People over the age of 65 make up one of the fastest growing segments of the population of many industrialized nations. The great variation in health, daily function, cognition, social roles, and living conditions among these older adults requires that allied health, medical, social service, social science, health education, health management, and movement science professionals develop the competence to address the unique needs of this age group.
The Geriatric Health and Wellness Program is designed to provide a scope of undergraduate and graduate studies that engages the student in the current evidence of normal and abnormal aging, community, health care delivery systems, ethics and other pertinent topics. An understanding of wellness and health promotion for older adults, functional decline risks, provision of care to elders with disability, the changing societal roles of the elder individual, and the factual aspects of the aging process will prepare professionals as providers and advocates for this population.
The Geriatric Health and Wellness Program offers course work at the following levels:
Based on the latest philosophies guiding this field of study, the experience of the faculty spans Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Health Care Management and Administration, Nursing, Exercise and Life Science. This program incorporates a host of innovations to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century geriatric care:
- An Interdisciplinary Approach to Learning, providing the wide array of knowledge required to minister to a broad diversity of conditions, from chronic ailments to acute illness.
- A Contemporary Curriculum rooted in "evidence-based" practice leading to more effective evaluations, critical thinking, interventions, management decisions, and outcomes.
- An Integrated Philosophy which emphasizes building/working with an effective interdisciplinary team, and promoting health/wellness by considering a multitude of options, including therapeutic, medical and holistic care, access and systems.
Moreover, it is our firm belief that those who successfully complete the program will emerge as leaders of health-care teams, effective advocates for the elderly and their families, sophisticated care providers, knowledgeable managers of comprehensive and particular care setting, and respected innovators whose ideas and work have a positive and lasting effect on geriatric health-care.
A 36 credit, distance-learning, online internet mode of study, the geriatric health and wellness program seeks to provide a convenient alternative in qualified study.