Academic Year/course:
2022/23
557 - Master's in General Sanitary Psychology
61876 - Ageing, health and quality of life
Syllabus Information
Academic Year:
2022/23
Subject:
61876 - Ageing, health and quality of life
Faculty / School:
301 - Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas
Degree:
557 - Master's in General Sanitary Psychology
ECTS:
3.0
Year:
1
Semester:
Second semester
Subject Type:
Optional
Module:
---
1.1. Aims of the course
The subject and its expected results respond to the following objectives:
The main objective of the subject Aging, health and quality of life is that students obtain the required training to develop in their profession in the field of General Health Psychology, in particular, in those professional settings from which they must give response to the needs of psychological intervention in older people.
With the contents of this subject, it is intended, in accordance with the general study plan of the Master, that students develop a comprehensive approach to the concept of aging in line with the proposals of the World Health Organization (WHO) and assume the value of the scientific approach to the myths and stereotypes existing in society in relation to old age and aging. On the other hand, as a result of this subjetc, students should know the main areas of evaluation and psychosocial intervention in aging, so that they are capable, by applying the main psychological evaluation techniques and instruments, of detecting intervention needs and designing and applying different prevention and intervention programs.
These approaches and objectives are aligned with the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/es/), in such a way that the acquisition of the results of Learning the subject provides training and competence to contribute to some extent to its achievement:
Goal 3: Good health and well-being.
Goal 4: Quality education.
Goal 5: Gender equality.
1.2. Context and importance of this course in the degree
The subject Aging, health and quality of life tries to provide students with the theoretical, conceptual and instrumental bases for the development of certain skills, knowledge and attitudes that allow them to achieve the professional skills necessary to:
- Know, select and apply psychological assessment instruments in the field of aging.
- Design, develop and evaluate intervention and optimization programs at the individual and community level focused on the elderly.
- Know and manage material and individual resources aimed at the care of the elderly
- Know and apply the main psychological intervention techniques applicable to affective and cognitive disorders related to the elderly.
- Design individual and group intervention programs for positive lifestyles that promote optimal aging. This competences will facilitate the development of assessment / intervention tasks according to the unique characteristics of older people.
1.3. Recommendations to take this course
To enroll in this subject there is no prerequisite. Students who have previous knowledge of some of the subjects related to Clinical and Health Psychology, as well as the subjects related to Social Psychology and Developmental Psychology, will have more ease to take it. On the other hand, knowledge of English (written comprehension), computer and Internet management, use of the bibliographic resources of the university and of the specialized scientific databases in psychology will be useful.
2.1. Competences
At the end of the subject, the student will be more competent to:
- CB7 - Apply the acquired knowledge and its capacity to solve problems in new or little-known environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to psychology of old age and aging.
- CB8 - Integrate knowledge and face the complexity of formulating judgments based on information that, being incomplete or limited, includes reflections on the social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments related to old age and older people.
- CB9 - Communicate their conclusions and the latest knowledge and reasons that support them to specialized and non-specialized audiences in a clear and unambiguous way.
- CB10 - Possess the learning skills that allow them to continue studying in a self-directed or autonomous way.
- CT3 - Show interest in continuous learning, updating knowledge and continuing professional training.
- CE1 - Develop in practice a comprehensive health concept related to the psychology of aging, where its biopsychosocial components have a place, in accordance with the guidelines established by the WHO in line with aging.
- CE15 - Know in depth the biological and psychosocial factors associated with aging, especially those related to the promotion and prevention of health in the elderly.
- CE16 - Know in depth the different models of evaluation and intervention in the field of General Health Psychology related to aging, as well as the techniques and procedures derived from them to address old age and the psychological factors associated with problems of health in the elderly.
2.2. Learning goals
The student, to pass this subject, must demonstrate the following results:
Basics:
- RAB1: The student applies the acquired knowledge and is capable of solving problems in multidisciplinary environments related to health psychology.
- RAB2: The student knows the social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of knowledge and judgments in the field of general health psychology.
- RAB3: The student knows how to communicate her conclusions to specialized and non-specialized audiences in a clear and unambiguous way.
- RAB4: The student possesses learning skills that allow him to continue studying in an autonomous way and is original in the development and / or application of ideas in health and research contexts.
Specific:
- RAE1. The student acquires, develops and puts into practice a concept of comprehensive health in accordance with the guidelines established by the WHO regarding aging.
- RAE12. The student knows in depth the psychological nature of human behavior during old age, as well as the social and biological factors that can affect it.
- RAE13. The student knows in depth the psychological nature of human behavior disorders associated with aging.
- RAE14. The student knows in depth the psychosocial factors associated with health problems and disease related to aging.
- RAE15. The student knows in depth the biological and psychosocial factors associated with health and disease problems, especially those related to aging.
- RAE16. The student knows in depth the different models of evaluation and intervention in the field of General Health Psychology, as well as the techniques and procedures derived from them for approaching older people.
- RAE18. The student is capable of designing, developing and, when appropriate, supervising and evaluating plans and programs for psychological intervention, depending on the psychological evaluation and the individual and social variables that are present in each case.
- RAE21. The student is able to carry out promotional and educational activities for individual and community psychological health in elderly.
Transversal:
- RAT1. The student knows different evaluation and intervention models in the field of Clinical and Health Psychology related to aging.
