This month, the first 16 students are graduating from Southwest Georgia Technical College's gerontology diploma program. Fifteen are already working, and that's no surprise to gerontology program director, Tammy Bryant, RN.

"Thomasville is one of the retirement centers of the South and, according to Gov. [Sonny] Perdue's initiative on health care and aging, there is a great need for people trained to work with the elderly," she said.

Georgia has the fourth fastest- growing elderly population in the United States, according to the Georgia Independence Plus Initiative report from the governor's office. The number of people in the state who are 60 and older is expected to increase 52.6 percent by 2010, growing from 893,049 to 1,362,842. Those 85 and older are the fastest-growing age group.

Administrators at Southwest Georgia Technical College and Swainsboro Technical College addressed the need directly by launching the first gerontology diploma program in the state's technical college system.

"This is a program that we felt was needed for our area," said Annie Laurie McElroy, Ph.D., director of allied health education at Southwest Georgia Technical College. "Our college has a long history of positioning ourselves to meet the demands of our communities."

Glen Deibert, president of Swainsboro Technical College, worked with McElroy to develop the curriculum and gain approval for the course.

The five-quarter (81 credit hours) diploma program prepares students to become entry-level health care workers in environments associated with the aging population. The courses include certified nursing assistant fundamentals, as well as instruction in the nutritional and behavioral aspects of elder health care.

Students study the principles of home health care, Alzheimer's disease and dementia, the aging-services environment, and the legal aspects of aging and death and dying. Students rotate through various health care settings to gain practical skills.

"Certified nursing assistants currently feed into our patientcare assistant program to advance their careers," Bryant said. "Now they can also enroll in gerontology, and nursing graduates who work in the personal care home setting will find this a helpful credential."

"I believe there is a great demand for educated people to care for the elderly," said Hannah Brinson, who will be a graduate of the first gerontology class. "That segment of our population is only going to grow larger, so it can only help my career to have this specialization." Beth Sibley chose the gerontology program for personal reasons.

"After losing my grandmother to cancer, I realized how important having this type of training can be to a patient's care. I also have older parents and want to be correctly prepared to care for them as they age," she said. The first graduating class ranges from a new high school graduate to a certified nursing assistant who has worked for 22 years and wants to increase her skills and wages.

"Our students will be working in assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, in personal care homes, senior centers, adult daycare centers and for home health agencies. They'll also be qualified to set up their own personal home-sitting businesses," Bryant said.

When potential employers ask about the difference between a certified nursing assistant and someone with a gerontology diploma, Bryant tells them that her students can run activities for seniors, do more procedures, give medications and serve as team leaders for other health care workers.

"Then they want to know how soon they'll graduate," Bryant said.

Debbie Griffiths, founder of Southern Pines, a retirement community in Thomasville, said that graduates would find many employment opportunities. "It has always been difficult to find adequately trained staff in our nursing homes and retirement facilities, so the availability of a gerontology program will add a level of comfort to the management of these homes," Griffiths said.

The curriculum has already been adopted by Albany Technical College, and will likely spread to other technical colleges. "We're looking to make it an associate's degree in the future and planning to put some of the courses online," Bryant said. "Out-of-town students could then come here to do their clinical rotations, or arrange for a preceptor near their homes."