You’d like to work with the elderly, caring for them and making life as comfortable as possible for them. You want to get formal education for this so you can be better equipped to handle every kind of situation that concerns the elderly.
Should you take courses for Gerontology or Geriatrics?
While both of these focus on the elderly, they are not similar in application. Gerontology basically studies the effects of aging on the elderly while Geriatrics concentrates on health and medical issues that affect senior citizens.
The former delves deeper into the mental and psychological factors that affect aging while the latter focuses more on the physical-bodily aspects of aging.
Online Courses for Gerontology
If you wish to focus on Gerontology, there are Master’s in Gerontology degrees that are offered on the internet.
The University of Southern California has a special school and research center established for the study of Gerontology. The USC Davis School of Gerontology provides online courses for Gerontology.
The Master of Arts in Gerontology is offered both online and off and it requires students to complete twenty-eight units of course work.
Required courses include the Fundamentals of Gerontology: The Science of Adult Development, Perspectives on Aging; Stress, Health and Aging; Lifespan Development: Psychology; Counseling Older Adults; Lifespan Development: Sociology; Social Policy and Aging; Complimentary and Alternative Medicine; and Professional Issues.
All of these courses dig deeper into the most common issues that affect the elderly and by taking these courses, you will be able to better handle these factors as they arise for your patients or the elderly under your care.
Perspectives in Aging
This course for example, will prepare you for the biological and psychological changes that older adults go through as they age. By being knowledgeable about these changes, you will be able to address the needs of your patients in a more effective manner.
Stress, Health and Aging
This course meanwhile, digs down to the root cause of stress and health issues as older adults age. This course is actually related to Geriatrics and is categorized into 4 parts: Aging and Health, Health Promotion and Lifestyle, Diseases and Disorders of Aging, and Issues Affecting Health and Function.
The course briefly touches on all of these factors that can determine the quality of life of the elderly.
Incidentally, online courses are taken via Blackboard technology; a program that enables students and instructors to interact more easily plus assist students in keeping track of all their online courses.