| CODE | GER5039 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Fieldwork in Settings for Older Persons | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Gerontology and Dementia Studies | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Each student will spend six weeks, with a minimum of 40 hours every week, during the term in a selected field setting. Attendance is important and expected. The fieldwork is designed to give students an opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge and understanding of older people, their concerns and issues, and the services and programmes that are available to them. Through field observation and interaction with older adults, service providers and peers, students will explore and critically reflect on various issues, approaches, methods and opportunities for working with older individuals and their families. Study-unit Aims: As the result of the fieldwork, students are expected to (1) expand and integrate their knowledge of ageing and older persons through observation and/or interaction with older adults and service providers, (2) increase their understanding of the contributions, needs and concerns of older people in various settings and the problems and gaps in programmes and service delivery, (3) critically examine practice and policy issues, programmes, methods and skills used by professionals, community agencies and institutions in working with older adults and their families, (4) increase awareness about the opportunities available to become informed, involved and employed in the field of ageing, and (5), develop skills in advocacy, problem solving and self-directed learning. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - understand how far has the role of residential care been taken over by developments in nursing home care and sheltered housing; - examine the extent that residential care offers something unique in its own right; - understand the extent that residential care continues as a negative form of institutional care, one which limits autonomy and personal choice, or as a positive option for older people; - examine the physical and environmental elements of the field placement such as design, location and staffing, and; - be able to discuss the quality of care being given by staff in the fieldwork placements. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - discuss some of the day-to-day situations experienced by the recipients and staff members; - discuss the level of involvement of the recipients in the decision-making process of the service/programme under focus; - examine the extent that the service/programme helps the recipient to remain integrated in society and understand how this is achieved; - understand how, at the level of society, residential care is a symbol of structured dependency of older persons and a place where an ageist society can segregated those whose mental and physical decline offends; - be aware that residential care constitutes a symbol of society’s concern for its frail members, and; - confirm how residential care can be complimented by domiciliary care. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main text: Hudson, A.N. and Moore, L. (eds.) (2009). Caring for older people in the community. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. Supplementary texts: Agich, G. (2003). Dependence and autonomy in old age: An ethical framework for long-term care. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Boling, P.A., (ed.) (2009). The past, present and future of home health care. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders. Ceci, C., Purkis, M.E. and Björnsdóttir, K. (eds.) (2012). Perspectives on care at home for older people. London: Routledge. Milligan, C. (2009). There's no place like home: Place and care in an ageing society. London: Ashgate. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Placement | ||||||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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