Aging and Age-Related Disorders from a Biological, Epidemiological and Clinical Perspective, 15 credits
Åldrande och åldersrelaterad sjuklighet ur ett biologiskt, epidemiologiskt och kliniskt perspektiv, 15 hp- Course code
- 2QA343
- Course name
- Aging and Age-Related Disorders from a Biological, Epidemiological and Clinical Perspective
- Credits
- 15 credits
- Form of Education
- Higher Education, study regulation 2007
- Main field of study
- Not applicable
- Level
- Second cycle, in-depth level of the course cannot be classified
- Grading scale
- Fail (U) or pass (G)
- Department
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society
- Decided by
- Education committee NVS
- Decision date
- 2022-12-13
- Revised by
- Education committee NVS
- Last revision
- 2023-09-06
- Course syllabus valid from
- Spring 2024
Specific entry requirements
A Bachelor's degree or a professional degree equivalent to a Swedish Bachelor's degree of at least 180 credits in health care or medicine. Alternatively, a degree in social work. And proficiency in English equivalent to English B/English 6.
Objectives
The overall objective of this course is to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of the particularities of health and care needs in old age, encompassing diverse topics related to geriatric syndromes, life-course determinants of healthy aging, and geriatric health and social care. By exploring these areas, students will develop critical thinking skills, apply research methodologies, and gain a deep appreciation of the complexities of health in older age, enabling the advancement of knowledge and effective care practices for the aging population.
Specifically, upon completion of the course, the student should independently be able to:
- assess the consequences of multimorbidity and polypharmacy for patients, care providers and healthcare systems, and the opportunities for the primary-to-quaternary prevention of multimorbidity
- discuss the challenges and opportunities within the field of dementia research, e.g. clinical definition of cognitive disorders, use of biomarkers
- appraise the implications of different methodologies employed in epidemiological studies to define and operationalize frailty, sarcopenia and measures of physical functioning in older adults
- evaluate the evidence from life course studies on aging, with particular emphasis on interacting effects of biological, psychological, and social factors, and their inequalities across time, space, and historical contexts
- discuss the challenges linked to the current organization of health and social care, and the extent to which it is able to respond to older people's health needs
Content
The course consists of three parts.
Health challenges and geriatric syndromes in the elderly, 4.0 hp
Covers various topics, including chronic diseases, multimorbidity and polypharmacy (Topic 1); Cognitive function and Dementia (Topic 2); Frailty, sarcopenia and physical function (Topic 3).
Life-course determinants of healthy aging, and social geriatric care, 3.5 hp
Covers the topic of Life-course determinants of health, aging, and resilience (Topic 4) and Medical and social geriatric care (Topic 5).
Advanced project, 7.5 hp
Consists of writing and presenting an advaced project.
Teaching methods
The content of the course is based on recent research findings in the field, followed by different activities where students are asked to critically reflect in relation to their work/professional role. The learning activities consist of a blended learning approach with campus meetings mixed with online teaching in the form of lectures, interactive group discussions, and interactive seminars.
Examination
The course is examined through group assignments (formative assessment) and individual written examination (summative assessment).
- Part Health challenges and geriatric syndrome in elderly (4 hp) and Life-course determinants of healthy aging and social geriatric care (3,5 hp) are examined by individual written test related to the subject areas.
- Part Advanced project (7,5 hp) is examined by writing and presenting an advanced project.
In addition, active participation in the group discussions and peer review of other students' assignments are mandatory.
The examiner decides whether, and if so how, absence from or failure to complete compulsory course elements can be made up. Study results cannot be reported until the student has participated in or completed compulsory course elements or compensated for any absence in accordance with instructions from the examiner. Absence from, or failure to complete a compulsory course element could mean that the student cannot retake the element until the next time the course is offered.
Late examinations will not be considered. Students who do not submit their assignment on time are referred to the re- examination. The examiner will decide whether a student has special reasons for the delay.
Students who have not passed the regular examination are entitled to participate in five more examinations. This does not apply when the course has been discontinued or undergone major changes. Students who do not pass the examination after three completed examinations can be offered to retake parts or the entire course one more time. This option will be subject to course availability.
If there are special reasons, or a need for adaptation for students with disabilities, the examiner may decide to deviate from the syllabus' regulations in terms of examination form, number of examinations, possibility of supplementation or exemption from compulsory educational elements, etc. Content and learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities must not be changed, removed or lowered.
Other directives
Language: English
Course evaluation is carried out according to the guidelines that are established by the Committee for Higher Education, at Karolinska Institutet.
The course may not be credited in a degree together with another course the student has completed and passed the contents of which completely or partly correspond to the contents of this course.
Literature and other teaching aids
Scientific publications and reports.
Lancet, 2012 URL: Epidemiology of multimorbidity and implications for health care, research, and medical education: a cross-sectional study
Lancet, 2013 URL: Frailty in elderly people
J Intern Med., 2014 URL: Advances in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and dementia
Lancet, 2015 URL: Health, functioning, and disability in older adults - Present status and future implications
Age & Ageing, 2020
Lancet, 2017 URL: Is late-life dependency increasing or not? A comparison of the Cognitive Function and Ageing Studies
Gerontologist, 2009 URL: Aging and Cumulative Inequality: How Does Inequality Get Under the Skin?
International Journal of Integrated Care, URL: Länk
Bull World Health Organ, 2017 URL: Länk
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, 2015 URL: Länk
UK governments Foresight Future of an Ageing Population project, University of Liverpool, 2015 URL: Länk
Springer Science+Business Media New York, 2014 URL: Länk
International Journal of epidemiology, 2016 URL: Länk
The Journals of Gerontology, 2020 URL: Länk
Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci, 2017 URL: Länk
The Lancet, 2019 URL: Länk
Age Ageing, 2019 URL: Länk
European Commission (DG EMPL), 2021 URL: Länk
Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2015 URL: Länk
The Lancet Neurology, 2020 URL: Länk
The Journals of Gerontology, 2001 URL: Länk
Internal and Emergency Medicine, Springer Link, 2021 URL: Länk
Int J Health Policy Manag, 2017 URL: Länk
Journal of Gerontology, 1994 URL: Länk
Journal of Internal Medicine (JIM), Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, University of Exeter, KI Strategic Research Area in Epidemiology (SfoEpi), European Network on Multimorbidity Threads & Yarns, 2018 URL: https://youtu.be/ROJjZDm-Ay4
International Journal of Integrated Care, 2002 URL: https://ijic.org/articles/10.5334/ijic.67
Lancet, 2012 URL: Aging with multimorbidity: a systematic review of the literature
Wiley Publishers, Oxford, 2017 URL: https://www.wiley.com/en-gb/Person+Centred+Healthcare+Research-p-9781119099604
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2016 URL: http://chd.bestsciencemedicine.com/calc2.html
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2016 URL: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng56/resources
PACE in MM, URL: http://www.paceinmm.recherche.usherbrooke.ca/en/index/
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 2019 URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acps.13005
Nuffield Trust, UK, 2011 URL: https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/2017-01/what-is-integrated-care-report-web-final.pdf
JAMA network, 2011 URL: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/644554
Health Communication, 2020 URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1831166
World Health Organization, URL: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-FWC-ALC-19.1,
World Health Organization, 2019 URL: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241515993
Ageing Research Reviews, 2017 URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568163716302719?via%3Dihub
World Health Organization, URL: https://www.who.int/health-topics/integrated-people-centered-care#tab=tab_1