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online The Age Wave: Healthcare and Community Impacts course at Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: The Age Wave: Healthcare and Community Impacts


Course Title: CH575 - The Age Wave: Healthcare and Community Impacts
Department: Health Sciences
Instructor: Dr. Deryl Gulliford - E-Mail | Personal E-Mail |  Vita
E-mail dgullifo@canyoncollege.edu
Personal E-mail deryl@pldi.net
Phone (office BlackBerry®/cell): (405) 219-6715
Phone (cell): (405) 219-6227
Phone (home): (405) 285-1974
Pager: (877) 724-3711, PIN 5539
Address: 118 Gardenwood Dr, Holdenville, OK 74848-9528


Course Description:
The phenomenon of the US population betwen the ages of 45 and 60, who represent the largest group of health care consumers of tomorrow, is the focus of this class. This "Age Wave" represents not only an increasing demand for health care products and services, but a sociological force capable of influencing policy, attitudes about aging, and the way Americans live, play, work and retire. This course explores the massive impacts of the coming Age Wave on American health care, and presents key strategies for research, education and planning. This course will provide background and strategic considerations for health care providers, leaders, educators and planners regarding this single most sigificant societal force of our day.

Text: Online Bookstore

Facing the Age Wave. David A. Wise. ISBN #: 0817994823 Hoover Institution Press. 1997.

Journal Article: "Understanding the Age Wave," AAMA Executive, Fall 2001.
by Deryl Gulliford MHA, PhD, FAAMA (provided at the end of this syllabus)

The text is available through barnesandnoble.com and several other proprietary websites.

Course Format:
This course is divided into four units, covering text chapters as follows:

Unit One - Journal Article
Unit Two - Chapters 1 and 2
Unit Three - Chapter 3
Unit Four - Chapter 4

Communication with Instructor:
Students are expected to communicate with the professor weekly during the course term. A brief email update is sufficient, although the professor will be pleased to discuss any matter by phone during the work day or during the evening hours at home.

Evaluation:
There is a written essay examination for each Unit, and a Scholarly Paper (approximately 10 pages in length, double-spaced) is also required for completion of the course. The Scholarly Paper topic and outline must be approved prior to the writing.

Completion of the first two Unit Exams constitutes midterm progress, and completion of the final two Unit Exams constitutes final progress. There is no final examination for this course.

Grade Weighting:
Each Unit Exam is worth 20% of the course grade, and the Scholarly Paper is worth 20% of the course grade.

Course Topics:
Students should expect to study the following topics in the process of completing this course: About the Professor:

Dr. Gulliford is CEO of Seiling Hospital in Seiling, Oklahoma. He has 20+ years of experience in senior healthcare management. His clinical background includes work in respiratory care, critical care, non-invasive and invasive cardiology, and perfusion. Dr. Gulliford is currently National Chairman of the AAMA Small and Rural Healthcare Section.

Dr. Gulliford's Philosophy:
.............therefore however you want other people to treat you, so treat them.

Understanding the “Age Wave” – Why We Need Quality Community Healthcare Facilities

Reprinted here from the journal Executive by permission of the American Academy of Medical Administrators, Des Plains, IL

By Deryl Gulliford, MHA, PhD
CEO – Seiling Hospital


One of the most important social phenomena which we will experience in the United States is the coming “Age Wave” which will challenge virtually every aspect of our society and dramatically impact our community services. It is extremely important for community leaders, healthcare executives, managers, board members and physicians to understand this phenomenon. This article is presented for professional education, and also for community strategic planning purposes.

The US population over age 65 will grow from its 1999 level of 34.6 million persons to approximately 82 million in 2050, a 137% increase. The most rapid growth in our senior population will take place between 2011 and 2030. During that 19 year interval, seniors will expand from 13% of our population to 22% of our population. (Source: US Census Bureau).

There really are three converging factors which produce the Age Wave:
  1. The Senior Boom
  2. The Birth Dearth
  3. The Aging of Baby Boomers
Until recently, the US senior population has really been quite small, smaller than many developed nations, but that is changing rapidly. Medical advancements, new technologies and improved public health information have all contributed to this growth in our senior population. The good news is that Americans are not only living longer but staying well longer! Aging no longer means that an individual will necessarily be unproductive and unhealthy. It does mean, however, that he or she will utilize significantly more healthcare resources than in younger years. The utilization of medical services increases predictably with age, and likely always will.

The “Birth Dearth” reflects the dramatic drop in present birth rates as compared to the Baby Boom years between 1946 and 1964. Experts feel that there is not likely to be a repeat of the Baby Boom, ever. Women today are having fewer children for several reasons:
  1. Personal Choice
  2. Advanced Careers for Women
  3. The Transition from an Agricultural Society
  4. The Cost of Having Children (insurance, education, daycare, housing)
The aging of the Baby Boom generation dominates our society and has done so for decades. The Boomers impact every economic and political foundation of our culture. It is interesting to note the health, literature, media, television, and civic impacts of the Boomers as they move through life. Lobby groups among older adults have increased in number, size and effectiveness, and senior citizens are represented on more community boards and committees then ever before. Their access to legislators and political party organizations has never been better.

Senior groups have a considerable amount of “poll power,” and they use it. With retirement comes some unscheduled time, allowing for a greater participation level in voting and lobbying. Healthcare leaders need to tap into the tremendous power of this poll power to benefit our important community health causes and issues.

National priorities such as health care delivery, long-term care, Social Security, Medicare, assisted living, and prescription coverage will need to change dramatically to serve our senior population over the decades to come. Our seniors definitely deserve quality facilities and services to meet their health care needs.

Financially, the only winners in the Age Wave scenario are the savers, those who have invested wisely in private retirement plans such as IRA’s and deferred compensation plans. The current design for Social Security simply will not float in the decades ahead. Either taxes on those working will increase, or benefits will decline, or very likely both. The only way to win in this scenario is private investing. The stock market will be back, and only those who invest, can succeed in the long haul.

The Age Wave has also brought about a new concept, the “Sandwich Generation”. Some readers may recognize themselves immediately as part of this group. This generation is caught between raising their children and caring for their aging parents. These are busy, busy folks, and they may sometimes feel that they have no lives of their own.

In short, the Age Wave will challenge every aspect of our community, our personal, social and political dynamics. How we respond to this challenge in our own communities and our healthcare organizations will clearly affect quality of life for decades to come. We will need excellent senior facilities in the future, including nursing homes, hospitals, assisted living centers, senior centers, meals programs and transportation programs.

I listened to an interesting talk at last year’s American Hospital Association convention. The speaker was saying, “Resist any temptation to decrease the size of your hospital or nursing home. You may not be as busy as you want right now, but just wait, the Baby Boomers are coming!” Good advice for all senior-oriented services in our communities.

An excellent book on this topic for those interested is Age Wave by Dychtwald and Flower. New York: Bantam.