Course FAQ

Are your classes online?
We offer both hybrid and 100% online courses. For hybrid courses, live meetings are in Newton, MA at Lasell College. Get directions to Lasell College.

What will I receive upon completing an ELDER course?
You will receive a certificate of completion for each course you take. To earn your Professional Certificate in Eldercare Management from Lasell College, you must complete the 5 ELDER Management courses.

Can you tell me about accreditation?
Lasell College is accredited by The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) which is a non-governmental, nationally recognized organization whose affiliated institutions include elementary schools through collegiate institutions offering post-graduate instruction.

Read the facts here.

I’m thinking of signing up for the Strategic Management Track, but am worried about workload. What is the workload like?
The courses are three weeks each and aim to have about 3 hours of work per week in addition to the scheduled meetings. Most of the work is applying concepts to your situation, and discussing ideas with the faculty and other participants in the online classroom. The tracks are designed to have short breaks between mini classes and significant breaks around major holidays.

Who takes ELDER management courses?
ELDER Management Participants come from across senior living and the continuum of care.  A typical course includes a mix of non-profit and for-profit providers from:

• CCRCs (Continuing Care Retirement Communities)
• Assisted Living
• Senior Living and Senior Housing (low income to high end)
• Skilled Nursing
• Area Agencies on Aging and Aging Service Access Points
• Home health care and Home care
• Adult Day Health
• Non-profit organizations providing information and referral
• New models and entrepreneurs in the areas of disability and aging
• Community Health and Networks

Participants greatly enjoy learning from others in their profession.  In a single class, one person may be working on developing a plan for a dual eligible population while another may be developing a plan targeted at a high income segment interested in the arts — both coached by experts in the field of senior marketing.

Does this help me with graduate school?
Lasell College has developed a Pathway to a Masters Degree for ELDER Management participants who complete a certificate (5 courses):

Your Professional Certificate in Elder Care Management qualifies you for:

• Priority admission* to one of Lasell’s masters degree programs and 20% discount on tuition
• You can further develop the projects conceived in the ELDER Management program to meet Capstone and elective requirements as part of your program of study in Management and Communications masters degree programs.

*Priority admission process requires only your official bachelor’s transcript and a completed application for admission (under four minutes!)

Are there continuing education units (CEUs) available?
10-20 CEUs per course are available for social workers, nursing home administrators, and nurses, and are listed on each course page.

Berkshire AHEC is the educational sponsor for Nursing and Nursing Home Administrator CEUs, and is the best source of information for CEUs outside of Massachusetts. Sponsor requires $50 payment per course for nursing and NHA CEUs.

ELDER Managment issues Social Work CEUs, which have been granted by NASW MA.  A guideline for states that accept reciprocal CEUs can be found at this link. Please verify information with your state licensing agency.

Will I get to meet leaders in the field?
You will meet and be taught by leaders in the profession in every class. This is a great career networking opportunity and participants often connect with and make introductions for each other.  We encourage networking but do not share participants’ non-class email addresses without permission.

I’m nervous about online learning. What does online learning feel like?
Well, that’s ok.  The first few times you log on you might be wondering what you’re doing, the screen looks new, and you’re not sure if you’re posting in the right place.  But a week into the class, “Yowza!” Those conversations are really interesting and they are about the world that you work in, or another part of the aging continuum, and you are hearing other participants think out loud about how they are trying to solve some problems to move their organization forward.  It’s very rewarding. So put on your big-girl pants and don’t be afraid of online learning.

PS For online courses, there are some synchronous web conferences when the faculty covers a topic or comments on work. The vast majority of work is asynchronous, which means you may do it any time of day or night, as long as you complete it according to the schedule.

PPS It’s not a webinar and it is not boring.
PPPS The ELDER team is around to help you.

Will I be graded?
Lasell College is an accredited institution of higher education. You will be graded on your participation in discussions and on your assignments. A score of 70 or above for the class will receive a “P” for pass for each course on your report. Your number grades will be known only to you. They will not be issued on any final report.

The faculty of your courses understand that you are full-time professionals and will assist you if you should fall behind for personal or professional reasons. Be sure to communicate with them.

Who pays for the courses?
ELDER has found that employers in this space who reimburse for educational programs generally reimburse between $600 and $2,000 per year for accredited schools. Lasell College is fully accredited. Some employers have paid for courses from training budgets or employee scholarship funds. Some ELDER participates personally pay 100% of the cost.

Who takes ELDER management courses?
Managers who:

• Want to grow their management skills in line with their organization’s mission
• Want to think outside of their silo or their specific background
• Want to grow their career

Sample titles of people who take ELDER management courses: