The Challenges of Modern Caregiving

Care workers are occasionally lauded as “heroes” of society, but the special challenges they face are not fully understood. This course examines how the organization of care has changed in modern times and the dilemmas those developments pose to helping professionals. Among the questions it engages are: How does the meaning of care change when it is performed outside the family? Do bureaucratic systems discourage individuals from taking responsibility for others’ suffering? How do care professionals manage their emotions and those of their clients? Can and should care work be rehumanized? In addition to helping learners develop informed responses to these pressing issues, The Challenges of Modern Caregiving will give students the chance to learn a method that identifies gaps in existing care systems.

• How has the organization of care changed in modern times?
• In this module, you will learn how the provision of care has recently been restructured.
• Is there a care deficit?
• In this module, you will learn about the demand for vs. supply of care.
• How does the meaning of care change when it is performed outside the family?
• In this module, you will learn how our understanding of care changes when provided by strangers.
• How do care workers manage their emotions and those of their clients?
• In this module, you will learn about the emotional challenges of professional care work.
• Choose Your Controversy
• In this module, you will learn about two controversies concerning the impersonal nature of modern care systems.