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Michigan State University

Michigan State University’s BEL program goals were to improve undergraduates’ understanding of the aging process, increase their awareness of diversity within the population, and develop their interest and comfort in working with older adults. During lecture students learned to conduct a social, physical, and environmental assessments of older adults and to develop treatment interventions for older adults and their families from case studies.

During this project students met with older adults in the classroom and in a local community center. The older adults were diverse in race, socio-economic status, and level of disability, if any at all. The students also participated in tours of residential facilities for older adults, including both an upscale assisted living facility and a retirement facility that includes independent duplex living, apartment living, assisted living, nursing home care, and hospice services. Students also visited the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, which recently opened a state of the art assisted living facility for tribal members on the reservation land.

Courses that Included Experiential Activity:

  • Practice with Individuals

Gero Practice Behaviors:

  • Assess and address values and biases regarding aging.
  • Respect diversity among older adult clients, families, and professionals (e.g., class, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation).
  • Relate concepts and theories of aging to social work practice (e.g., cohorts, normal aging, and life course perspective).
  • Identify issues related to losses, changes, and transitions over their life cycle in designing interventions.
  • Assess cognitive functioning and mental health status of older clients (e.g., depression, dementia).
  • Assess social functioning (e.g., social skills, social activity level) and social support of older clients
  • Conduct a comprehensive geriatric assessment (bio-psychosocial evaluation).
  • Assess caregivers’ needs and level of stress.
  • Reevaluate and adjust service plans for older adults on a continuing basis.
  • Identify and develop strategies to address service gaps, fragmentation, discrimination, and barriers that impact older persons.
  • Identify the availability of resources and resource systems for older adults and their families.