Gerontological nursing and gerontechnology (4cr)

Evaluation methods and criteria

Sufficient (Grade 1)

You recognize the main changes related to aging as well as factors that promote health and functional capacity. You know methods for assessing health and functional capacity and for promoting successful aging. You are familiar with the most common diseases in older adults, nursing methods to prevent and treat them, and the basics of medication management for the elderly. The fundamentals of client-centered nursing in multiprofessional collaboration are reflected in your assignments, and you are aware of ethical issues related to gerontological and palliative care.

Satisfactory (Grade 2)
You can describe aging-related changes and factors that promote health and functional capacity. You describe methods for assessing health and functional capacity and for promoting successful aging. You are familiar with the most common diseases in older adults, nursing methods to prevent and treat them, and the basics of medication management for the elderly. You describe the principles of end-of-life care. The responsibility and role of client-centered nursing in multiprofessional collaboration are reflected in your assignments, and you describe ethical issues related to gerontological and palliative care.

Good (Grade 3)
You can describe, based on evidence, aging-related changes and factors that promote health and functional capacity. In your assignments, you present and justify methods for assessing health and functional capacity and for promoting successful aging. You demonstrate evidence-based knowledge of common diseases in older adults, nursing methods to prevent and treat them, and the specific features of medication management for the elderly. You can examine the principles of good end-of-life care. The responsibility and role of nursing in multiprofessional collaboration are evident in your work, and you reflect on ethical issues related to gerontological and palliative care.

Very Good (Grade 4)
You can describe and examine, based on evidence, aging-related changes and factors that promote health and functional capacity from different perspectives. In your assignments, you present and justify methods for assessing health and functional capacity and for promoting successful aging. You apply evidence-based knowledge of common diseases in older adults, nursing methods to prevent and treat them, and the specific features of medication management for the elderly. You can examine and justify the principles of good end-of-life care. The responsibility and role of nursing in multiprofessional collaboration are evident in your work, and you reflect on ethical issues related to gerontological and palliative care with well-argued reasoning.

Excellent (Grade 5)
In your assignments, you demonstrate the ability to apply evidence-based knowledge of aging-related changes and factors that promote health and functional capacity in various client situations. You make versatile use of methods for assessing health and functional capacity and for promoting successful aging. You apply evidence-based knowledge of common diseases in older adults, nursing methods to prevent and treat them, and the specific features of medication management for the elderly. You examine the perspectives of high-quality end-of-life care in a multidisciplinary way. You reflect and argue the responsibility and role of nursing in multiprofessional collaboration as well as ethical issues related to gerontological and palliative care. You critically examine your own competence in the field of gerontological nursing

Evaluation scale

0-5

Content scheduling

Will be announced at the beginning of the course.

Objective

Upon completing the course, you will be familiar with the key changes associated with healthy aging and factors that promote the health and functional capacity of elderly individuals in diverse environments. You will be motivated to examine aging from a resource-based perspective, understand the significance of promoting the health and functional capacity of elderly individuals/clients, and be adept at utilizing various methods to promote active aging and participation among the elderly.

You will acquire knowledge about prevalent diseases in the elderly population, nursing methods to prevent and treat them, as well as the fundamentals of medication administration for elderly individuals. You will be introduced to the basics of palliative and end-of-life care. Understanding the connections between cultural backgrounds and aging, you will be encouraged to consider nursing practices that acknowledge diversity.

You will possess the skills to search for evidence-based information related to gerontological nursing and stay updated with current discussions. You will be motivated to explore gerontological and palliative care, while considering the development of these areas of expertise from an ethical perspective

Content

The main content of the course encompasses the key concepts of gerontological nursing, the elderly as individuals and active participants within the family, community, society, and multicultural environments. The course examines the aging process and its influencing factors, promoting health and functional capacity, considering ethical perspectives. Additionally, it covers memory health, basics of palliative and end-of-life care, nursing competence and its development, non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatment for the elderly, as well as fundamentals of gerotechnology.

Location and time

The dates for contact sessions will be published at the beginning of the semester

Materials

Tohmola A, Matilainen I & Miettinen T. 2025. Gerontologinen hoitotyö. SanomaPro. ISBN 978-952-63-6778-1. Separately specified sections

Teaching methods

At the beginning of the course, during contact lessons, you will examine aging from a multidisciplinary perspective in various care environments, utilizing evidence-based knowledge. Throughout the course, in contact sessions, you will learn the key concepts of gerontological nursing, relevant legislative background, as well as ethical and professional principles.

