Course Overview:Welcome to your Capella University online course, HS5526 – The Family in Later Life.

Course Overview:Welcome to your Capella University online course, HS5526 – The Family in Later Life.

Family is an enduring social institution which provides a connection to our past, present, and future. The topic of families forces us to question our origins, lineage, and future. This course places emphasis on the family in the later years, acknowledging the reality of an increasingly aging society. The course will examine societal, cultural and ethnic, socioeconomic, psychological, environmental, and community issues and special concerns of later-life families.
Coursepack: (books)
Antonucci, T., & Jackson, J. (2003).Ethnic and cultural differences in intergenerational social support.In V. Bengston, & A. Lowenstein (Eds.), Global aging and challenges to families (pp. 355–370). New York: A. Walter de Gruyter, Inc.
Crow, G., & Maclean, C. (2004).Families and local communities. In J. Scott, J. Treas, & M. Richards (Eds.), The Blackwell companion to the sociology of families (pp. 69–80). Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell Publishing. Print ISBN: 9780631221586. Online ISBN: 9780470999004.
Articles: The following required readings are provided for you in the Capella University Library. Ask a Librarian for assistance with any of these resources.
Baltes, M. M., & Lang, F. R. (1997). Everyday functioning and successful aging: The impact of resources. Psychology and Aging, 12(3), 433–443. doi: 10.1017/0882-7974.12.3.433
Burton, A. M., Haley, W. E., Small, B. J., Finley, M. R., Dillinger-Vasille, M., &Schonwetter, R. (2008). Predictors of well-being in bereaved former hospice caregivers: The role of caregiving stressors, appraisals, and social resources. Palliative & Supportive Care, 6(2), 149–158. doi: 10.1017/S1478951508000230
Ellenwood, A. E., & Jenkins, J. E.(2007). Implementation of the intervention-based family assessment procedure: A case study. American Journal of Family Therapy, 35(5), 403–415.
Goldman, G. D. (2003). Family assessment handbook. Research on Social Work Practice, 13(5), 667–669.
Klaus, D. (2009). Why do adult children support their parents? Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 40(2), 227–241.
Kropf, N. (2006). Community caregiving partnerships in aging: Promoting alliance to support care providers. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 14(1/2), 325–338.
Reid, W., Kenaley, B., Colvin, J., & Fortune, A. (2004). Do some interventions work better than others? A review of comparative social work experiments. Social Work Research, 28(2), 71–81.
Roberto, K., Blieszner, R., & Allen, K. (2006).Theorizing in family gerontology: New opportunities for research and practice. Family Relations, 55(5), 513–525.
Sociology of the family.(2001). In World of sociology, Gale.
Teachman, J. (2010). Family life course statuses and transitions: Relationships with health limitations. Sociological Perspectives, 53(2), 201–220. doi: 10.1525/sop.2010.53.2.201.

 

 

Discussion Questions:
u03d1 Family Life Cycle and Family Resources: Analyze and discuss the family life cycle theory and the family resources theory and their relevance to family in the later years. Do you think that these theories accurately assess transitions in families today and the available resources? Appraise the family life cycle theory in terms of your personal or professional experience. Support your discussion with references to the literature.
u03d2 Disengagement and Activity Theory: Discuss several contributing factors to disengagement and activity in the later years. Compare and contrast how disengagement theory and activity theory relate to employment. What do you find helpful or not helpful about each of these theories? Support your position with readings from the professional literature.
u03d3 Continuity and Activity Theory: Work is considered a pivotal force in the lives of individuals. How individuals adjust when retirement removes the status of work or employment is a critical question. Continuity theory and activity theory both address this question. Compare and contrast the two theories. Discuss each one’s relevance to understanding how older people adjust and cope in later life.
References
Brubaker, T. H. (1990). Families in later life: A burgeoning research area. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52(4), 959–981.
Morgan, L. A., & Kunkel, S. R. (2011). Aging, society, and the life course (4th ed.). New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Sussam, M. B., &Burchinal, L. (1968). Kin family network: Unheralded structure in current conceptualizations of family functioning. In B. L. Neugarten (Ed.), Middle Age and Aging (pp. 247–254). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

u04d1 Family Theory Critique:Perform a Web search and find a juried article or a book that focuses on the issues facing the family in your project. Identify and critique the theoretical perspective or basis of the article. Explain how this theory underpins the basis of the focus family’s systems, dynamics, and relationships. Post the URL along with your analysis for discussion.
u04d2 Age Stratification Theory:Age stratification is used to discuss cohorts, movements in society, historical trends, and timelines. Analyze the age stratification theory and present a synthesis of how the theory provides meaningful social constructs for individuals in later life.
Reference:
•In the Morgan and Kunkel e-book, read Chapter 9, “Politics, Government, and Aging in America,” on pages 219–244.
•Read Roberto, Blieszner, and Allen’s 2006 article, “Theorizing in Family Gerontology: New Opportunities for Research and Practice,” from Family Relations, volume 55, issue 5, on pages 513–525.
•Read Sociology of the Family, in World of Sociology, Gale.

