Nursing Care during the Ageing Process
Code: 106113 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | OB | 3 |
Contact
- Name:
- Nina Granel Gimenez
- Email:
- nina.granel@uab.cat
Teachers
- Eva Carolina Watson Badia
- Alicia Lluva Castaņo
- Monica Garcia Montero
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
Not required
Objectives and Contextualisation
To learn the biological, psychological, social and economic changes that occur to the healthy old person.
To learn the geriatric pathologies with more prevalence.
To identify care and nursing interventions focused on the elderly and their families through scientific evidence and healthcare guides.
To learn the clinical resources and services focused on the gerontological care.
Competences
- Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
- Base nursing interventions on scientific evidence and the available media.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies to adopt measures of comfort and care of symptoms, the patient and family run, in the application of palliative care that will contribute to alleviate the situation of advanced and terminal patients.
- Design systems for curing aimed at people, families or groups and evaluate their impact, making any necessary changes.
- Make changes to methods and processes in the area of knowledge in order to provide innovative responses to society's needs and demands.
- Offer technical and professional health care and that this adequate for the health needs of the person being attended, in accordance with the current state of scientific knowledge at any time and levels of quality and safety established under the applicable legal and deontological rules.
- Plan and carry out nursing care aimed at people, families and groups orientated to health results and evaluate the impact of them using clinical and care practice guides describing the processes for the diagnosis, treatment or cure of a health problem.
- Promote healthy life styles, self-treatment, giving support to the maintenance of preventative and therapeutic conducts.
- Protect the health and welfare of people or groups attended guaranteeing their safety.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
- Take account of social, economic and environmental impacts when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
- Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
- Use scientific methodology in interventions.
Learning Outcomes
- Acquire and use the necessary instruments for developing a critical and reflective attitude.
- Analyse gender inequalities and the factors on which they are base from in different systems: family system, parents, economic, political, symbolism and educational systems.
- Analyse nursing interventions justifying them with scientific evidence and/or expert opinions that support them.
- Analyse the bases for care in patients who are in pain.
- Analyse the bases for palliative care for critical patients and end of life processes.
- Analyse the problems, prejudices and discrimination in the short and long term in relation to certain people or groups.
- Apply knowledge of physiopathology and factors affecting health in nursing care.
- Critically analyse the principles and values that regulate the exercising of the nursing profession.
- Describe interventions aimed at the readaptation to daily life using local support resources.
- Describe the most prevalent changes in the health of elderly people, their manifestations (changing needs) and the nursing care to address their health problems.
- Describe the safety rules to be followed in cases of problems arising from clinical situations related to pharmacological administration in accordance with the current regulations.
- Design care aimed at patients in situations of advanced illness and end of life which includes the appropriate strategies to improve their comfort and alleviate the situation, taking into account the values and preferences of care receivers and their families.
- Design nursing care using instruments adequate for the situation of people throughout their life cycle taking into account the current regulations, the best existing evidence and standards of quality and safety.
- Develop skills for the application of the scientific method in nursing interventions.
- Identify guides for clinical and care practice related to caring for the health demands of people during the whole life cycle and in changes which may occur.
- Identify risk factors in the health-illness process on a physical, emotional, social and environmental level.
- Identify the care need and nursing care strategies for care receivers at an advanced stage of illness and in situations of end of life and their families.
- Identify the different measures for physical, emotional and spiritual comfort in advanced stages of illness and in situations of end of life.
- Identify the social, economic and environmental implications of academic and professional activities within the area of your own knowledge.
- Identify the structural, functional and psychological modifications and changes in lifestyle associated with the ageing process as well as the nursing care needs deriving from these changes.
- Recognise psychosocial responses to loss and death and understand the measures that can help patients and their families in these circumstances.
- Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
- Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
Content
1. Contextualization of gerontological care
- General concepts of aging
- Demographic evolution of aging
- Stereotypes, myths, taboos, and stigma
2. Gerontological care
- Fields of action:
- Hospital-based gerontological care
- Ambulatory gerontological care
- Home-based gerontological care
- Gerontological nursing
- Nursing role in elderly care
- Comprehensive geriatric assessment
- Care for caregivers
3. Care resources
- Level of dependency
- Social, economic, and technological resources
- ICT and older adults
4. Healthy older adult
- Biological, psychological, cognitive, and social changes in aging
- Health promotion and prevention: healthy and active aging
5. Pathologies and health problems in older adults
- Most prevalent pathologies
- Most common geriatric syndromes
- Cognitive decline and dementia
- Frailty
- Loneliness in older adults
6. Shared decision-making
- Advance directives (AD)
- Advance care planning (ACP)
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Problem Based Learning | 30 | 1.2 | 1, 8, 2, 6, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 13, 16, 15, 19, 17, 23, 21 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Personal study | 108 | 4.32 | 20, 22 |
This course is delivered through the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) methodology, an active learning approach centered on students, who take responsibility for their own learning process.
PBL starts with the presentation of a problem scenario to a small group of students (12 to 15). This situation acts as a guiding thread for research, knowledge construction, and achievement of the course learning outcomes.
Through this process, students develop:
- Explanatory hypotheses
- A collaborative work plan
- The identification of learning needs
It fosters the development of competences such as critical analysis, problem-solving, reasoning, teamwork, and interpersonal communication.
Session structure and schedule
Students will work on a total of 5 problem scenarios, each organized into 3 face-to-face sessions of 3 hours. In total, there will be 10 sessions throughout the course.
This organization follows a logic of continuity:
The third session of each case also marks the beginning of the next one. Therefore, in a single session, students complete the current case (evaluation and synthesis) and begin the next one (analysis and hypothesis).
