It has been estimated that sometime in each person's life they will become a caregiver.  Short term caregiving, such as that given by a parent who has to be absent from work a few days to care for a child with a common cold or broken arm, poses no major problems for the family. However, that same child born with spina bifida creates burdens for the total family. An inspection of recent health care statistics suggests that, as the population increases, more persons in all age groups will have to have someone close to them to either care for them or arrange to see that they receive proper care. This course will primarily focus on the "needs of caregivers" in the ranks of family, neighbor, and friend, who will need assistance on how to sort through various issues and problems they confront, as they face new or existing roles as family caregiver. For the formal caregiver, this course will help prepare them to be advocates for the family caregivers and to be better prepared to work with family caregivers after they know the range of problems faced.

Issues to be examined will include: who are caregivers,--gender roles, managing family stress, respite care, establishing support groups, cost of caregiving, finding local resources, legal challenges, differential caregiving tips for various illnesses, disabilities from infancy to old age, emerging trends and long distance caregiving. (See Course Outline Below)

Mrs. Rosalyn Carter, former first lady of the United States, notes in one of her publications that her colleague observed that with regards to caregiving there are four kinds of people in the world: 1. Those who have been caregivers, 2. Those who currently are caregivers, 3. Those who will be caregivers and 4. Those who will need caregivers.  This suggests that everyone sooner or later will be touched by caregiving.  Family caregiving is increasingly being discussed in all social circles. The media have alerted us to the possibility of having a caregiver in our future. We are told that there are about 54 million people who provide long-term care to husbands, wives, parents, children, friends, and other loved ones. They provide 80% of all home care services. It has been estimated that if family caregiving was an industry with 54 million workers, the family caregiving industry would be the biggest single employer in the country.

In a study completed in 1998 by the National Alliance For Caregiving 18% of caregiver respondents said they had contacted social service agents for assistance. There is an increasing need for social workers and health care service workers to be more involved in the social services network for caregivers. This course will give students a basic understanding of contemporary problems caregivers and recipients of care are facing and what is being done nationally and locally to relieve their burdens. Caregiving covers such a broad spectrum of needs that this course must be selective in its focus. Not all subjects related to caregiving will be covered.

1. know how caregiving may some day affect most families
2. know the profile of informal and family caregivers
3. have an understanding of the costs of caregiving
4. be aware of emerging trends in caregiving
5. have studied state and federal legislation enacted, being considered and needed for caregivers
6.  know about family caregiving across the life span; particularly intergenerational issues
7. understand the dynamics of long distance caregiving
8. have knowledge about helping caregivers help themselves
9. understand how important various services are to caregivers
10. know about responsibilities of caregiving
11. be able to identify community resources available to assist caregivers
12. have an awareness of optional models of caregiving and their associated costs
13. be able to distinguish Hollywood's portrayal of caregiving with real world experiences
14. know that caregivers can live a good life
15.  appreciate the meaning of death for caregivers among varied cultures

Impact of caregiving on family members when the care recipient is a child. Discussion Points #2

An excellent publication covering a broad range of topics about family caregiving to aging parents and raising disabled
children is Because We Care: A Guide for People Who Care. To locate this publication visit
www.aoa.gov/wecare/contents.html.

Students will holds discussions about parents facing the  future in raising their special child, as the child becomes an adult.
Caregiving for aging parents.
Creating caregiving opportunities for the elderly disabled. Students are to develop of list of what can happen to adults and elderly persons to cause them to need the services of family members.
Intergenerational issues.
baby boomers/sandwich generation, conflict/harmony, grandparents caring for grandchildren.

WHAT DO CAREGIVERS DO FOR CARE RECIPIENTS

Within the on-line discussion groups students will discuss the tasks they think caregivers perform for their incapacitated loved ones. In other words, caregiving is often a full time job. What duties are included in their position description? Discussion Points #3, http://www.careguide.net/  --click on Loved One, go to Are You A Caregiver, then click on How To Help Your Aging Parent.

PREPARING TO BECOME A CAREGIVER

In this section discussions consider: making plans for the future, posing difficult questions, aging is inevitable, and it's never too soon.
Where to begin?  www.aarp.org/confacts/caregive/planning.html.
Discussing legal issues, particularly Power of Attorney. www.aarp.org/confacts/caregive/legalissue.html,
http://www.partnershipforcaring.org/ --Click on Advance Directives. Go to Frequently Asked Questions. Also, at this website on Advance Directives you can Download State Specific Documents for most states.
A web site recently launched for the elderly and their family members, if they have law questions, is
http://www.elderlawanswers.com/.  Here you will find answers to questions about paying for nursing home care, choosing an assisted living facility, purchasing long term care insurance, retirement planning and much more.

