Gerontology Dementia - Eastern Michigan University

Gerontology Dementia from Eastern Michigan University is a Campus Certificate Gerontology degree that prepares you for a Science career. The graduate certificate in gerontology specializing in dementia is a state-of the-art program designed to accommodate the practical needs of a number of professional groups including nurses, social workers, psychologists, occupational and speech therapists, health care administrators, and music and recreational therapists. It is also intended for graduate-level students who are interested in learning more about clinical and leadership issues in Alzheimer's care and related illnesses. This 18-hour multidisciplinary graduate certificate provides a theoretical framework and practical grounding in working with families and persons with dementia in the home, community-based programs and 24-hour care settings. The program focuses on the social psychology of dementia; how a person changes, communicates and compensates throughout the stages of dementia , and how we as caregivers can accommodate these changes. Major themes of this program center around ongoing assessment of the person and his/her environment and the development of supportive interventions. Students learn about the value of and how to develop meaningful trusting relationship with persons with dementia. Emphasis is on the process of sharing an experience together rather than focusing on the completion of tasks. In addition, students will explore the experiences of families from diverse racial, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, and interventions for supporting them. Students will be encouraged through a series of carefully structured exercises to explore their own biases and feelings about aging and dementia . Throughout the program students will have the opportunity to hear firsthand stories about coping with dementia from individuals recently diagnosed with early-stage dementia and their caregivers. In addition, students will be challenged to advocate for a new and more humane approach to dementia care. The characteristics of what makes an effective dementia-care leader, the importance of defining a vision and strategies for recruiting, retaining, training and empowering staff will be examined in depth. Creating successful organizational change and documenting outcomes is also a major theme of this program. View more details on Eastern Michigan University . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Gerontology courses.