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Syllabus:

Social Work with Elderly, 15 Credits

Swedish name: Socialt arbete med äldre

This syllabus is valid: 2018-01-01 valid to 2018-08-19 (newer version of the syllabus exists)

Course code: 2SA148

Credit points: 15

Education level: Second cycle

Main Field of Study and progress level: Social Work: Second cycle, has only first-cycle course/s as entry requirements

Grading scale: Three-grade scale

Responsible department: Department of Social Work

Established by: Head of Department of Social Work, 2017-06-13

Contents

The course focuses on public, organizational and individual perspectives and experiences of aging and care work. From a social perspective the challenges of aging and older people's living conditions are problematized and conceptualized and linked to three general themes: 1) elderly care from a welfare state perspective, 2) social vulnerability and 3) care and care giving. Older people's living conditions and needs are problematized in the view of a changing society, forms of governance, organizations and legislation as well as social vulnerability such as abuse, disabilities, violence and poverty. Care relations and caregiving are problematized in relation to skills, intimacy, family, end-of-life care, death and bereavement. During the course ethical dilemmas in social work with elderly will be discussed. Age, aging and care are concepts highlighted and problematized in relation to gender, class, ethnicity and sexuality.

Expected learning outcomes

After completing the course, the student is expected to:

Knowledge
- Have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the social conditions of aging and conditions
- Demonstrate knowledge of theories and research on aging and elderly / old people
- Have a knowledge and understanding of the practice of social work with the elderly, such as exercise of authority, formal and informal caregiving
- Have knowledge of the living conditions of the elderly and vulnerable life situations such as abuse, violence, relationships, care dependency

Skills
- Demonstrate the ability and skills to critically analyse and reflect on aging, welfare and care in relation to the norms of gender as well as ethnicity and disability
- The ability to reflect critically on theories and research on elderly, aging and elder care
- Be able to reflect on the welfare changes and its implications for social work with elderly

Competence
- Be able to identify and evaluate factors that affect older people's living conditions at individual, group and community level
- Independently and critically acquire, evaluate and apply knowledge in the field
 

Required Knowledge

For students in the social work program, the requirement is that you have received a passing grade in examinations, completed and registered program courses, totaling 150 credits (semester 1-3, 90 credits, semester 4-6, 60 credits) In addition, ongoing studies at semester 6 are required.
 

Form of instruction

Teaching takes the form of lectures, seminars and individual presentations. Attendance at seminars and individual presentations is compulsory. Students who are unable to participate in an examinatory element will be set extra assignments

Examination modes

The course uses continuous examination in the form of active participation in seminars and individual and written assignments. The course is examined through a written assignment which is presented orally and discussed in a seminar, as well as through active participation in seminar discussions of participants’ presentations.
All examinatory elements are used as bases for the overall course grade. To receive the grade “pass” for the course it is necessary to achieve a passing grade for all seminars as well as for the individual written assignment. To receive a “pass with distinction” grade for the course it is necessary to achieve a passing grade for all seminars as well as a pass with distinction grade for the individual written assignment.

Students who receive a grade of incomplete on the written assignment and seminars will be given the opportunity to complete their work in order to achieve a passing grade. Completion of the examination should be individually based and must take place within two weeks after the announcment of the examination results.

In cases where this is not possible the student is given the opportunity to participate in the element in question when the course is given again.
Students have the right to change examiner after two failed examinations, unless special reasons exist. A written request for change of examiner is to be submitted to the director of studies no later than two weeks before the next examination date.

As regards the rules for re-examinations and examinations in another location the Department folows the rules for Umeå University for tests and examinations at the undergraduate and graduate levels: http://www.umu.se/regelverk/utbildning-pa-grund--och-avancerad-nivå.
Application for examination at another location is handed by the student office.

Other regulations

The semesters and courses within the program are studied in the order indicated in the program overview.

Credit Transfer
Transfer of credits is assessed on an individual basis. For more information please contact your student adviser. See also the “Code of rules and procedures at Umeå University”. http://www8.umu.se/studentcentrum/regler_riktlinjer/regelsamlingen/index_eng.htm
 

Literature

  • Valid from: 2018 week 2

    Social work with Elderly 15 hp

    Abrahamsson M
    Moral norms in older swedish women´s drinking narratives. Enduring patterns and successivelty new features
    Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 29(4): 371-396 : 2012 :
    Mandatory

    Alcohol use disorders in elderly people – redefining an age old problem in old age.
    O´Connell H, Chin Av, Cunningham C, Lawlor B
    British Medical Journal. 327(7416): 664-667. : 2003 :
    Mandatory

