UW-Parkside
Gerontology Certificate Program
PSF14/01-02

Objectives

To date, education and training in the field of gerontology for Kenosha, Racine, and Lake Counties has been provided through the non-credit Gerontology Certificate Program at the UW-Extension and from "hands-on" experience offered professionals working for area agencies that offer programming for elderly. Neither of these offerings has provided college credit in a field that has become increasingly important to service providers, to degree-seeking students who wish to specialize in serving aging populations, and to agencies seeking job applicants with a specialization in gerontology. In the past, students who wished to take a constellation of courses that would reflect their interest in gerontology had to develop their own program by choosing offerings from various departments that dealt with aging issues. Yet, there is no organized program that concentrates its efforts toward teaching students to understand the unique issues related to aging and provides college credit to students for their efforts.

Area agencies have expressed the need for a Certificate Program in Gerontology. Such a certificate would verify that students have taken courses that directly relate to the needs of aging populations and are motivated and prepared to work in this field. Such a certificate would indicate that students have received college credit for their work and that their performance meets the standards of a program offered and supported by the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. In turn, area agencies could rely on the standards of excellence required by the University in conferring such a certificate upon graduating students.

The growing population of elderly has impacted on every institution in our society. Area agencies are eager to hire qualified graduates with a certificate in this field, having confidence that students have received some preparation in gerontology prior to their "on-the-job" training. Such a certificate program offered through the University would meet these needs. In addition, students seeking certification would no longer have to create their own programs, would be provided support through the University through special advising, would receive college credit for their work, would receive formal recognition on their transcripts, and would be required to complete an internship prior to graduation, insuring that their class work would have some community-based learning component prior to employment.

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside is dedicated to enhancing the occupational, civic, and cultural competencies of its students, while responding to the changing needs of the region. The local needs of the Southeastern Wisconsin and Northeastern Illinois regions reflect a global concern to respond to an ever-increasing aging society that has impacted every institution in our culture. Developing a Certificate Program in Gerontology will serve regional needs to respond to this population and create a student base that is prepared to manage issues of aging that have parallels throughout the world. Such concerns include, but are not exclusive to, accommodations for elderly in the areas of long-term medical and social services, transportation, employment, housing and social security and other entitlements. In addition, families of the aging must be educated with regard to their rights and responsibilities as care providers, guardians, and health and financial decision-makers in the lives of their relatives. The Certificate in Gerontology would meet the needs of area aging agencies by providing a specialized group of workers that are prepared to address the above issues.

Program Description

The certificate program was developed through the efforts of University faculty and staff and community representatives from the field of aging. Faculty and staff on the planning committee are those teaching courses that are applicable to or can be adapted to the field of gerontology. This includes the following members: Edward Wallen and Eugene Goodman, Biology; Donald Walter, Psychology; Helen Rosenberg, Sociology; Penny Lyter, Health, Physical Education, and Athletics; and Mark Marlaire; Continuing Education. Community stakeholders representing area agencies serving elderly populations include Mary Ann Smith, Lincoln Lutheran of Racine, Joann Kuehl, Aging and Disability Resource Center, and Barbara Wisnefski, Commission on Aging. Helen Rosenberg has been chairing committee meetings.

The departments whose courses will be included in the certificate program include Biology; Psychology; Sociology/Anthropology; Health, Physical Education, and Athletics; and the UW-Extension.

Certificate Description and Outcomes

Course	Department	Offered	Credit	Requirement	Prerequisite
Biology of Aging	Biology	Yearly	3	Required	None
Human Development - Adulthood and Aging	Psychology	Yearly	3	Required	Psychology 101
Social Gerontology	Sociology	Yearly	3	Required	Sociology 101
Internship in Gerontology	Inter-Departmental	Each semester	3	Required	6 credits completed toward certificate
Aging and Wellness	Health, PE, and Athletics	Every 3rd semester	3	Elective	None
Death and Dying	Sociology	Every 3rd semester	3	Elective	Sociology 101
Fundamentals in Human Nutrition	Biology	Yearly	2	Elective	Biology 106 and Chemistry 215
3 Seminars on aging	UW-Extension	Each semester	1	Elective	None

The Certificate in Gerontology will require the successful completion of 15 credits among the required and elective courses described above. Students must achieve a 2.5 average or better within the program to receive a certificate.