u05d1 Ethnic and Cultural Perspectives:Analyze and evaluate the relevance of ethnic and cultural perspectives on intergenerational patterns and trends. Discuss how the transmission of cultural and ethnic perspectives from one generation to the next impacts the quality of later family life in future generations. Support your discussion with references from the literature.
u05d2Economic Security in Later Life:Assess how family relations, marital status, private and public incomes, investments, and savings impact economic security in later life. Cite references to the professional literature to support your discussion.
References:
Antonucci, T., & Jackson, J. (2003).Ethnic and cultural differences in intergenerational social support.In V. Bengston, & A. Lowenstein (Eds.), Global aging and challenges to families (pp. 355–370). New York: A. Walter de Gruyter, Inc.
Caputo, R. K. (2005). Challenges of aging on U.S. families: Policy and practice implications. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press.

u06d1 Assessment Tools:Provide a brief description of the assessment tools you considered using for your project, the tool you actually chose, and your reason for choosing it. What are the limitations of the tool(s) you’ve chosen? How would you address these limitations?
u06d2 Custodial Grandparenting: Discuss the factors that are contributing to the increasing prevalence of custodial grandparenting. What social supports and interventions exist for custodial grandparents? Explore one theoretical underpinning that speaks to the adjustment of custodial grandparenting. Discuss the positive and negative impacts of this phenomenon. Provide examples if possible. Support your discussion with references to the professional literature.
Reference
Thomlinson, B. (2007). Family assessment handbook: An introductory guide to family assessment and intervention. Belmont, CA: Thomson Higher Education.
•In the Caputo text, read “Grandparents Raising Their Grandchildren,” on pages 147–164.
•Read Ellenwood Jenkins’ 2007 article, “Implementation of the Intervention-Based Family Assessment Procedure: A Case Study,” from American Journal of Family Therapy, volume 35, issue 5, on pages 403–415.
•In the coursepack, read Goldman’s 2003 article, “Family Assessment Handbook,” from Research on Social Work Practice, volume 13, issue 5, on pages 667–669.

u07d1 African American Female Caregivers:Use the reading “Urban and Rural African American Female Caregivers’ Family Reunion Participation” from the Caputo text to describe the structural formation of an African American family reunion. Examine and evaluate rural and urban African American female caregivers of older African Americans. What significance would a caregiving study of this nature have on our understanding of the role that intergenerational events play in preserving family connections? Provide personal practical examples or theoretical findings in the literature.
u07d2 Intervention Strategies for Institutionalization:Shifting the care of an older person or a person with disabilities from family care to institutional care can be an intensive transition. Examine and synthesize the intervention strategies for institutionalization of older family members into residential long-term care. Evaluate and critique the effectiveness of group-based and family-staff partnership approaches. What are the implications for the success of future family-based interventions?
u07d3 Support Services:Investigate and report on the support services that are available in your local community for older family members. Identify at least two governmental organizations and two private organizations. Examples of organizations may be the Council on Aging, Meal on Wheels, volunteer support groups, and respite care. Do you think that these support services adequately serve the needs of families and older people in your community? Does there appear to be gaps and fragmentation in services, policies, and practices? How would you recommend that service delivery improve the care and meet the needs of families? Support your discussion with references to the literature.
Readings:Use your textbook and the Capella library to complete the following:
•In the Caputo text, read the following chapters:
?”Family-Based Intervention in Residential Long-Term Care,” on pages 45–59.
?”Urban and Rural African American Female Caregivers’ Family Reunion Participation,” on pages 129–145.
•Read Kropf’s 2006 article, “Community Caregiving Partnerships in Aging: Promoting Alliance to Support Care Providers,” from Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, volume 14, issue (1/2), on pages 325–338.
•Read Reid, Kenaley, Colvin, and Fortune’s 2004 article, “Do Some Interventions Work Better Than Others? A Review of Comparative Social Work Experiments,” from Social Work Research, volume 28, issue 2, on pages 71–81.

u08d2 Community Attitudes and Approaches: Analyze and evaluate community attitudes and community approaches that are used to support families in later life. Does any community approach or model appear to have more promise or efficacy in meeting the needs of families for support services?
Reference: Scott, J., Treas, J., & Richards, M. (Eds.). (2007). The Blackwell companion to the sociology of families. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell Publishing.

u09d1 End-of-Life Care:Analyze end-of-life care and its impact on the financial and emotional health of the family in terms of dignity, respect, and equality. Support your position with readings from the professional literature.
u09d2 Aging in the Future: Discuss aging in the future in terms of societal and economic forces and physiological factors. Why is the study of aging in a constant state of flux? Support your reasoning with references to the literature.
Readings: In the Morgan and Kunkel e-book, read Chapter 12, “The Dynamics of Aging in Our Future,” on pages 293–311.
Reference:Morgan, L. A., & Kunkel, S. R. (2011). Aging, society, and the life course (4th ed.). New York: Springer Publishing Company.

 

 

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