    Mapping marketization: concepts and goals. In Gabrielle Meagher & Marta Szebehely (eds) Marketisation in Nordic eldercare: a research report on legislation, oversight, extent and consequences.
    Anttonen Anneli, Meagher Gabrielle
    Stockholm: Department of social work Stockholm university : 2013 :
    Marketisation in Nordic eldercare: a research report on legislation, oversight, extent and consequences.
    Mandatory

    Bigby C
    I hope he dies before me. Unravelling debates about aging with intellectual disability.
    In N. Watson, A. Roulstone, & C. Thomas, (Eds), Routledge Companion to Disability Studies (pp. 426-439) London: Routledge. (available by the department) : 2012 :
    Mandatory

    Bornat, Joanna, Dimmock, Brian, Jones, David & Peace, Shelia (1999)
    Stepfamilies and older people: evaluating the implications of family change for an aging population. Aging and Society, vol. 19, no. 2:239-261.

    Mandatory

    The Health and Social Service Needs of Gay and Lesbian Elders and Their Families in Canada. The Gerontologist, vol. 43, no. 2:192-202
    Brotman Shari, Ryan Bill, Cormier Robert
    2003 :
    Mandatory

    Globalization, Women´s Migration, and the long-Term-Care Workforce. The Gerontologist, vol. 48, no. 1:16-24
    Browne Colette V, Braun Kathryn L
    2008 :
    Mandatory

    Conrad Peter
    Medicalization and Social Control
    Annual Review of Sociology Vol 18:209-232 : 1992 :
    Annual Review of Sociology Vol 18
    Mandatory

    Elder Abuse in Residential Settings in Sweden.
    Saveman B-I, Åström S, Bucht G, Norberg A
    Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, vol. 10 (1-2): 43-60. : 1999 :
    Mandatory

    Care managers’ experiences of cross-cultural needs assessment meetings: the case of late-in-life immigrants
    Forssell E, Torres S, Olaison A
    Ageing and Society, 35(3): 576-601. : 2015 :
    Mandatory

    Viagra: Medical Technology Construction Aging Masculinity
    Gross Gregory, Blundo Robert
    Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare Vol. XXXII, No 1:85-97 : 2005 :
    Mandatory

    Gunnarsson Evy
    The vulnerable life course: poverty and social assistance among middle-aged and older women. Ageing and Society, vol. 22:709-728
    2002 :
    Mandatory

    Gender and the Division of Houshold Labor in Older Couples: A European Perspective. Journal of Family Issues, vol. 28, no 3:399-421.
    Hank Karsten, Jürges Hendrik
    2007 :
    Mandatory

    Harnett Tove
    Seeking exemptions from nursing home routines: Residents everyday influence attempts and institutional order
    Journal of aging studies, vol 24:292-301 :
    Mandatory

    Universal old-age pension in an aging China: Can China learn from Sweden?
    Johansson S, Cheng S
    International Social Work. 1-16. : 2014 :
    Mandatory

    The natural, the normal and the normative: Contested terrains in ageing and old age.
    Jones I.R, Higgs P.F
    Social Sciene & Medicine. 71, 1513-1519. : 2010 :
    Mandatory

    Socialt arbete med äldre
    Jönson Håkan, Harnett Tove
    1. utg. : Stockholm : Natur & Kultur : 2015 : 278 s. :
    ISBN: 9789127140714
    Mandatory
    Search the University Library catalogue

    The exclusion of older people in disability activism and policies – A case of inadvertent ageism?
    Jönsson H, Taghizadeh Larsson S
    Journal of Ageing Studies, 23: 69-77. : 20009 :
    Mandatory

    Framing of Intimate Care in Home Care Services
    Kalman Hildur, Andersson Katarina
    European Journal of Social Work (ISSN 1369-1457) (EISSN 1468-2664) :
    http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-83998
    Mandatory

    Kalman Hildur
    Loss and Grieving: Selves between Autonomy and Dependence.
    PhanEx Vol 7 (2): 1-27 : 2012 :
    Mandatory

    Karner Tracy X
    Professional Caring: Homecare Workers as Fictive Kin. Journal of Aging Studies, vol. 12, no 1:69-82.
    1998 :
    Mandatory

    Critical perspectives on successful aging: does it ”appeal more than it illuminates”?
    Katz S, Calasanti T
    The Gerontologist, 55(1): 26-33. : 2015 :
    Mandatory

    Katz Stephen
    Busy Bodies: Activity, Aging, and the Management of Everyday Life. Journal of Aging Studies, vol. 14, no. 2:135-152.
    2000 :
    Mandatory