Required Classes. Students will be required to take one course in the Biology of Aging. This is a new course that will focus on age-related biological changes of the elderly. Adjunct faculty will be hired to teach this class.

Human Development - Adulthood and Aging and Social Gerontology are currently offered through the Psychology Department and Sociology/Anthropology Departments, respectively. Human Development - Adulthood and Aging will be taught by an adjunct instructor and Helen Rosenberg will teach Social Gerontology. At this time, Social Gerontology is offered every third semester. An adjunct position in Sociology will be needed to aid the Department in covering classes usually taught by Professor Rosenberg.

Internship in Gerontology is a course that will be developed with agency representatives on the planning committee. Students will be placed in area agencies to provide an experiential learning opportunity, as well as introduce students to community expectations with regard to service needs. Area agencies will be provided interns that will receive training in a particular area of gerontology that meet both student and community needs.

Elective Classes. Three 3-credit classes, Aging and Wellness, Death and Dying, and Fundamentals in Human Nutrition will be elective classes for students. In addition, students may take three seminars on aging from the UW-Extension to augment the 2-credit Fundamentals in Human Nutrition class. The Fundamentals of Human Nutrition is currently offered through the Biology Department and will be modified to meet the needs of the gerontology program. Seminars on aging are morning or one-day programs that discuss specific issues related to aging. Students may choose three classes from a variety of offerings through the UW-Extension. Seminars may be selected on the basis of students' interests. Examples of seminars include dealing with arthritis, issues related to driving among the elderly, dealing with bereavement, or stress management.

Death and Dying is an ongoing class offered through the Sociology/Anthropology Department that examines the impact of death from an interdisciplinary perspective. The course investigates the social construction of death and dying practices across different cultures and encompasses several disciplines. At one time, the course was offered through the Humanities Department, but the department no longer has staff to teach the class. After consultation with the Chair of Humanities, it was agreed to cross-list this class in both Sociology/Anthropology and Humanities if the course covers components from both areas. Roger Ohr, who teaches the class for Sociology/Anthropology will integrate both disciplines into the course. Aging and Wellness would be offered through Health, Physical Education, and Athletics. The course would help prepare students to meet the health needs of an aging population, addressing health promotion and covering such topics as changing body image, prescriptive physical fitness, assessment of health, sexuality, common chronic diseases and injuries in later life, and alcohol and other drug issues.

Sample Schedules. The Biology of Aging, Fundamentals of Human Nutrition and Social Gerontology will be offered each fall semester. Human Development - Adulthood and Aging will be offered each spring and at least one of the elective classes will be offered each semester. Thus, students may complete 9 credits toward their degree in one semester by taking two of the required classes and an elective. During the second semester, students will complete the biology, psychology, and sociology sequence as well as enroll in the internship class. It should take one year to complete the Certificate in Gerontology.

Market for the Program

Several area aging agencies have expressed confidence that this program would be an important contribution.

Once the Certificate Program is in place, we will conduct a survey of aging agencies in Southeastern Wisconsin and Northeastern Illinois. The survey will not only ask about future needs for the Gerontology Certificate Program, but will also inquire about the feasibility of developing a minor in Gerontology as well as distance learning programming.

Current and New Resources

The Certificate in Gerontology is comprised of courses that are currently being offered or courses that will require little additional funds to integrate into the certificate program. At present, no new resources are required other than some additional funds for adjunct salaries. Adjunct faculty with expertise in this area have been identified and will be available to teach courses once the program is operational.