work.  In Fall 2009, an multidisciplinary group of CHAMP faculty (Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Nutrition, and Social Work) developed an online Cultural Competence training module which has been used each year by six departments to train over 200 students in ethnogeriatrics and cultural competence when working with older adults.