Senior Mentor Program

Welcome

The Senior Mentor Program connects medical students from the Medical University of South Carolina with people, aged 65 years and older, living in the Charleston, SC area. We always need volunteers, so please download an application if you or a friend would like to become a Senior Mentor for the MUSC College of Medicine students. Volunteers must be 65 years of age and willing to meet with the students twice a year.

The goals of the program are:

To provide a learning experience for MUSC medical students.
To help reduce stereotypes about aging.
To improve the way future doctors care for older patients.

Why is there a need for Geriatric Education?

With America entering into the "baby boomer" generation, 10,000 individuals will turn 65 every day for the next 20 years, resulting in 78 million more elderly individuals in the United States alone.
Providing contact with seniors early in medical training improves, not only knowledge of aging, but has a positive effect on students’ attitudes toward caring for older adults.

What do the students do in the program?

Students are paired with seniors in the community for all 4 years of medical school to complete assignments, based on information that they have learned in the classroom.

Students meet with the senior mentors in their homes to learn in a non-clinical setting.

Students evaluate the health of their senior mentors by performing tasks, such as a nutrition analysis, fall risk assessment, and advanced care planning.

Fulfill the AAMC Competencies for Geriatric Education.

Current Mentors Information

Thank you for volunteering your time to be a Senior Mentor! We sincerely appreciate your continued support in the geriatric education of our MUSC medical students.

Please check our Resources page for links to organizations we have found that may be of interest to you. Also, you may wish to visit MUSC's Center on Aging website.

Assignments

Preclerkship (Year 1 & 2)

Reflective Paper #1
Nutrition Analysis & Paper
Relationship/Intimacy Review with Medical History
Reflective Paper #2
Medication Use in the Elderly

Year 3

Fall Risk
Life Review

Year 4

Advanced Directive

Mail:
College of Medicine - MUSC
Attention: Senior Mentor Program Coordinator
171 Ashley Avenue - EL 200A
MSC 170
Charleston, SC 29425

Phone: 843-792-0460
Fax: 843-792-8253

EMAIL (click here)

New Mentors FAQ

"What is the role of a Senior Mentor?"

Serve as a mentor for two MUSC medical students throughout their four years of schooling, as they perform their assigned tasks associated with the program.

Meet in your home with the students two or three times per year to complete assignments.

Agree to share information about yourself with the students.

Give feedback and personal comments to the students.

"Do I need a medical background to be a mentor?"

Not at all. The students will receive all of the medical training they need to complete the assignments from their curriculum. They just need your feedback and input, as an older patient, so they can better understand the needs and concerns that seniors have regarding healthcare.

"Can I still see my own doctor?"

Absolutely! The Senior Mentor Program will have no affect on your regular medical care. It is independent of your visits to your personal physician and is not intended to provide medical care.

"I am interested in being a part of the program. What are the next steps to become a Senior Mentor?"

If you are a senior, 65 years or older, and are interested in participating in the program, please download our application (PDF) and return by any of the following:

Mail:
Senior Mentor Program
Attention: Senior Mentor Program Coordinator
College of Medicine - Medical University of South Carolina
171 Ashley Avenue-EL 200A
Charleston, SC 29425

Email (click here)

Phone: 843-792-4459

Resources

MUSC Center on Aging
19 Hagood Avenue, Suite 806
MSC 250510
Charleston, SC 29425
843-792-0712
MUSC Center on Aging website

The Center is a resource for the general public as well as researchers and students in gerontology and geriatrics regarding age-related disease, community programs and services, and funding sources for research.

The Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging
1301 Gervais Street, Suite 350
Columbia, SC 29201
Phone: (803) 734-9900
Office on Aging website

The Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging, through its administration of the Older Americans Act programs, aids 34,000 older adults who have the greatest social, economic, and health needs, and rural and low-income marginalized elders. Additionally, the Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging works with many other state agencies, as well as with the private sector, to coordinate the needs and interests of older adults and to develop new resources.

