1 Geriatric Social Work Integrative Seminar - 693 Course Syllabus, Fall 2008 Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon, Room B684 SSWB 3 credits Ruth Dunkle, Ph.D Office: 3834 SSWB Phone: 763-6575 Office Hours: 12-2 Thurs or email (redunkle) for appointments Email: [email protected] Course Description: The U of M School of Social Work Geriatric Fellowship Seminar is a multi-methods course designed to supplement the Adults & Elderly concentration curriculum with further information (a didactic component) and in-depth case studies/field examples (a practice-based component). Seminar Format: Most three-hour seminar sessions will consist of a discussion of the topic for the day, a social justice focus, and a lecture on the topic of the day. Time will be taken for questions, broad discussion, and general support, feedback, and troubleshooting of field issues. Course Requirements: • Attend each weekly session • Participate in all discussions, activities, and presentations. • Complete the assigned readings for each class. • Complete assignments2 Course and Field Objectives Upon completion of the one`-term Geriatric Seminar as well as two field placements, students will be able to: *1. Demonstrate knowledge of the continuum of care Students will be involved in programs at six of the types of sites listed below (two in each category), and will discuss and evaluate All site types in the Geriatric Seminar. Living environment: • Nursing home • Assisted living • Retirement community • Home, alone • Home, with family Health care environment: • Hospital • Outpatient Clinic • Home Care • Adult Day Care • Hospice Community environment: • Religious institution • Senior center • Community agency *2. Demonstrate knowledge of coping and support systems Students will be exposed to all the coping and support systems listed below in their field placement experiences as well as in the Geriatric Seminar, in which these systems will be explored from a theoretical perspective. Coping: • Mental Health • Health Support systems: • Family systems • Community • Spirituality 3. Apply multiple interventions to promote health3Based on the student’s choice of major and minor methods, students will engage in three of the eight interventions listed below through their field practicum experiences. Students will also observe an additional three of the eight interventions. In the Geriatric Seminar, students will discuss all the interventions, particularly as they relate to health promotion. • Group work • Individual counseling • Case management • Community organizing • Peer counseling • Advocacy • Policy development • Program development *4. Evaluate effectiveness of practice Students will learn about major evaluation techniques through didactic experiences in the Geriatric Seminar and in the required course (SW 683) “Evaluation in Adults & Elderly” or “Evaluation in Health Care”. Students will also conduct appropriate evaluations in their field placement experiences. Evaluation types: • Single-subject design • Program evaluation 5. Demonstrate skill in working with diverse populations Students will be exposed to the issues of multicultural practice through selected readings, discussions, and lectures in the Geriatric Seminar. Students will work directly with elders from at least three of the groups listed below. • African Americans • Latinos • Asian and Pacific Islanders • Middle Eastern Americans • Russian immigrants • Jewish elderly • Gay and Lesbian individuals • Elders with developmental and psychiatric disabilities • Rural elderly *6. Participate in interdisciplinary collaborations Students will participate in one or more interdisciplinary team conferences and will attend at least two lectures and all seminar discussion sessions led by professionals in disciplines other than social work. Interdisciplinary settings:4• Health care team • Nursing home care planning team • Hospice team • Ethical issues team, either as a clinical team or a policy advisory group 7. Develop preventive strategies Students will observe an assessment and care planning session as well as a support group or peer volunteer program in their field placements. Students will also conduct an assessment and develop a care plan. Students will collaborate in developing a group program or a community event focused on education and health promotion. Geriatric seminar discussions and other classroom assignments will expose students to prevention strategies and theories. Preventive interventions include: • Case management • Discharge planning • Network-building • Peer support • Needs assessment 8. Examine mortality and morbidity trends Students will examine demographic characteristics of mortality and morbidity trends in the Geriatric Seminar as well as in other classroom experiences. Students will be assigned relevant readings from texts. Demographics related to: • Social factors • Psychological factors • Biological factors • Public policy factors *9. Examine national and international policy issues Students will be assigned relevant readings in the classroom and will discuss policy issues related to aging in the Geriatric Seminar. Students will also examine the practical aspects of these issues during their work in their field practicum settings. • Social Security • Medicare, Medicaid, and health insurance • Health systems • Advance directives • End-of-life issues • housing *Covered this term although all topics could be relevant depending on what you do for your projects5 Writing Policy: Good writing skills to express information accurately and concisely are a requirement for effective social work practice. Therefore, formal writing assignments for this course (both journal entries and papers) will be evaluated for content, ideas presented, and for the clarity of the presentation. Misspelled words, typos, inappropriate use of grammar, and other indications of sloppy work will be graded down. In addition, appropriate referencing is required on all written assignments. You may wish to contact the Sweetland Writing Center (http://www.lsa.umich.edu/swc/grads/support/, located at 435 South State Street, 1139 Angell Hall, 734-764-0429) for assistance in writing and referencing. Grading: Scores that reflect an “A”