Why gerontology and geriatrics can teach us a lot about mentoring

Gerontology & Geriatrics Education
Phillip G Clark

Abstract

Gerontology, geriatrics, and mentoring have a lot in common. The prototype of this role was Mentor, an older adult in Homer's The Odyssey, who was enlisted to look after Odysseus' son, Telemachus, while his father was away fighting the Trojan War. Portrayed as an older man, the name "mentor" literally means "a man who thinks," which is not a bad characterization generally for faculty members in gerontology! In particular, gerontological and geriatrics education can teach us a lot about the importance of mentoring and provide some critical insights into this role: (1) the importance of interprofessional leadership and modeling, (2) the application of the concept of "grand-generativity" to mentoring, (3) "it takes a community" to be effective in mentoring others, and (4) the need to tailor mentorship styles to the person and the situation. This discussion explores these topics and argues that gerontological and geriatrics educators have a particularly important role and responsibility in mentoring students, colleagues, and administrators related to the very future of our field.

References

Sep 15, 2004·Gerontology & Geriatrics Education·Peter MaramaldiJudith L Howe
Jan 11, 2007·Health Affairs·Harold Alan PincusDana J Schultz
Jun 15, 2007·Nature·Adrian LeePhilip Campbell
May 14, 2011·Educational Gerontology·Peter A Lichtenberg
May 28, 2011·Academic Medicine : Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges·Julia L HerbertBarbara B Cochrane

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