The purpose of this module is to provide faculty with information about the elderly that will dispel widely held stereotypes within society and will provide a background on who are the elderly and how the body changes with age. wellness, fitness and nutrition in the elderly. Although the emphasis is clearly on the elderly, many of the concepts apply at any age. Faculty can emphasize to students that by studying and applying positive lifestyle changes at a young age, the chances of achieving one's "golden years" in good health are much increased.
With the graying of society, seniors will comprise a larger proportion of their future clients and patients. Workers in all careers will interface more and more with this population. An understanding of how the body changes with age and a tool bag of ways to target the elderly population will enhance the basic concepts taught in the work force and certificate programs.
The Texas Gerontology Curriculum Consortium is sponsored by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as part of a Carl Perkins Leadership Grant. Four colleges have worked together, Eastfield College of the Dallas Community College System, Lee College, San Antonio College of the Alamo Community College System and Vernon College, to develop course offerings in the field of Gerontology. These various courses were developed to be integrated into a Workforce Education Course Manual as part of a Gerontology Certificate Program. The core contents of the courses can also be used as stand alone modules to be inserted as study units within courses outside the discipline of gerontology, for example, nursing and business. The repository of eight courses in gerontology along with their syllabi, course outlines and assessments can be found at http://www.eastfieldcollege.edu/ger/future.html.