New Forms of Cooperation Between TNMU and the Petrykiv Regional Geriatric Boarding House

The cooperation between I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University and the Petrykiv Regional Geriatric Boarding House is an example of a successful combination of medical education, science, and social protection.

The university’s projects cover a wide range of medical and social assistance for the residents of the institution while simultaneously creating a strong clinical base for the training of young specialists.

The cooperation is based on a current agreement between TNMU and the administration of the boarding house, under which the lecturers of the Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physical Education, together with involved specialists, provide regular medical examinations, consultations, and adjustments of rehabilitation programs for elderly residents.

Mobile teams are organized with the involvement not only of rehabilitation specialists, but also cardiologists, vascular surgeons, and other experts to ensure comprehensive monitoring of patients’ health.

An important part of caring for the residents of the boarding house is maintaining their dental health. Specialists from the Dental Faculty of TNMU and the university’s dental department conduct regular examinations of elderly people, while more complex prosthodontic procedures and the direct manufacture of dentures are carried out at the University Hospital of TNMU, significantly improving the quality of life of the residents.

The university is actively developing a new innovative educational and professional program, “Prosthetics and Orthotics” (Master’s degree), and the boarding house is becoming one of the key locations for the practical training of future specialists. Master’s students are directly involved in providing assistance to the residents of the institution. Through the university’s efforts, opportunities are being created for the individualized and free production of orthoses and other rehabilitation devices specifically for the needs of patients at the geriatric institution.

A recent working visit to the Petrykiv Regional Geriatric Boarding House by TNMU Vice-Rector for Science, Education and Clinical Affairs Stepan Zaporozhan and Head of the Department of Medical Rehabilitation Tetiana Bakaliuk laid the foundation for expanding the medical and social partnership. During the meeting, the parties agreed to introduce new high-tech areas of assistance for the institution’s residents and to organize practical training for students.