    Widowhood and the end of spousal care-giving:relief of wear and tear. Ageing and Society, vol. 28, 551-570.
    Keene Jennifer Reid, Prokos Anastasia H
    2008 :
    Mandatory

    Mallett, Shelley (2004)
    Understanding home: a critical review of the literature. The Sociological Review, vol. 52, no. 1:62-89

    Mandatory

    Marketising trends i Swedish eldercare: competition, choicce and calls for stricter regulation.
    Erlandsson Sara, Storm Palle, Strantz Anneli, Marta Szebehely, Trydegård Gun-Britt
    Stockholm: Department of social work, Stockholm University : 2013 :
    http://www.normacare.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Marketisation-in-nordic-eldercare-webbversion-med-omslag1.pdf
    Mandatory

    Mégret F
    The Human Rights of Older Persons: A Growing Challenge.
    Human Rights Law Review, 11(1): 37-66. : 2011 :
    Mandatory

    Olaison, Anna & Cedersund Elisabet (2006)
    Assessment for home care: Negotiating solutions for individual needs. Journal of Aging Studies, vol. 20:367-380.

    Mandatory

    Salander, Pär & Agneta Spetz (2002)
    How do patients and spouses deal with the serious facts of malignant glioma. Palliative Medicine, vol. 16:305-313.

    Mandatory

    Siebert, Darcy C, Mutran, Elisabeth J & Reitzes, Donald (1999)
    Friendship and Social Support: The Importance of Role Identity to Aging Adults. Social Work, vol. 44, no. 6:522-533.

    Mandatory

    A Pilot study of birthday cards as vignettes: Methodological reflections on the elusive everyday ageism.
    Snellman F, Johansson S, Kalman H
    International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2(7): 21-33. : 2012 :
    Mandatory

    Johansson Stina
    Social omsorg i socialt arbete : grunder och fördjupningar
    Första upplagan : Malmö : Gleerups : [2017] : 251 sidor :
    ISBN: 978-91-40-69623-6
    Mandatory
    Search the University Library catalogue

    Sufficient competence in community elderly care? Results from a competence measurement of nursing staff
    Bing-Jonsson P.C, Hofoss D, Kirkevold M, Torunn B.I, Foss C
    BMC Geriatrics, vol. 15(5) DOI: 10.1186/s12912-016-0124-z : 2016 :
    Mandatory

    Home care for older people in Sweden: a universal model in transition.
    Szebehely M, Trydegård G-B
    Health and Social Care in the Community, 20(3): 300-309. : 2012 :
    Mandatory

    Torres, Sandra (2006)
    Elderly Immigrants in Sweden: ”Otherness” Under Construction. Journal of Ethnic Migration Studies, vol. 32, no. 8:1341-1358.

    Mandatory

    The 'Other' in end-of-life care: care providers on patients with migrant backgrounds.
    Torres S, Ågård P, Milberg A
    Journal of Intercultural Studies, vol. 37, no.2, p. 103-117. DOI: 10.1080/07256868.2016.1141756 : 2016 :
    Mandatory

    Twigg, Julia (2000)
    Carework as a form of bodywork. Ageing & Society, vol. 20:389-411.

    Mandatory

    Violence in institutional care for elderly people from the perspective of involved care providers.
    Sandvide Å, Åström S, Norberg A, Saveman B-I
    Scandinavian Journal of Caring Science, vol. 18 (4): 351-357. : 2004 :
    Mandatory

    Wennberg L
    Wellbeing and gender equality for the elderly in the context of Arctic Sweden
    Nordic Journal on Law and Society, vol. 01(01-02): 176-193 : 2017 :
    Mandatory

    Whitaker Anna
    The body as existential midpoint - the aging and dying body of nursing home residents. Journal of Aging Studies, 24, 2, 96-110
    2010 :
    Mandatory

    Zink, Therese C, Jacobson, Jeff jr., Pabst, Saundra Regan, Fisher, Bonnie S (2006)
    A Lifetime of Intimate Partner Violence: Coping Strategies of Older Women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, vol. 21, no. 5:634-651.

