Abstract
Purpose and Method of Delivery: We will present our innovative course that brings together undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines and lifelong learners (e.g., adults from the community) to engage in learning and discussion about multidisciplinary approaches to supporting family caregivers.
Learning Objectives: We will describe how this course challenges faulty beliefs and myths about family caregivers. We get students to explore the science behind the caregiver role and their multidimensional needs and experiences. Students come to see the vital role that caregivers play in providing support and assistance to those who have physical, psychological, or developmental needs. Health-related quality of life and wellness, ethical, legal, economic, and policy issues related to caregiving are also explored by learners. Dialogue and joint learning between multidisciplinary undergraduate students and intergenerational learners are key foci of this course that help them to consider multidisciplinary approaches to address caregiver needs.
Discussion: We will share with you four lessons we learned about course design and implementation. First, ensure that course content is evidence-informed and guided by a multidisciplinary lens to better understand and ‘realistically’ support caregivers. Second, provide learners with in-class opportunities to engage in intergenerational dialogue to bolster sensitive understanding of caregiver issues. Therefore, make course registration open to community members (e.g., older adults). Third, a series of “It Takes a Village” assignments are important to: a) help learners identify their unique disciplinary understanding of caregiver issues; b) build confidence in finding their advocacy voice; and c) bring multidisciplinary and intergenerational voices together in a capstone project where learners devise an interdisciplinary intervention plan to address a caregiver issue. Fourth, community outreach by the instructors is key to stimulating community interest in the course.
Implications and Conclusion: We will embark on a student evaluation of the course and "It Takes a Village" assignments to determine how well the course prepares students to take a collaborative approach to supporting family caregivers. We will also evaluate how well lifelong learners view this course as one that welcomes their expertise and vital exchange to help learners cultivate new perspectives about family caregivers.