Lowcountry Senior Network
http://www.lowcountrysn.com/

“The Lowcountry Senior Network is the premier networking organization for professionals in the Lowcountry who are committed to providing quality services to seniors, caregivers, and adult children.”

Student Information

The fact is, older patients are different.

They experience illness differently.
They can be more challenging to diagnose and treat.
They are more likely to develop certain illnesses.
They can respond to treatments and medications differently.
Many delay seeking care until their ailments become serious.

As peoples' bodies change over time, so do their needs as patients,
And so should the manner in which health care providers care for them.

The Senior Mentor Program will fulfill the AAMC Competencies for Geriatric Education at MUSC.

How to successfully complete the Senior Mentor Program:

Be Prepared: Make sure you know of all assignments and due dates. Read each assignment thoroughly before your visit.

Plan Ahead: Don't delay. Schedule meetings with your mentor and partner as soon as possible.

Be sure to upload assignments correctly.

Communicate: If ANY problems arise, contact the Senior Mentor Program Staff Immediately. We are here to help!

See Assignments for information and due dates, and frequently check Brightspace.

Testimonials

What our Senior Mentors have to say:

Mr. Walter Melfi

Born in here in Charleston, Walter Melfi and his wife, Ann, are both Senior Mentors. Mr. Melfi joined the Senior Mentor Program to share his experiences to help students working with seniors. He advises his medical students to avoid having presumptions about the elderly and to, "practice their medicine on senior citizens, starting now." He would like to see the physicians of the future be open to each patient they encounter.

Mrs. Mary "Chance" Scrantom

Mrs. Scrantom is an active Senior Mentor with multiple sets of students. Coming from a family of doctors, she advises that future physicians remember that they are not just healers, but should also be compassionate and personal. She believes the Senior Mentor Program is a very worthwhile program and "will lead future doctors to be more personable with the elderly."

Lizzie Madison

Ms. Madison feels good about aging and enjoys the students she mentors. While she has enjoyed the service of really good doctors, she has also had experiences with doctors who are "brusque." Therefore, Ms. Madison advises medical students to, "be patient with your patients, and to listen to what they are saying."

Bette Fogle

Bette Fogle is a proud and energetic participant in the Senior Mentor Program. She looks forward to the relationship developing with her students and very much enjoys being a part of the program. Mrs. Fogle said, "I feel they will learn a lot from me. Medically speaking, I have had an interesting life. I also believe that you need to do for others and have a positive attitude."

What our Students have to say:

Ben Kalivas

"Regarding the aging population, I believe that the ability to care for and assist this population will be very important to physicians. The size of this population will be greater than ever before. In addition, the medical advances are prolonging life to lengths that will present unique challenges to physicians of my generation. I think the Senior Mentor Program has done an excellent job in beginning to prepare my colleagues and I for these challenges to come."

John Bingham

John has an excellent relationship with his grandparents, but was not certain what to expect when beginning this program. He was a bit anxious about meeting his Senior Mentor, but the more he learned about her, the more he discovered how little he knew before. "I am learning a lot from her and truly appreciate her openness and honesty."

In the amount of time he has been involved in the Senior Mentor Program, his perspective has absolutely changed concerning the elderly. Interacting with his senior mentor has caused John to reflect upon his own life and attitudes in ways he did not expect. "This experience will enable us (medical students) to have a full perspective, which will hopefully encompass the entire patient population facing us in the near future."

Shakaria Johnson, MD/MHA

"When I was a little girl, my grandfather always told me, "When you become a doctor, make sure that you know how to take care of my toe." I would always say in return, "Of course granddaddy. If I don’t take care of your foot, who will?" I don't fully understand the wisdom that my grandfather imparted in telling me that time and time again nor did I understand the significance of my reply. I have been charged to learn how to care for more than feet. My grandfather and my experience in public health influenced me to not only devote my life to learning how to clinically treat disease, but also, to genuinely care for all people regardless of how great or small their condition may seem. I’ve yet to decide on a specialty, but I am certain of being equipped to treat seniors with the same compassion, competency and respect that I will with my own grandaunts and granduncles. If no one else does, who will?"