    Mandatory

  • Valid from: 2018 week 1

    Social work with Elderly 15 hp

    Abrahamsson M
    Moral norms in older swedish women´s drinking narratives. Enduring patterns and successivelty new features
    Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 29(4): 371-396 : 2012 :
    Mandatory

    Mapping marketization: concepts and goals. In Gabrielle Meagher & Marta Szebehely (eds) Marketisation in Nordic eldercare: a research report on legislation, oversight, extent and consequences.
    Anttonen Anneli, Meagher Gabrielle
    Stockholm: Department of social work Stockholm university : 2013 :
    Marketisation in Nordic eldercare: a research report on legislation, oversight, extent and consequences.
    Mandatory

    Bigby C
    I hope he dies before me. Unravelling debates about aging with intellectual disability.
    In N. Watson, A. Roulstone, & C. Thomas, (Eds), Routledge Companion to Disability Studies (pp. 426-439) London: Routledge. (available by the department) : 2012 :
    Mandatory

    Sufficient competence in community elderly care? Results from a competence measurement of nursing staff
    Bing-Jonsson P.C, Hofoss D, Kirkevold M, Torunn B.I, Foss C
    BMC Geriatrics, vol. 15(5) DOI: 10.1186/s12912-016-0124-z : 2016 :
    Mandatory

    Bornat, Joanna, Dimmock, Brian, Jones, David & Peace, Shelia (1999)
    Stepfamilies and older people: evaluating the implications of family change for an aging population. Aging and Society, vol. 19, no. 2:239-261.

    Mandatory

    The Health and Social Service Needs of Gay and Lesbian Elders and Their Families in Canada. The Gerontologist, vol. 43, no. 2:192-202
    Brotman Shari, Ryan Bill, Cormier Robert
    2003 :
    Mandatory

    Globalization, Women´s Migration, and the long-Term-Care Workforce. The Gerontologist, vol. 48, no. 1:16-24
    Browne Colette V, Braun Kathryn L
    2008 :
    Mandatory

    Conrad Peter
    Medicalization and Social Control
    Annual Review of Sociology Vol 18:209-232 : 1992 :
    Annual Review of Sociology Vol 18
    Mandatory

    Food and eating as social practice – understanding eating patterns as social phenomena and implications for public health
    Delormier Treena, Frohlich Ketherine L, Potvin Louise
    Sociology of Health & Illness Volume 31, Issue 2, pages 215–228, March 2009 :
    Mandatory

    Marketising trends i Swedish eldercare: competition, choicce and calls for stricter regulation.
    Erlandsson Sara, Storm Palle, Strantz Anneli, Marta Szebehely, Trydegård Gun-Britt
    Stockholm: Department of social work, Stockholm University : 2013 :
    http://www.normacare.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Marketisation-in-nordic-eldercare-webbversion-med-omslag1.pdf
    Mandatory

    Care managers’ experiences of cross-cultural needs assessment meetings: the case of late-in-life immigrants
    Forssell E, Torres S, Olaison A
    Ageing and Society, 35(3): 576-601. : 2015 :
    Mandatory

    Viagra: Medical Technology Construction Aging Masculinity
    Gross Gregory, Blundo Robert
    Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare Vol. XXXII, No 1:85-97 : 2005 :
    Mandatory

    Gunnarsson Evy
    The vulnerable life course: poverty and social assistance among middle-aged and older women. Ageing and Society, vol. 22:709-728
    2002 :
    Mandatory

    Gender and the Division of Houshold Labor in Older Couples: A European Perspective. Journal of Family Issues, vol. 28, no 3:399-421.
    Hank Karsten, Jürges Hendrik
    2007 :
    Mandatory

    Harnett Tove
    Seeking exemptions from nursing home routines: Residents everyday influence attempts and institutional order
    Journal of aging studies, vol 24:292-301 :
    Mandatory

    Universal old-age pension in an aging China: Can China learn from Sweden?
    Johansson S, Cheng S
    International Social Work. 1-16. : 2014 :
    Mandatory

    The natural, the normal and the normative: Contested terrains in ageing and old age.
    Jones I.R, Higgs P.F
    Social Sciene & Medicine. 71, 1513-1519. : 2010 :
    Mandatory

    The exclusion of older people in disability activism and policies – A case of inadvertent ageism?
    Jönsson H, Taghizadeh Larsson S
    Journal of Ageing Studies, 23: 69-77. : 20009 :
    Mandatory

    Kalman Hildur
    Loss and Grieving: Selves between Autonomy and Dependence.
    PhanEx Vol 7 (2): 1-27 : 2012 :
    Mandatory

    Framing of Intimate Care in Home Care Services
    Kalman Hildur, Andersson Katarina
    European Journal of Social Work (ISSN 1369-1457) (EISSN 1468-2664) :
    http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-83998
    Mandatory

    Katz Stephen
    Busy Bodies: Activity, Aging, and the Management of Everyday Life. Journal of Aging Studies, vol. 14, no. 2:135-152.
    2000 :
    Mandatory

