Gerontology (GERO)
3 Units (LEC 48-54)
This course is designed to give students an overview of key aspects of social policy as it relates to older adults as a population and individually. The course exposes students to the history and development of policy, and the variations in the policy-making process at the federal, state, and local levels, and introduce major programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the Older Americans Act, and the Elder Justice Act.
Transfers to CSU only
3 Units (LEC 48-54)
This course provides an overview of diversity and ethics as they relate to aging and older adults. Students will enhance their intellectual skills and develop a deeper sense of personal and social responsibility, through exploration of diversity in US society. This course examines the diversity of ethical and moral issues at the clinical, social, cultural, policy, and individual levels. Students explore key value issues that shape societal and individual perceptions about diversity, ethics, and aging. This course considers ageism and the implications it has on diversity and ethics.
Transfers to CSU only
3 Units (LEC 48-54)
This course will focus on cross-cultural and historical perspectives, as well as attitudes, regarding dying and death. Age-based and sociocultural differences in attitudes toward death and dying are examined from a historical, political, social and cultural perspective. Students will explore the roles that hospitals, healthcare systems, caregivers, and hospices play in the dying process. Issues related to bioethics, euthanasia, suicide, funerals, grief, and bereavement as well as living wills, advance directives, organ donation, autopsies, and other legal aspects of dying will be presented. In addition, beliefs and religious interpretations about death and the afterlife will be examined.
Transfers to CSU only
3 Units (LEC 48-54)
This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of the multidisciplinary field of gerontology, incorporating several academic disciplines or specializations. Substantive, conceptual, and methodological issues central to studying aging and life-course is explored. Particular attention is given to the following topics: the origins and intent of gerontology as a field; aging demographics; cross-cultural perspectives on aging; economics; stereotypes of aging and ageism; social policies and programs; mid- and late-life transitions; diversity and aging; bio/psych/social aspects of aging; and health and illness in later life. The discipline of gerontology is also presented in terms of the direct and immediate relevance to a rapidly and dramatically aging population.
Transfers to CSU only
AA/AS General Education: AA/AS B2
3 Units (LEC 48-54)
This course will provide the knowledge needed to provide care for older adults as well as address issues facing caregivers. Students will learn how to support older adults in maintaining their independence and retaining their quality of life. This course will help learners understand and demonstrate the core fundamentals of activities and instrumental activities of daily living. This course will also expose students to how the caregiving role impacts the people providing care. The impact caregiving has on the way caregivers are viewed by professionals and peers is also addressed. Students and professionals are equipped with information to provide quality care for older adults while taking care of their own needs for respite and support.
Transfers to CSU only
3 Units (LEC 48-54)
This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of the resources and services available for older adults. Students will examine the social environments of older adults with particular emphasis on the aging-related needs of older adults. The resources and services that are available nationally and locally will be addressed.
Transfers to CSU only
3 Units (LEC 48-54)
This course will introduce the principles of Gerontechnology, an interdisciplinary field that combines gerontology and technology. Gerontechnology is defined as a subfield of gerontology linking existing and developing technologies to the aspirations and needs of aging and aged adults. Gerontechnology supports optimal aging and is a response to the combination of the aging of society and rapidly emerging new technologies. Students will have the chance to both learn about the theories and principles of aging and assistive technology and apply design-thinking to aging-related contexts and scenarios addressed. Students and professionals are equipped with information to provide quality care for older adults while taking care of their own needs for respite and support.
Transfers to CSU only
3 Units (LEC 48-54)
This course introduces healthcare settings and addresses the professional role in healthcare delivery systems. Students will be introduced to the technology used in healthcare for administrative, clinical, and facility needs. Support systems for healthcare are also discussed.
Transfers to CSU only
3 Units (LEC 48-54)
This course offers an overview of the normal age-related changes in the brain with the effects of disease that cause cognitive impairment, with emphasis on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
Transfers to CSU only
3 Units (LEC 48-54)
This course offers an overview of the mental health of older adults from a variety of perspectives. Key topics include the dual continuum model, changes in cognitive functioning, mental illnesses, assessment protocols, treatment methods, systems-level perspectives on mental health as it relates to aging and older adults, models of care, care contexts and methods of support.
Transfers to CSU only
3 Units (LEC 48-54)
This course centers on a supervised internship/fieldwork experience. This culminating experience provides students with the opportunity to apply learned theories and concepts in a community agency where planning, developing or delivering services to older adults or their families occur. Students choose an area of practice and negotiate their learning experiences or project with their faculty advisor and field supervisor.
Prerequisite: GERO-504 (with a grade of C or better).
Transfers to CSU only