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Nature of course request C00874 :

New course

Undergraduate

First term offered : Fall 2010
Course Prefix&Number	Descriptive Title	Credits/Hours
GERO 480	Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias Management	4 - 4

Abbreviation for Class Schedule(20 spaces) AD/Dementia Mgmt

Catalog Description: This course will provide instruction on effective approaches for providing care to persons with Alzheimer's disease, other types of dementia and related disorders in residential and home care settings. The major types of dementia and typical behaviors presented by patients are presented along with strategies for successful behavior management. Building a dementia care program and dementia care teams are also covered. This course will also cover risk factors for developing dementia, the neuroscience of dementia, and strategies to reduce the chance of developing dementia. Prerequisites: PSY 311.

Course Goal and Objectives: • Know about the most common types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Pick’s disease, and frontotemporal dementia. • Develop a better understanding for the differences in symptoms, course, and common treatment procedures for different types of dementia • Learn about delirium • Learn effective behavioral management techniques that can be used manage behavior of people with dementia • Learn ways to maximize quality of life for people who have dementia • Learn how to better interact with family members and provide resources for family members/caregivers of dementia patients • Develop a better understanding of how to assemble effective dementia care programs and teams • Develop a better understanding of the underlying neuroanatomical and neurochemistry associated with different types of dementia. • Know about the risk factors associated with developing dementia

Justification for adding the course (e.g. alignment with other institutions, program revision, etc.): In Spring 2010 the Psychology Division at WOU surveyed graduating Psychology Majors about their interest in courses related to older adults and employment opportunities associated with the field of gerontology and geropsychology. Despite very limited advertising for our new minor in Geropsychology (approved Summer 2010), 43% of graduating seniors indicated great or very great interest in taking Geropsychology courses, and 31% showed great or very great interest in minoring in Geropsychology. Additionally, seniors were interested in a variety of employment opportunities associated with the field, with the greatest interest shown for Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Recreational Therapy, Social Work, public and private institutions that provide health, education, and social services to older adults, and public policy and advocate work for older adults. We didn’t survey these students about an interest in majoring in gerontology, but clearly there is an interest in this field, which is fabulous given the needs that industry has for people trained to work with older adults There is a need for trained professionals to work in the numerous fields related to gerontology, elder care services, and geriatric medicine. Oregon and the nation’s population are undergoing a dramatic increase in the percentage of older adults. According to data compiled by the Administration on Aging1, by the year 2030 there will be approximately 70 million Americans age 65 and over, up from 40 million in 2010. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Oregon’s older adult population is increasing at a rate of 3.5% as compared to the national median of 2.6%.2 Given these demographic changes it is fitting that Western Oregon University develop program offerings that will help serve this growing population. In addition to the growing older adult population that will require specialized services, there are also unmet work force training needs. According the U.S. Department of Labor, employment in home health care services are expected to increase 69.5% between 2004 and 2014, during the same time period, community care services for the elderly are expected to see a 54.8% increase in the need for qualified employees. People from a broad range of career fields who have received training in gerontology will be very marketable and provide important services for our community. The aging population is driving much of the increased need in the medical field. An understanding of gerontology will help people who go into the following professions: medical assistants (52.1% increase expected between 2004 and 2014) physical therapists (36.7%), physical therapy assistants (44.2%), occupational therapists (33.6%), occupational therapy assistants (34.1%), as well as nurses and many other human service careers. The following are examples of some of the numerous employment opportunities in the following fields that would be beneficial to someone trained in gerontology: • Long term care administration • Skilled nursing care administration • Senior center operations and management • Occupational Therapy • Home health care • Physical Therapy • Speech Language Pathologists • Teaching • Nursing • Nursing assistants • Recreational therapists • Social work • Research that focus on older adults' needs and interests • Public and private institutions that provide health, education, and social services to older adults • Senior care services • Hospice • Palliative care • Public policy and advocacy for older adults References 1. www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/Aging_Statistics/Profile/.../2002profile.doc 2. www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/CB04-36TABLE4.xls

Faculty and facilities needed: We anticipate needing at least one new tenure track and some NTT FTE to cover the proposed Gerontology Major.

Brief Course outline: 1. History of Dementia Diagnosis and Care 2. Common Types of Dementia 3. Alzheimer’s Disease 4. Vascular Dementia 5. Dementia with Lewy Bodies 6. Other Types of Dementias 7. Delirium 8. Risk Factors for Dementia 9. Developing Residential Dementia Care Programs 10. Behavior Management of Dementia Patients and Residents 11. Interacting with Family Members 12. Preventing Dementia

Approval Queue C00874

Attached Files:

400 Bad Request

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