Together, you will reflect on the key changes associated with healthy aging and the factors that promote the health and functional capacity of elderly individuals in diverse environments. After completing the RAI online training (THL – Tools and Assessment), you will gain the skills needed for RAI assessment. You will reflect on aging from a resource-based perspective in different contexts, both during contact sessions and independently through information searching and completing assignments.

You will learn to understand the importance of promoting the health and functional capacity of elderly individuals/clients and to utilize a variety of methods that support active aging and participation among older adults. Through contact sessions, group assignments, and independent work, you will become familiar with common diseases in older adults, nursing methods to prevent and treat them, and the basics of medication management for the elderly.

You will also study the fundamentals of palliative and end-of-life care through both contact learning and assignments. Course activities will help you understand the connections between cultural background and aging and explore nursing practices that acknowledge diversity.

You will apply evidence-based knowledge by planning, implementing, and evaluating diverse expert presentations and simulation scenarios together with your peers. At the end of the course, during a symposium, you will deliver an expert presentation on a selected topic in gerontological nursing, considering key elements of guidance (target group, objectives, content, methods, visualization, resources, evaluation), share your acquired expertise, and reflect on the entire learning process. Finally, you will demonstrate your competence in a written exam (in-class), which will be graded on a scale of 0–5 and will determine the final grade for the course.

Employer connections

The competence acquired during the course will be applied in professional practice placements, particularly in the course Practical Training in Home-like Environments (such as home settings, communal living, 24-hour assisted living, or another similar environment of your choice).

Exam schedules

A written exam will be held in class at the end of the course – resit exams will be announced during the course.

International connections

-

Completion alternatives

-

Student workload

Familiarization with the Moodle learning environment and review of assignments, as well as planning your own study schedule: 3 h
Contact lessons + small group guidance: 14 h
Online training (THL) + other individual/group assignments: 27 h
Simulation (nursing content area/medication): 27 h
Symposium – planning, implementation, and evaluation: 27 h
Exam and preparation: 10 h

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

Sufficient 1
You recognize key aging-related changes and factors that promote health and functional capacity. You are aware of methods used to assess health and functional capacity, as well as approaches to promote successful aging. You are familiar with major diseases in the elderly, nursing methods to prevent and treat them, and the fundamentals of medication administration for the elderly. In your learning tasks, you demonstrate the basics of client-centered nursing in multidisciplinary collaboration and understand ethical issues related to gerontological and palliative care.

Satisfactory 2
You can describe aging-related changes and factors that promote health and functional capacity. You depict methods used to assess health and functional capacity and how successful aging is promoted. You are knowledgeable about major diseases in the elderly, nursing methods to prevent and treat them, and the basics of medication administration for the elderly. You describe the principles of end-of-life care. In your learning tasks, you illustrate the responsibility and role of client-centered nursing in multidisciplinary collaboration, and you discuss ethical issues related to gerontological and palliative care.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

Good 3
You can describe, based on evidence, aging-related changes and factors that promote health and functional capacity. In your learning tasks, you justify methods used to assess health and functional capacity and promote successful aging. You are capable of presenting evidence-based information about major diseases among the elderly, nursing methods to prevent and treat them, considering the specific characteristics of medication administration for the elderly. You can examine the foundations of a good end-of-life approach. The responsibilities and role of nursing in multidisciplinary collaboration emerge in your tasks, and you discuss ethical questions related to gerontological and palliative care.

Very good 4
You can describe and critically examine, based on evidence, aging-related changes and factors that promote health and functional capacity from different perspectives. Your learning tasks justify the presentation of methods used to assess health and functional capacity and promote successful aging. You demonstrate the application of evidence-based knowledge about major diseases among the elderly, nursing methods to prevent and treat them, considering specific characteristics of medication administration for the elderly. You critically examine the foundations of a good end-of-life approach. The responsibilities and role of nursing in multidisciplinary collaboration come across in your tasks, and you thoroughly discuss, with diverse arguments, ethical questions related to gerontological and palliative care.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

Excellent 5
In your learning tasks, you demonstrate the ability to apply evidence-based knowledge about aging-related changes and factors promoting health and functional capacity in various customer situations. You adeptly utilize diverse methods to assess health and functional capacity and promote successful aging. In your learning tasks, you can apply evidence-based knowledge about major illnesses in elderly individuals, nursing techniques to prevent and treat these ailments, considering the specific characteristics of medication administration for the elderly. You extensively examine perspectives on quality care during the final stages of life. Your reflections provide well-argued insights into the responsibility and role of nursing in multidisciplinary collaboration and ethical issues related to gerontological and palliative care. You critically assess your expertise in the field of gerontological nursing in a justified manner.

Qualifications

Basics of nursing and anatomy and physiology.

Further information

Information: mervi.monthan@jamk.fi