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Nature of course request C00938 :

New course

Undergraduate

First term offered : Fall 2013
Course Prefix&Number	Descriptive Title	Credits/Hours
GERO 440	Health Care Operations	4 - 4

Abbreviation for Class Schedule(20 spaces) Hlth Care Operations

Catalog Description: Administration of long-term care institutions and communities will be explored, along the continuum of care. Emphasis will be placed on informed problem solving and decision-making via analysis of the psychosocial and sociocultural environment in retirement, assisted living and skilled nursing home communities. Topics such as resident services, marketing, activities, maintenance, and emerging trends will be covered. Prerequisite: PSY 311.

Course Goal and Objectives: ¿ Develop an understanding of the various levels of care provided in the continuum of care from independent living to skilled nursing and memory care communities ¿ Understand the breadth of resident services that can be offered along the continuum of care (e.g., transportation, medical, activities, social, dining, housekeeping, and maintenance) ¿ Understand current trends in marketing and sales in retirement living and long term care ¿ Examine the aging in place model of care ¿ Understand home health care and how it interfaces with long term care ¿ Examine new and cutting edge approaches to retirement communities and long term care

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 new Gerontology Major. This course would probably be taught by a new faculty member.

Brief Course outline: 1. The continuum of care 2. Resident Services in Long Term Care and Retirement Communities 3. Medical Services in Long Term Care and Retirement Communities 4. Activities and Enrichment 5. The Social Environment in Long Term Care and Retirement Communities 6. Marketing and Sales in Long Term Care and Retirement Communities 7. The Aging in Place Model 8. Home Health Care 9. Operations Audit 10. New and Cutting Edge Approaches in Long Term Care and Retirement Communities

Approval Queue C00938

Attached Files: