HSG 376

Mental Health and Aging

4 Undergraduate credits
Effective December 15, 2010 – Present

Graduation requirements this course fulfills

This course examines issues related to the cognitive and affective development of individuals in their later years. It maps the developmental phases that typically result in impairments that are not physical, and outlines a set of strategies to facilitate coping with those impairments. The course is recommended for those involved in direct services-nurses, activities staff members, social workers and others involved in rehabilitation.

Learning outcomes

General

  • Be familiar with key mental health resources available to elders and their families.
  • Describe the major psychosocial theories of aging and developmental tasks of middle age and later life.
  • Describe the most common mental disorders in the elderly, with a particular focus on differentiating between cognitive disorders like dementia and emotional disorders like depression.
  • Differentiate mental health from mental illness and identify myths and misconceptions about mental illness in elders.
  • Identify some types of mental health treatment in older adults and tools for evaluating and assessing mental disorders.