This multidisciplinary programme provides an increased professional understanding and develops your abilities to create good relationships where elderly individuals are recognised and treated with respect.

Increased need for interdisciplinary competencies

Population projections show a large increase in the eldest group in society, people over 80 years old. Most people in this group live alone and many develop dementia, a condition which causes an increased need for a more varied type of health care. Interdisciplinary interaction must include both patients and next-of-kin, since society faces great challenges in the design of services characterized by continuity, efficient utilization of resources and cooperation across disciplines and levels. The programme emphasizes this issue.

The chief objective of the programme

The objective of Advanced gerontology – an interdisciplinary specialization programme is to educate thoughtful professionals with high ethical standards who can initiate, organize and implement services in cooperation with the elderly, their next-of-kin, volunteers and other professionals within the welfare services for the elderly.

After completing the programme, students will have attained good knowledge of the normal ageing process, diseases and functional failures, and treatment and rehabilitation of the elderly.

Central to the programme is the prevention of illnesses and functional failures among the elderly. Students are also challenged to develop innovative abilities in future professional practice and to become skilled advocates of planning and decision-making in matters concerning the elderly.

Target group

Service quality, safety and value are conditioned by professional expertise, personal aptitude and interdisciplinary cooperation. The programme targets applicants with three years of health- or social science undergraduate education and at least one year of relevant patient/client-targeted professional practice after completed studies.

Working method

The specialization programme in advanced gerontology is equivalent to 60 ECTS and is organized as weekly sessions. The programme is either full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 years). The full-time programme comprises 3 two-weeks session per semester, while the part-time programme comprises 3 one-week sessions per semester.

The programme has an expected student workload of 20 hours per week for part-time students and 40 hours per week for full-time students. The specialization programme does not include clinical practice.

Students are equipped to continue the development of their professional practice and interdisciplinary competencies in working with the elderly, both in the specialist- and the primary healthcare services.

The teaching is research-based on the foundation of evidence-based practice. The programme is adapted to adult learning principles with a large degree of individual initiative and responsibility for self-learning. Narrative approach, simulation, dialogue, study-groups and oral presentations contribute to personal and academic growth. Lectures, workshops, academic supervision, projects, study-trips and independent studies are integral parts of the programme. The University uses the digital learning platform itslearning.

Other

Students have the opportunity to make a study-trip during the programme, but this is not a coursework requirement. The study-trip is designed to provide students with professional inspiration and new ideas – which may also be beneficial to the students' workplaces.