Discussion Points #4 .Students who reside in Tennessee are to go to local Medical Center, such as the Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro to get a form provided by the state to residence about Power of Attorney Living Will. Among many things, the Power Of Attorney allows the caregiver to manage someone's finances. Factors to consider when managing the finances of other's are covered in Discussion Points #5

CARING FOR AN AGING LOVED ONE: PLANNING AND DECIDING ON CARE OPTIONS

• Evaluating the care recipient's abilities and disabilities. www.aarp.org/confacts/caregive/assess.html
  Care recipient living independently in their home by themselves.
  www.aarp.org/confacts/caregive/indliving.html.
• Deciding to provide care for your loved one in the home.
  www.aarp.org/confacts/caregive/handson.html,
  www.aarp.org/confacts/caregive/parentshome.html.
• What is assisted living?
  There is no federal agency that set standards for assessing the quality of care provided by assisted living centers. Each state has responsibility for periodically inspecting assisted living centers. The National Center For Assisted Living does provide assisted living centers guidance on administering quality centers. http://www.ncal.org/  is the web site for the National Center. If a caregiver living in Tennessee is considering placing a loved one in a particular assisted living center and they want to obtain a copy of the state's inspection report of that center, they should contact Bobbie Wood, The Department of Health, Division of Health and Environment in Nashville at 615-7417221.
• When a nursing home is being considered the caregiver might contact the national office of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) for their guide on Choosing a Nursing Home.  Call 202-690-6145. Their web site is http://www.hcfa.gov/ Also, review information on choosing a nursing home at
  www.aarp.org/confacts/health/choosingnh.html and www.aarp.org/confacts/health/nhresolve.html
  If you want to compare nursing homes in your state go to, http://www.medicare.gov/
  To get help with a complaint about the quality of care or life in a nursing home. Contact your local Long Term Care Ombudsman office (in Tennessee call 615-741-2056)

• For an excellent publication on a variety caregiving reports listed in other places on this syllabus go to : www.aoa.dhhs.gov/caregivers/FamCare.html

COST OF CAREGIVING TO THE FAMILY CAREGIVER AND EMPLOYERS

Issues considered include: costs of caring: economic burden to society, what's a family to do, and can we afford to get ill, become disabled or become a senior citizen.

• Download The Metlife Study of Employer Costs For Working Caregivers at http://www.caregiving.org/.  Click on Reports and Products. The study is 8 pages long and can be read without downloading it.
• For coverage of employees costs go to Discussion Points #6
• Many companies grant their employees medical leave to care for their love ones. The Family and Medical Leave Act is administered by the U.S. Department Of Labor. To view the Act visit http://www.dol.gov/dol/esa/fmla.html.
• Juggling work and caregiving is often an issue caregivers face. A study has been done on this topic. To locate the Juggling Study visit:: http://www.caregiving.org/content/reports/JugglingStudy.pdf

FINDING FINANCING TO PAY FOR CARE
 

• Making choices about long term care can be confusing. There may be more than 3,000 long- term care policy from which to choose. Additionally, policies are costly. Metlife has conducted a study to inform the public about the worth of long term care insurance. The report of that study can be found at www.caregiving.org Go to Reports and Products. It is a 22 page report. The first 5 pages contain general findings of the study.
   
• The following site is also very helpful in deciding the best long-term care policy for a family member.
  www.aarp.org/confacts/health/privltc.html
   
• Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) web site http://www.hcfa.gov/  contains information about Medicare and Medicaid coverage, which can pay for many in-home and nursing home services. In Tennessee contact Tenncare for information about Medicaid in the state.
   

CAREGIVING IS OFTEN A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM OF CAREGIVERS

Stress: types, source and causes:

Types of stress:

• http://helping.apa.org/work/stress4.html
• Article on chronic stress
• Loneliness of the Long Term Caregiver
• Personal characteristics that may cause stress: Discussion Points #7 also discussed along with Discussion Points #8

CARING FOR THE CAREGIVER

      1.Developing coping skills and strategies:

• www.aarp.org/confacts/caregive/mngstress.html
• www.aarp.org/confacts/caregive/others.html  Involving other family.
• www.aarp.org/confacts/stress/care.html  taking care of self.
• http://www.nfcacares.org/  tips for caregivers.
• Way to give caregivers a break. Respite: Time Out for Caregivers
• Respite Care: http://thearc.org/faqs/respite.html
• Gift ideas for caregivers and more visit. http://www.caregiving.com
  
  2.Locating local resources:
  To get information on how to locate the nearest agency on aging and on a wide variety of community services to support older adult, visit www.aoa.gov/elderpage/locator.html , http://www.aoa.gov/  (browse this site for state aging agencies, ombudsman, and fact sheets)

An excellent publication covering a broad range of topics about family caregiving to aging parents and raising disabled children is Because We Care: A Guide for People Who Care. To locate this publication visit: www.aoa.gov/wecare/contents.html 

CONDITIONS FOR WHICH CAREGIVING MAY BE PERCEIVED AND PROVIDED DIFFERENTLY
a.elderly
b.mental illness
c.alzheimers
d.drug abuse
e.AIDS
f.cancer
g.end stage renal disease
h.sickle cell disease
 

• American Sickle Cell Anemia Association: www.ascaa.org/faq.asp
• The Alzheimer's Association: www.alz.org/caregiver
• List Of Questions and Answers About Alzheimer's Disease
  movie
• Harsh treatment of Alzheimer's patient. Woman in Maryland
• American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/
• End stage renal disease (kidney): www.niddk.nih.gov/health/kidney/kidney.htm
  