- RAT2. The student knows in depth the nature and theoretical-explanatory frameworks of the psychology of elderly and aging
- RAT3. The student knows how to evaluate and integrate the implication of the different psychological aspects in the development of the psychology of aging and of health problems.
- RAT4. The student is able to apply the main theories regarding the psychological components of psychological and health disorders related to aging.
- RAT5. The student is able to achieve an adequate level of understanding of the recipient's demand in each situation or application context.
- RAT6. The student is able to show reasonable critical sense and intellectual curiosity about the factors that influence or cause psychological and health disorders of aging.
- RAT8. The student is able to recognize and accept the ambiguity and complexity of the psychological problems of elderly, as well as the tentative nature of their explanations and the social context in which they occur.
2.3. Importance of learning goals
The different learning results achieved by the students will help them acquire knowledge regarding the most relevant psychological changes that occur during the aging process (in relation to the biological and social ones) and be able to analyze them from the different theoretical perspectives proposed for explaining that process. And, more specifically:
- Know in depth the biological and psychosocial factors associated with the most important alterations that occur in cognitive, affective and social functioning and therefore know the differences between normal and pathological aging and identify the main symptoms of the most common mental pathologies in old age.
- Know how to relate the knowledge of other subjects (developmental psychology, cognitive processes, evaluation, intervention, psychopathology, psychosomatics, etc.) for a more complete understanding and more effective interventions.
- Acquire a concept of aging and comprehensive health, in accordance with the guidelines established by the WHO, and know the sociodemographic profile of the elderly population and its evolution in the European Union and Spain.
- Assume the value of scientific evidence to eradicate the stereotypes, myths and dominant attitudes in society about old age and aging.
- Acquire professional and research knowledge to select and administer the different multidimensional psychological tests, used in the psychological evaluation of elderly people without and with associated pathologies.
- Know how to design, plan and develop scientific research in the field of aging, normal and pathological, by applying the scientific method as well as writing psychological reports.
- Acquire assessment and intervention skills in the most common mental disorders in old age.
- Know the main environmental aspects that specifically affect the psychological well-being and cognitive performance of people with dementia, as well as the basis for designing cognitive intervention programs for people in different stages of dementia and other pathologies.
- Know the variables, factors and processes that affect active aging and design and develop individual and group intervention programs to promote positive styles of aging.
- To adequately know the recipients and develop interpersonal communication and emotion management skills for effective interaction with patients, relatives and caregivers in the processes of problem identification, evaluation, communication of diagnosis and psychological intervention and monitoring.
3. Assessment (1st and 2nd call)
3.1. Assessment tasks (description of tasks, marking system and assessment criteria)
Students should demonstrate that they have achieved the expected learning outcomes through the following assessment activities:
- Written test (grade from 0 to 10) at the end of the course. The grade will constitute the 30% of the final grade. The test may contain multiple choice questions to answer, short or long questions (to be determined by the teacher).
- Continuous work (rating from 0 to 10). The grade will constitute the 70% of the final grade. The resulting grades may be derived from the delivery of practice reports, preparation of individual and / or group work, attendance at conferences or reading of papers related to the content of the subject, among other activities that will be determined by the teacher. For this score to be taken into account in the final grade, the student must pass the written test reaching a minimum of 5 out of 10 points. Students will be able to carry out the activities corresponding to continuous work as long as class attendance is not less than 80% of the teaching hours of the subject.
In any case, students will have the right to a global evaluation of the subject.
Note: In the event that for health security reasons there is a change in teaching from in-person classes to streaming classes, the following modifications may be made in the evaluation of the subject:
- Theoretical classes online at the usual schedule of the Master
- Videos with slides and audio for those who, due to circumstances, cannot attend during normal hours.
- The final exam (30%) will have the same characteristics that appear in this guide, except that it will be done through Moodle using the Questionnaires tool.
The student must have the following technological requirements: computer or mobile device and Internet connection. In case of not having the necessary technological means, the student must inform the Master's coordinator and the teacher responsible for this subject. The student who does not have the necessary technological sources will take a global oral test by phone with the teacher.
4. Methodology, learning tasks, syllabus and resources
4.1. Methodological overview
The methodology to be used in the course will be expository and participatory. The theoretical-practical contents will be exposed by the teacher and questions, discussions, debates and the public expression of opinions will be generated to finally reach both individual and group conclusions. Lectures, problems and cases, cooperative and problem-based learning and projects will be used.
4.2. Learning tasks
The course includes the following learning tasks:
- Flipped classroom (30h) which includes:
- Analysis of practical cases
- Information search and cooperative assignments
- Reading articles or documents related to the content of the subject
- Students' oral presentations.
- Development of a learning portfolio
- Audiovisual material
- Attendance to conferences and presentations related to the course contents (if they coincide with the academic calendar).
- Presentations by professionals who work in areas related to the course contents.
4.3. Syllabus
The course will address the following topics:
- Introduction to aging
- Biological approach
- Psychological approach
- Social approach: myths and stereotypes
- Evaluation in aging
- Geriatric assessment
- Formal and informal caregivers
- Maltreatment in old age
- Intervention during aging
- Promotion of active aging
- The challenges of aging
4.4. Course planning and calendar
Planning and Calendar
- Flipped classroom sessions in small groups.
- Oral presentations given by the students.
- Final exam to be held at the end of the second semester (June).