SWKM 6680 - Vital Skills for Late Life Populations

Credits: 3

Prerequisite(s): A block of 30 foundation credits, SWKM 5475 and SWKM 6400 or completion of all foundation coursework

Description: This course is designed to prepare graduate level students for advanced practice with older people and their families across multiple settings including social, mental health and health care settings. Assuming some foundation knowledge, this course will briefly review content concerning the aging relevant social service delivery systems in the US, social work practice methods and values. Students will attain sophisticated understanding of the issues of later mid and late adulthood, applying multiple theoretical perspectives and learning advanced, specialized practice intervention approaches with aging individuals and their families, at the individual, family, group, community, and institutional levels. This course will enable the student to utilize assessment tools and formulate relevant interventions to address major physical and mental health concerns of older persons. Students will be exposed to interprofessional education relevant to work with this population and learn competencies of social workers serving on interdisciplinary team. Additional focus will be on older populations at risk due to poverty, mental or physical illness, family problems, or discrimination and oppression related to cultural and racial diversity, gender, sexual orientation, disability and other factors.