TRAINING FOR EXPERTISE VERSUS TRAINING FOR TRUST: ISSUES IN RURAL GERONTOLOGY

Traditional gerontological instruction uses an expertise‐based model. Such an approach can be counterproductive for gerontologists serving the elderly in rural areas. To meet the needs of both the rural elderly who need services and the professionals who wish to provide those services, educators in gerontology need to instruct students interested in a rural gerontology practice on the issues that face a professional who is entering a rural area: the diversity of rural areas; the influx of urbanites and what it means to locals; the slow acceptance of the need for human services in rural areas; and, most important, the fact that in rural areas, authority is based on trust, not on expertise. Rather than encouraging the development of expertise and professional authority, gerontological instruction for students interested in serving the rural elderly should emphasize the need for the professional to “stay low” in the client‐clinician relationship, learn the local language and culture, and accept the lack of separation between professional and personal roles in rural areas. These practices will help the professional who is new to the rural area gain the trust of the elderly residents.