Course Descriptions

Offered: 1st 8-week session Fall Semester (Fall A)

In this course on end-of-life care, participants will learn practical skills to assist people who are facing incurable illnesses, such as cancer, severe cardiovascular disease, and progressive neurodegenerative diseases.  Palliative care focuses on symptom control and amelioration of suffering, which are often underemphasized in conventional healthcare training. Topics will include pain and symptom management strategies, both conventional and complementary, determination of terminal prognosis, hospice care, palliative care emergencies, and discussion of advance directives. Participants will enjoy creative and thoughtful reflection activities that allow them to deeply engage in the topics covered in this course.

Offered: 2nd 8-week session Fall Semester (Fall B)

Participants will learn the prominent theories of grieving and the grief reaction, as well as the empirically-based therapeutic interventions available to support and care for the bereaved.  Participants will learn to distinguish between anticipatory grief, normal grief, and complicated grief and to identify factors that affect the grieving process. This course also explores reflective practice and self-care for the end-of-life care professional while learning to support those who are dying and those who are grieving.

Offered: 1st 8-week session Spring Semester (Spring A)

This course explores the psychological and social aspects of adult development within the context of the ongoing process of aging. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to describe the major psychological and sociological theories of aging and adult development; understand the physical, psychological, social, and health changes that occur during aging; evaluate the biological, psychological, intellectual, and social dimensions along which developmental changes occur in adult aging and their implications for the aging individual, family, and society; understand the importance of an individual’s cultural context while progressing through the life course; and identify current research trends and theories regarding several aspects of the aging process (e.g. death and dying, mental health, positive affect, personality, chronic disease, and social roles).

Offered: 2nd 8-week session Spring Semester (Spring B)

This course provides participants with the information and skills needed to address ethical and legal concerns related to palliative and end-of-life care.  Participants will learn the theoretical foundations of health care ethics, including the Hippocratic Oath, ethical principles, virtue ethics, deontology, utilitarianism, and care-based ethics. The relationship between law and ethics will be clarified.  The focus of society and medicine in delaying death and addressing human suffering will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on developing a knowledge base of key concepts and strategies that can be used to prevent and resolve problems that are specific to palliative and end-of-life care, including advance directives, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, suffering, withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatments, organ donation, and assisted suicide.