For this assignment, choose an agency (or a single program or service within a large agency) that addresses the needs of elders. That may include, for example, a senior center, a recreational program, a residential care facility or nursing home, legal services, home care, or others. A list of sample resources is provided in the Community Resources Assignment Ideas but feel free to choose your own. You may, for example, want to check out a program in your neighborhood.

Write a 3—4 page paper (typed, double-spaced) describing the service.

I encourage you to visit the agency, conduct telephone or email interviews with staff, explore websites, and look for objective material from rating services. Provide information about why the service is important (e.g. does it prevent the need for nursing home care, does it relieve caregiver stress?, etc.).

You must include a minimum of 2 citations and references from your research. This may include books (your textbook is a great source of information!), websites, or journal articles. You may also cite individuals you interview for the assignment. All citations and references should be in correct APA style.

This assignment is worth 40 points toward your final grade.

For a detailed list of the information requested, view the Grading Grid below.

Description of the service (12 pts), including:

• What does the program do and why? For example, you may explain that a senior housing program not only provides a place to live but also accommodates special needs such as the need for socialization to reduce isolation, supportive services to enable clients with disabilities to remain independent, and physical accommodations to heighten safety (4 points).
• Who uses the service? Give statistics about the clients who use the service, including the number of clients served, their breakdown by gender, ethnicity, “functional capacity,” language, etc. (4 points).
• Funding and Eligibility. Who funds the program (e.g. government, client fees, private donations)? Do clients have to be on Medicare, MediCal, or SSI, a certain age, etc? (4 points)

Management, Administration, and Personnel (8 pts)

• Is this a for-profit or non profit agency? (2 points)
• Is this agency or resource part of a larger chain? (2 points)
• How many employees work at the agency? (2 points)
• Provide examples of job titles of employees (director, physical therapist, coordinator, licensed vocational nurses, etc.). (2 points)

Research methods (8 pts.). Describe how you learned about the resource, including:

• Provide a minimum of 2 citations and references in APA style, including one book or journal. You may use your textbook (6 points).
• Describe other ways you researched the agency such as interviewing staff or clients, checking consumer ratings? (2 points).

Analysis (8 pts.)

Provide a thoughtful and objective description of the benefits and limitations of the service: Who do you think might benefit from the service, would you recommend this service to a friend or family member? Would you consider using it yourself?

Preparation and organization (4 pts.)

Paper is well organized, free from excessive errors and typos, and turned in on time.

Rubric

Community Resources Assignment Grading Grid