The Georgia Center for Continuing Education, in partnership with The University of Georgia's Gerontology Center, announced this past fall the development of the Gerontology Outreach Program. An umbrella concept, the program's purpose will be to provide a range of services to improve the quality of life for older adults, by offering educational and training opportunities for caregivers of older adults.
According to the program's coordinators, the need for services to older adults and to those who care for them is growing, along with the number of aging Georgia citizens.
The effects in Georgia of the changing demographics were addressed in a recent article in The Atlanta Constitution (January 3, 1997 editorial, "Ideas for Our Community: Get Ready To Go Gray"). The aging population is growing as, in addition to native Georgians, there are significant numbers of retirees moving to the state. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Georgia will be one of eight states whose elderly population will more than double in the next 25 years. As the population grows, more and more demands for high quality, accessible, and affordable services are expected. More and more older people are finding that they must stretch themselves, both physically and financially, to the limit. Eating well, finding adequate medical care, living somewhere besides "home," knowing where to turn when resources become depleted -- these are a few of the issues and circumstances that many older adults must deal with daily.
The numbers attached to the "condition" of the U.S. older population suggest the difficulty many older people face (information compiled by the Gerontology Outreach Program):
How can caregivers provide better care today and make plans to help the growing aging population in the next 10-20 years?
Skill in caring for older people can be developed. Understanding of the special needs of older adults can grow. Support is available. The Gerontology Outreach Program will offer assistance in all three areas.
The Gerontology Outreach Program, which serves to pull together certain existing gerontology programs of both the Georgia Center and the Gerontology Center, will be guided by a needs assessment which was designed by program staff. The assessment process included focus group sessions and phone surveys with state offices of aging, senior citizens, rural and urban caregivers, agencies devoted to aging concerns, home health professionals, and other service providers. Also, exemplary programs for the aging throughout the U.S. were studied. The results of the needs assessment have been analyzed and plans are to present the findings at regional and national conferences.
The program, based on identified needs, will consist of varied delivery methods, including:
The program offers the target markets -- advocacy groups, state agencies, care providers, and individuals interested in gerontology -- the following advantages. The program is ...
Since the 1970s, the Georgia Center, through various departments and efforts, has served the elderly and the caregivers of the elderly population, with programs ranging from basic courses in the biology, sociology, and psychology of aging for professionals to training home health care paraprofessionals on basic aspects of direct care. The current program, conducted by the Family, Consumer, and Other Life Sciences Unit of the Department of Program and Conference Development.
"We rely on faculty expertise within The University of Georgia and collaboration with agencies and organizations to impact the health and well-being of Georgia older citizens," said Trudy P. Cain, head of the Georgia Center's Family, Consumer, and Other Life Sciences Program Section and co-director of the Gerontology Outreach Program.
The mission of UGA's Gerontology Center is "to conduct graduate and post-doctoral training and research and to enhance faculty development in gerontology. The University's program in gerontology began in 1965, with the "University Council on Gerontology," and has since expanded to a 50-member faculty of gerontology from 27 different University units. The faculty and its programs are coordinated through the Gerontology Center, under the auspices of the Office of Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Graduate School.
The Center conducts federally funded research in all aspects of gerontology, offers a graduate certificate program in gerontology that includes both a "practice" and a "research" track, and organizes research and teaching consortiums among universities in Georgia. The Center will develop curriculum materials, lead workshops, and serve as consultants for the Gerontology Outreach Program.
Leonard W. Poon, director of the Gerontology Center and co-director of the Gerontology Outreach Program, sees the collaboration inherent in the Gerontology Outreach Program as a major benefit. "Part of the excitement of this program, in addition to helping the older adult populations, is that it combines the gerontological expertise from academic affairs and services of the University," he said.
For technical assistance or program development: Trudy P. Cain, head, Family, Consumer, and Other Life Sciences Section, Department for Program and Conference Development, Georgia Center for Continuing Education, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-3603, 706-542-5654, e-mail: caint@gactr.uga.edu, or visit the Georgia Center's Web page at http://www.gactr.uga.edu.
For academic credit or questions about research projects: Leonard W. Poon, director, Gerontology Center, 100 Candler Hall, The University of Georgia 30602-1775, 706-542-3954, e-mail: lpoon@uga.cc.uga.edu, or visit the Gerontology Center's Web page at http://www.geron.uga.edu.
Web administrator: webmaster@gactr.uga.edu All contents copyright © 1997 University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education. All rights reserved. Last revised: Tue, Mar 18, 1997, 12:34 PM URL: http://www.gactr.uga.edu/GCQ/GCQwin97/geront.html