    Critical perspectives on successful aging: does it ”appeal more than it illuminates”?
    Katz S, Calasanti T
    The Gerontologist, 55(1): 26-33. : 2015 :
    Mandatory

    Karner Tracy X
    Professional Caring: Homecare Workers as Fictive Kin. Journal of Aging Studies, vol. 12, no 1:69-82.
    1998 :
    Mandatory

    Widowhood and the end of spousal care-giving:relief of wear and tear. Ageing and Society, vol. 28, 551-570.
    Keene Jennifer Reid, Prokos Anastasia H
    2008 :
    Mandatory

    How the perspectives of nursing assistants and frail elderly residents on their daily interaction in nursing homes affect their interaction: a qualitative study.
    Lung C.C, Liu J.Y.W
    BMC Geriatrics, vol. 16 (13): 1-14. DOI: 10.1186/s12877-016-0186-5 : 2016 :
    Mandatory

    Mallett, Shelley (2004)
    Understanding home: a critical review of the literature. The Sociological Review, vol. 52, no. 1:62-89

    Mandatory

    Mégret F
    The Human Rights of Older Persons: A Growing Challenge.
    Human Rights Law Review, 11(1): 37-66. : 2011 :
    Mandatory

    Residents’ experiences of interpersonal factors in nursing home care: A qualitative study.
    Nakrem S, Vinsnes A.G, Seim A
    International Journal of Nursing Studies. 48, 1357-1366 doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2011.05.012 : 2009 :
    Mandatory

    Alcohol use disorders in elderly people – redefining an age old problem in old age.
    O´Connell H, Chin Av, Cunningham C, Lawlor B
    British Medical Journal. 327(7416): 664-667. : 2003 :
    Mandatory

    Olaison, Anna & Cedersund Elisabet (2006)
    Assessment for home care: Negotiating solutions for individual needs. Journal of Aging Studies, vol. 20:367-380.

    Mandatory

    Rubinstein, Robert, L (1989)
    The Home Environments of Older People: a Description of the Psychosocial Processes Linking Person to Place. The journals of gerontology, vol. 44, no. 2:545-553.

    Mandatory

    Salander, Pär & Agneta Spetz (2002)
    How do patients and spouses deal with the serious facts of malignant glioma. Palliative Medicine, vol. 16:305-313.

    Mandatory

    Violence in institutional care for elderly people from the perspective of involved care providers.
    Sandvide Å, Åström S, Norberg A, Saveman B-I
    Scandinavian Journal of Caring Science, vol. 18 (4): 351-357. : 2004 :
    Mandatory

    Elder Abuse in Residential Settings in Sweden.
    Saveman B-I, Åström S, Bucht G, Norberg A
    Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, vol. 10 (1-2): 43-60. : 1999 :
    Mandatory

    Siebert, Darcy C, Mutran, Elisabeth J & Reitzes, Donald (1999)
    Friendship and Social Support: The Importance of Role Identity to Aging Adults. Social Work, vol. 44, no. 6:522-533.

    Mandatory

    A Pilot study of birthday cards as vignettes: Methodological reflections on the elusive everyday ageism.
    Snellman F, Johansson S, Kalman H
    International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2(7): 21-33. : 2012 :
    Mandatory

    Home care for older people in Sweden: a universal model in transition.
    Szebehely M, Trydegård G-B
    Health and Social Care in the Community, 20(3): 300-309. : 2012 :
    Mandatory

    Torres, Sandra (2006)
    Elderly Immigrants in Sweden: ”Otherness” Under Construction. Journal of Ethnic Migration Studies, vol. 32, no. 8:1341-1358.

    Mandatory

    The 'Other' in end-of-life care: care providers on patients with migrant backgrounds.
    Torres S, Ågård P, Milberg A
    Journal of Intercultural Studies, vol. 37, no.2, p. 103-117. DOI: 10.1080/07256868.2016.1141756 : 2016 :
    Mandatory

    Twigg, Julia (2000)
    Carework as a form of bodywork. Ageing & Society, vol. 20:389-411.

    Mandatory

    Whitaker Anna
    The body as existential midpoint - the aging and dying body of nursing home residents. Journal of Aging Studies, 24, 2, 96-110
    2010 :
    Mandatory

    Zink, Therese C, Jacobson, Jeff jr., Pabst, Saundra Regan, Fisher, Bonnie S (2006)
    A Lifetime of Intimate Partner Violence: Coping Strategies of Older Women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, vol. 21, no. 5:634-651.

    Mandatory