The Geriatric Care Management(GCM) specialization area is designed for those graduate students who anticipate pursuing their career goals in various private or public agencies or service settings that specialize in care management, consulting, and acquisition of resources for the aging community. This specialization is both theory and application-based and offers courses that help define geriatric care management in the six domains of care - physical, mental, social, spiritual, financial and environmental. There is an emphasis on critical thinking, mastering geriatric assessment techniques, and developing therapeutic intervention skills with elderly clients, as well as small business/entrepreneurship issues.
Geriatric care management represents a specialization focus in gerontology that recognizes the growing interest in encouraging and enabling the aging population to age in place using community and private based resources and services. The emergence of the private GCM is a direct result of delivery system fragmentation, the imposed limitations of eligibility requirements, the limitations placed on entitlement programs, the sociocultural barriers to service delivery and the changing in the demographics of need, including aging demographics, chronicity of illness, and the changing family system. The GCM's role is to assure an optimal plan of care for elderly clients in the least restrictive environment. The care plan is developed to assure quality of care for the recipient of services consistent with personal values, wishes, and preferences. The GCM educates the client and family regarding issues that relate to care needs and supports family caregivers. The GCM's role with a family may be brief, addressing limited issues, or ongoing and long-term addressing the elderly person's and family's needs across time and settings. More generally, the GCM's role within the service delivery system is seen as (1) a coordinator of existing services (especially at points of transition), (2) an advocate for the appropriate use of services to assure access, (3) a creator of new services either privately or publicly funded, and (4) an integrator of all appropriate public and private funding sources to individualize care for elderly clients and their families.
Coursework in Geriatric Care Management and work experience as a GCM (either during graduate study or after graduation) prepares the student to take a national professional certification examination administered through the National Academy of Care Managers. The future of geriatric care managers appears very positive due to the ever growing numbers of the aging population and the need to provide professional, effective, and efficient services to this target population. In summary, this specialization track will help to provide a sound foundation for Masters Degree students to establish viable careers in gerontology in the 21st century.
Required Specialty Courses for the Geriatric Care Management Track:
GERON 6604 (2-3) Physiology and Psychology of Aging-Biological and psychosocial theories of aging analyzed. Normal physiologic and psychological aging changes presented. Emphasis on distinguishing normal changes from common age-related diseases.
GERON 6390 (2) Geriatric Care Management-Presents the practice domains of care management: comprehensive assessment, decision-making in care planning, implementation, monitoring, reassessment, and termination, quality assurance and improvement, and resource selection, acquisition, and evaluation. Explored in the context of family and culture within specific economic, legal-ethical, and environmental constraints.
GERON 6392 (2) Geriatric Care Management II: Legal, Financial, and Business Issues-Presents the opportunity for students to gain insight and understanding into the creation, development, implementation and monitoring of a care management business through the development of a written business plan and in-depth discussions with small business owners. The course also reviews the domains of care management practice: assessment and care planning in the medical, emotional, cognitive, environmental and spiritual domains with an emphasis on the legal and financial domains of care management.
GERON 6395 (1) Geriatric Care Management Seminar and Practicum-Provides opportunities in comprehensive geriatric care management in a variety of settings working directly with elderly clients, their families, and those providing care, resources, and services. Emphasis is on service provision within the family's particular economic, legal-ethical, and cultural environment. (This course may count toward partial fulfillment of the 3 credit hour practicum requirement upon approval of the supervisory committee.)
Elective Courses for Geriatric Care Management Track:
(In addition to the 15 credit hour Gerontology CORE requirements
and the 8 Specialty Track requirements)
Master's Project
select a minimum of 3 (Thesis)
select a minimum of 6 (Non-thesis)
credit hours from the following:
GERON 5005 Race, Ethnicity, and Aging-Presents a broad overview of aging in the framework of race and ethnicity. Focuses on diversity and some of the multicultural factors that contribute to the life course such as socialization and life-chance differences of ethnic, racial, gender, and/or minority status.
GERON 5140 (3) Communication and Aging-Communication and aging theory and research. Attitudes and ageism; relational considerations of older adults (such as the role of communication in reminiscence, intimacy, helping and loneliness); mass media representations; work, leisure, and retirement factors; family and other social interactions. (not offered every year)
GERON 6320 (3) Death, Dying, and Bereavement-Practical assessment and intervention strategies for working with dying and bereaved individuals and their families. Overview of clinical, philosophical, spiritual, and social issues concerning dying and bereavement. Strategies related to personal growth and awareness of unfinished business emphasized.
ECON 6190 (3) Health Economics-Economics of health care, health-care delivery systems, public and private health insurance, location of health facilities, and health-care inflation.
FCS 5240 (3) Family Relationships in Middle and Later Life - Examines issues of adult development, intergenerational relationships, grandparenting, and family caregiving in middle and later life.
FP MD 6401 (2) Health Policy & Managed Care - Organizing and financing of health care institutions and alternative delivery systems. Roles, training, and distribution of health care professionals. Private and public sectors in health care delivery
H EDU 5100 (3) Health Care in the United States - Organization and financing of U.S. health care system; evolution of roles played by provider and consumer organizations in meeting community needs; changing health status of Americans, and proposals for improving health care delivery system.
H EDU 5450 (3) Health Care Financial Management - Emphasis on critical financial issues in an era of health-care reform, oriented toward the needs of caregivers and managers in health service organizations.
MGT 5770 (3) New Venture Development-How to originate a business organization to exploit a product. Marketing concepts, financial Planning, sources of capital, and legal problems. Students prepare a business plan.
NURS 5901 (2) Reflections On Ethics-Health science students identify and discuss ethical issues faced by health care providers. Community service experiences reflected upon in relation to course content.
SUMMARY FOR GERIATRIC CARE MANAGMENT
Thesis
Gerontology Core 15 credits
Required Track Core 6 credits
Electives 6 credits
Thesis (GERON 6970) 6 credits
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TOTAL 33 credit hours
Master's Project (Non-Thesis)
Gerontology Core 15 credits
Required Track Core 6 credits
Electives 9 credits
Project (GERON 6975) 4 credits
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TOTAL 34 credit hours
Track Advisor: Yvonne Sehy
