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Gerontology 130 Working with the Frail Elderly |
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Ellis Waller, M.S.
Ellis Waller received her Master's Degree in Gerontology from the University of Southern California, the first year this degree was offered. She has been working in the Gerontological field since 1977, as an aging specialist. Currently, Ellis is the director of Care Connections, a Respite Care Center for individuals who are frail or who have slight memory impairment. Ellis provides respite for these individuals on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and provides support for individuals caring for aging relatives. In addition to providing care-management services, she also teaches and consults with organizations that provide health care and housing services for the elderly.
Gerontology 130 is specifically targeted for individuals interested in learning how to be a more effective caregiver; either as a family member or as a paid professional. Learning about these skills, will prepare students for occupations in adult day care, assisted living, residential care facilities, home maker agencies or as independent caregivers for family members. Students who complete this course will receive in depth practical information on how to work with elderly who are frail due to dementia, memory impairment or chronic illnesses. Family and professional caregivers will learn about the dynamics of dementia, how to handle difficult behaviors, communicate with compassion, and design activities that provide meaning to the lives of frail older adults. Caregivers will also learn how to navigate community resources, where to find housing and health information, and will receive practical suggestions and insights by actual caregivers who share their experience.
Immediately send in your Letter of Agreement and if you qualify to take the exams with a proctor, send in your Proctor Form this week. Then log on to the WebBoard (link in navigation bar above) and say hello. (For more information about how the WebBoard works, please visit webboard.htm.) The WebBoard is our communication device for the class. Check it often because any important announcements will be posted there.
Review the course Home page, that is, the page you are reading now. Then click on the Syllabus link above on the navigation bar and review the course syllabus. Click on the Schedule link above and review the course schedule. Looking at the syllabus and the schedule will give you an idea of the pace and nature of the course.
Finally, click on the Helpful Info link above to review frequently asked questions and get information about contacting technical support and your instructor. Each unit number in the navigation bar takes you to the lesson and assignments for that unit of the course. Go to Unit 01 and get started.
The Chapter Notes are review notes to help you formulate questions and to develop class discussion. They do not replace reading the chapter, which is needed for full understanding of the main ideas. Your discussion assignments will compare and contrast professional concepts and theories with life experience.
You will have a proctored midterm and an open book online final exam in this course.
This course counts towards a Certificate of Achievement in Gerontology. Gerontology is a growing field and promises to be one of the hottest career areas in the United States and beyond. There are many career options: Working directly or on behalf of seniors, developing policy, concentrating on health, human services, legal issues, transportation, universal design and more. Several of the gerontology core courses also count towards your general education requirements, so you can gain units towards your G.E. requirements and your certificate at the same time. For more information about the program go to the Gerontology Program Website. [This link opens in a separate window, use the "Back" button to return to the course website].
This course has been approved for Continuing Education Units by a variety of agencies: the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) , for R.N.'s, CNA's, LVN's and HHA's., Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) for assisted living administrators and by the Board of Nursing Home Administrators (BNHA) for nursing home administrators. Please check the CEU Chart to determine the number of hours granted for each course by each agency. [This link opens in a separate window, use the "Back" button to return to the course website].
Students taking this course for RCFE Continuing Education Units will need to print and sign this RCFE form and send it in with your request for units.
Near the top of each page in this course's Web site, you will find a list of topics covered on that page. Each topic is hyperlinked, meaning that if you click on the topic, you will automatically be taken to that section of the page.
Use the navigation bar to move around within the course Web site. The navigation bar, found at the top of each page, looks like this:
Read the information below. It contains the name of each link on the navigation bar and explains what will happen when you click it:
You can always tell what page of the course Web site you're on by going to the top of the page. The page name will always appear just under the name of the course: "Gerontology 130 — Working with the Frail Elderly."
Some pages will have hyperlinks that take you to the textbook publisher's or other web sites. If you venture outside the course Web site and want to return, click your browser's Back button to retrace your path. Alternatively, type the course's URL (Internet address) into your browser's Location/URL window:
http://dl.coastline.edu/classes/internet/gerontology130/
A number of the lessons include online video clips. To view the video, you will need to have RealPlayer installed on your computer. A free version of RealPlayer can be found at:
http://www.real.com/realoneplayer.html?pp=choice&src=040403r1choice_c1_2
[link will open in a new window; click on "Download the Free RealOne Player"]
After installing RealPlayer, you can set player preferences to show closed captions by following these steps:
E-mail your instructor:
Ellis Waller
Copyright © 2001-2003 by Ellis Waller. All rights reserved.