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Nature of course request C00875 :

New course

Undergraduate

First term offered : Fall 2010
Course Prefix&Number	Descriptive Title	Credits/Hours
GERO 370	Aging and Mental Health	4 - 4

Abbreviation for Class Schedule(20 spaces) Aging & Mental Hlth

Catalog Description: Mental health needs of older adults will be surveyed. Positive mental health and pathological conditions will be explored as well as risk and protective factors for mental health problems. The course will also include a broad survey of common psychological disorders experienced by older adults. Interventions effective with older adults and their families will be explored. Prerequisites: PSY 311.

Course Goal and Objectives: ¿ Develop a better understanding of basic demographics of aging. ¿ Better appreciate how larger cultural systems (e.g., family, peers, community) affect the mental health of older adults. ¿ Learn about risk factors for mental health problems. ¿ Learn about buffering or protective factors against mental health problems. ¿ Learn about services and interventions available to prevent or overcome mental health problems. ¿ Know about the most common types of dementia, including Alzheimer¿s disease. ¿ Know about the risk factors associated with developing dementia. ¿ Learn how common psychological disorders affect older adults (e.g., depression, anxiety, substance abuse, etc.) ¿ Develop an understanding of the importance of health promotion strategies for older adults. ¿ Develop an understanding of how communities can support healthy aging.

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. Introduction to Mental Health and Aging 2. Risk Factors for Mental Health Issues 3. Psychosocial Considerations a. Familiy b. Peers c. Living environment d. Income e. Marital status 4. Common Emotional Problems and Adaptive Techniques 5. Psychiatric Disorders and Aging a. Mood disorders b. Schizophrenia and paranoid disorders c. Anxiety disorders d. Sexual disorders e. Personality disorders 6. Positive Aging 7. Cognitive Disorders 8. Treatment 9. Public Policy and Mental Health

Approval Queue C00875

Attached Files: