Last updated: 11/3/01
Assignment schedule updated for cancelled class
Syllabus for
Health Concepts and Strategies for Elder Care
Attached Directed Study GST 1990 (2 credit or 4 credits)
This Attached Directed Study accompanies the workshop course, Health Concepts and
Strategies and is a project course based on one of the following topics within the general
theme of health care for the elderly: Possible subtopics are listed in parentheses
following each major topic:
- Caring for elderly relative(s). This is a common task for those with elderly parents or
other relatives. Those being cared for can be demanding and unforgiving, sometimes
resulting in this becoming a highly unwelcome task. (Typical health problems. Personal
problems. Dealing with senility. Ethnic differences.)
- Self-care for the elderly. Many older people want to take care of themselves as much as
they are able. But health situations change, and new methods may be necessary. (Managing
with deficits. Group solutions. Loneliness and isolation.)
- Setting a healthy foundation for your own old age. It appears that many of what used to
be thought of as unavoidable and unwelcome consequences of aging can be minimized or even
avoided, well beyond what used to be thought of as possible. (Preparation and planning for
retirement and old age. New medical approaches.)
- New directions in health and health care for the elderly. Health care for the elderly is
advancing rapidly, and new developments on the horizon may make it possible to diminish,
reverse or even eliminate many negative aspects of aging. (Telomeres, stem cells.)
- Social and policy questions such as insurance, the organization and delivery of health
care for the elderly, and planning for the greater number of elderly in the future. (Will
health care for a disabled elderly population drag down the rest of the economy? Or, at
the other extreme, will older citizens be making economic contributions?)
(If you want to work on another topic, you can choose an Individual
Directed Study.)
Everyone in the course is assigned the following reading:
- Chapter 14, Core Concepts in Health (textbook for Health Concepts and Strategies)
- The Practical Guide to Aging: What Everyone Needs to Know, ed Christine Cassel,
pub New York University Press, 1999.
I have chosen The Practical Guide to Aging for the common text because it covers
or at least hints at a large number of important topics. It does not have a lot of content
on caring for a elderly people, but it does cover a lot of non-medical areas to put your
medical project into context. For example, it covers legal and financial considerations in
aging, and the importance of planning for life after retirement, or at least after your first
retirement.
I have not ordered copies of The Practical Guide to Aging, but it is widely
available in libraries, as special orders through bookstores, and over the Internet (e.g.
www.amazon.com or www.bn.com). If you are buying a copy, there are both paperback and
hardcover editions available; naturally the paperback is less expensive.
According to the number of GST 1990 credits, you will choose an appropriate number of
additional resources.
| Credits |
Section |
Books (additional) |
Length of written work |
| 2 |
981 |
1 |
1500 words |
| 4 |
982 |
3 |
3000 words |
For the other books, here is a brief listing of only a few of the many books available.
You can go to a local bookstore, research and purchase online, or use a library. These
additional books must be approved by me. I will want a title, author, date of publication,
and brief description.
Possible additional books:
- Successful Aging by Rowe and Kahn, pub Dell 1998. Reports on a study by the
MacArthur Foundation on how lifestyle affects successful aging.
- Living Longer for Dummies by Walter Bortz, pub Hungry Minds 2001. The traditional
punched-up Dummies style - all background complete, practical orientation.
- Encyclopedia of Health and Aging: The Complete Guide to Well-Being in Your Later
Years by Evelyne Michaels, pub Bayfield Centre for Geriatric Care (Canada) and Prima
Publishing 1997. Like The Practical Guide to Aging, this covers a wide range of
topics, primarily from the point of view of self-care, but does not go beyond
health-related issues.
- The American Geriatric Society's Complete Guide to Aging and Health by Mark E
Williams, pub The American Geriatric Society 1995. Expensive but authoritative.
Written assignments (updated for cancelled class):
| # |
Date |
Description |
Length |
| 1 |
9/26
10/3 |
Description of topic. Even the five general topics listed above are most
likely too broad. |
One paragraph. If you want to do something other than a paper, such as a
web site, describe this. |
| 2 |
10/10 |
Choice of additional resource(s) for approval. |
Simple list of resources (books, papers, etc.) |
| 3 |
10/31 |
Outline. |
One page. This is not meant to be the final outline, but your present
ideas of what your paper will cover. |
| 4 |
11/28 |
Draft. |
Minimum of half of required length for final version. Topics not yet
covered should be indicated. |
| 5 |
12/5 |
Final version. |
1500 words for two credits, 3000 words for four credits. |
In addition, if you are not attending the Health course (GST 2010), weekly course
reports using the online web page are assigned.
Changing
Life on Earth, GST 2020, 4 cr