  LONG DISTANCE CAREGIVING
• Discussion Points #9 , www.aarp.org./confacts/caregive/longdistance.html
  
  WORKING WITH PROFESSIONAL CAREGIVERS
  
  Who are professional caregivers? The distinction made in the Course Description of this syllabus about the differences between informal and formal caregivers is again explained here. Remember that informal caregivers are the family members and friends who care for their disabled or incapacitated family members without being paid for their services. Informal caregivers have been the focus of this Internet class.
  Formal caregivers are the professional caregivers who may have no family ties to the person receiving care and have
  been trained to provide care in such places as in the home, medical centers, nursing home, hospices and the like. They are also paid a salary or some form of income for the valuable services they provide. Visit
  www.aarp.org/confacts/caregive/healthprof.html 
  
  To read the advice for communicating with your doctor that is reported in the publication Talking With Your Doctor: A Guide for Older People visit http://www.nih.gov/nia/health/pubs/talking  This book is published by the National Institute on Aging-September, 2000 and is an excellent reference.

• EMERGING TRENDS
  
  The aging population in the U.S. continues to grow at a rapid rate. http://www.aoa.gov/  It is expected that by 2030 there will be over 70 million person over 65 years of age. The prevalence of disability increases with aging, reaching its highest level among the very elderly over the age 85. Disabling conditions occur among the young, but at a lesser rate. Rates of activity limitation are incrementally lower among younger Americans. For example, at age 18-24 the disability rate in is estimated to be 6.9 % and under 18 years of age the rate is 6.1 %. http://dsc.ucsf.edu/  As U.S. population increases we can expect that increasing higher rates of disability among the young and elderly citizens. Thus, the need for more family caregivers will rise. Discussion Points #10
  Emerging Trends contained in a larger report on caregiving visit:: www.asaging.org/pew/feinberg/feinberg-trends.html
  
  A CROSS CULTURAL EXAMINATION OF DEATH AND DYING
  
  a.dying at any age
  b.spirituality and death
  c.diversity issues
  d.the hospice approach to terminal care
  e.grieving

Completed assignments must not be  emailed to the instructor or mailed to him at MTSU. The on-line system used for administering this course has a feature  that allows for the submission of reports. To properly receive grades on a timely and uncomplicated bases that system must be used to submit reports. DO NOT fax your assignment to the instructor.

Projects for the course:   :

1.Students will write a ten (10) page paper on issues concerning family caregiving. Students will select a population that is likely to need caregiving from a family member and write about that population following the outline ASSIGNMENT ONE .Be sure to use the outline in your report to show that you have covered each subject as required. Above under CONDITIONS FOR WHICH CAREGIVING MAY BE PERCEIVED AND PROVIDED DIFFERENTLY  is a  list of some populations you can consider. Other populations may also be considered. Also, see the list of TOPICS OF PAPERS WRITTEN IN A PREVIOUS CLASS. The paper must be typed, doubled spaced, using Times New Roman BOLD #12 font size . A bibliography of at least four (4) sources should be included. and written in APA format. SPECIAL NOTE: Each written paper must have a cover page that has 1. Student's name, 2. Title of the paper, and 3.Number of pages. ALL papers MUST be stapled or fastened by some firm means. This assignment is worth thirty points (30)toward your final grade.
2.Students are required to visit a public or private social services agency that provides direct services to chronically ill persons or persons with a disability of any age and works with family caregivers. The agencies might be senior citizen centers, assisted living centers, rehabilitation centers, adult day care centers, etc. This list will be expanded with student input during the first several weeks of class after local resources have been discussed. Students will write a five (5) page report about their visit.  Students will find an outline to follow for organizing and writing the paper at ASSIGNMENT TWO. The outline will show what is expected to be in the report. Be sure to use the outline in your report to show that you have covered each subject as required. This assignment is worth twenty (20) points toward your final grade.
3.Because these two papers make up a large part of your grade, you should do your best independent work in preparing them. Consult with the instructor if you experience difficulty, but do so well in advance of there due dates. Students should always keep a copy of all papers you submit.
4..Due dates for both the assignments are given under  ASSIGNMENTS listed for the course.  Papers submitted after due dates will receive 5 points less for each day it is late.

Students will be able to view and download the ASSIGNMENTS from the WebCT site for the course. Many students prepare and save their written reports with a variety of programs extensions. The instructor  for this course has difficulty opening, and viewing these reports with extensions other than "doc" or "wps"

Course Ground Rules

Obtain and use university email address as opposed to your own personal e-mail address.

Always include a subject line. Do not send large attachments without permission.

Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way.

Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emotions might be helpful in some cases.

Use standard fonts; preferably Times New Roman font size 10-Bold

Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.

Respect the privacy of other class members.

Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.

Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.

Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other's ideas.

Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.

Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.

Be positive and constructive in group discussions.

Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.

Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.

Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.

Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.

Be constructive in your comments and suggestions.

Library

Students With Disabilities

Syllabus Changes