The first session of the course includes a general introduction by the instructor, covering the course objectives, methodology, and assessment system. As this is the initial session, no case closure takes place.
Structure of each problem scenario
First face-to-face session (3 hours)
Step 1. Case analysis (50 minutes)
Based on their prior knowledge, students brainstorm ideas to identify which topics need to be further explored. A working hypothesis is formulated. The instructor provides occasional guidance and support as needed.
Break (10 minutes)
Step 2. Work plan (50 minutes)
The group organizes and prioritizes the ideas discussed, creating a work plan aligned with the course objectives and learning outcomes. Relevant sources of information are identified. The instructor validates the plan, which is then submitted by each group.
Second face-to-face session (3 hours)
Step 1. Discussion and information review (3 hours)
Students share the information they gathered, assess source reliability, and critique research methods. This collaborative process supports knowledge verification, critical thinking, and reassessment of the initial plan.
Third face-to-face session (3 hours)
Step 1. Case evaluation and synthesis (30 minutes)
The group reflects on what was learned by addressing questions such as:
- What new knowledge was acquired?
- How does it relate to the course objectives?
- What concepts can be transferred to other contexts?
- What areas remained unexplored?
Step 2. Self and peer assessment (30 minutes)
An activity of self-assessment, peer assessment, and teacher feedback is conducted.
Step 3. Start of the new case (remaining 2 hours)
The next problem case is introduced and initial steps are undertaken: identifying prior knowledge, formulating a hypothesis, and outlining a work plan.
Individual tutorials
Individual tutorials may be requested through the Virtual Campus and scheduled with the course instructor. They provide guidance, problem resolution, orpersonalized follow-up.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assistance and active participation in class | 20 | 2 | 0.08 | 1, 8, 2, 6, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 13, 16, 15, 19, 20, 17, 23, 22 |
| Assistance and active participation in class | 40 | 4 | 0.16 | 1, 8, 4, 5, 2, 6, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 12, 13, 16, 18, 15, 19, 20, 17, 23, 22, 21 |
| Courseworks elaboration | 10 | 4 | 0.16 | 4, 5, 2, 6, 12, 16, 18, 19, 20, 17, 21 |
| Written evaluation: objective test | 30 | 2 | 0.08 | 10, 16, 15, 19, 20, 23, 22 |
- Class Attendance and Active Participation (40%). ABP Mid-Term Assessments:
This module corresponds to the continuous assessment of the PBL (Problem-Based Learning) seminars and accounts for 40% of the final grade. The following aspects will be assessed:
- Mandatory attendance to the first 8 sessions (each case includes 3 sessions, with the last one overlapping with the start of the next case).
- Active participation in group dynamics.
- Involvement in solving the proposed problems.
- Collaboration and interaction with the team.
- Analytical, synthesis, and argumentative skills.
- Class Attendance and Active Participation (20%). Final ABP Assessment:
Assessment 5: conducted at the end of the fifth case (session 10), worth 20%.
- Mandatory attendance to the sessions.
- Active participation in group dynamics.
- Involvement in solving the proposed problems.
- Collaboration and interaction with the team.
- Analytical, synthesis, and argumentative skills.
Attendance Conditions:
Students with more than 2 absences (justified or not) will not be assessed and cannot take the final exam.
All absences must be documented and communicated in advance via email to the teaching staff.
- Written Assessment (30%)
This will consist of a final objective test based on all course content covered in both theoretical classes and PBL seminars. This test represents 30% of the final grade.
The exam date will be set according to the faculty’s official exam calendar.
Not taking the exam will result in a score of 0 for the entire course.
Minimum passing grade: A minimum of 4.5/10 is required to average with the other modules.
- Reflective Report Submission (10%)
Students must conduct an informal conversation with an elderly person, focused on their life experience, views on aging, and experiences related to health, autonomy, care received, and/or social role in later life.
Based on this conversation, a short critical reflection report (500–700 words) must be written, connecting the narrative with course content. The report must be submitted through the virtual campus (Moodle) and will be reviewed by the ABP group tutor.
Weight in the final grade: 10%
Failure to submit the report within the deadline will result in a score of 0 for the course.
Plagiarism will result in an automatic fail without the possibility of recovery.
Minimum passing grade: At least 5/10 is required to be included in the average.
Course Passing Criteria
To pass through continuous assessment, students must meet all the following requirements:
- Adequate attendance and participation (Module 1)
- Minimum score of 4.5 in the written test (Module 2)
- Minimum score of 5 in ABP and the reflective report (Modules 1 and 3)
- Weighted average of 5 out of 10 or higher
The final grade will be the weighted average of the three modules.
Resit Option
Students who fail continuous assessment may take a final resit exam, with a maximum achievable grade of 5/10.
Exceptional cases (illness, personal situations, etc.) will be reviewed by a dedicated evaluation committee, which may propose alternative assessments.
Other Considerations
Single evaluation is not an option.
Any student who fails to complete one or more of the compulsory assessment activities will be considered “not assessable.”
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not permitted at any stage. Any work containing AI-generated content will be considered a serious breach of academic integrity and may result in failing the subject, invalidation of the activity, or disciplinary sanctions.
Bibliography
Since one of the general competences expected of students is the ability to develop autonomous learning strategies (CG2), and the teaching activity is based on the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) methodology, a closed bibliography is not provided.
Within the PBL framework, students are expected to become skilled in searching for, selecting, and critically evaluating information. During the first session of each case, based on their work plan, groups must identify the most relevant information sources for the problem at hand. In the second session, they share the challenges encountered during the search, compare findings, and collectively assess the quality and suitability of the consulted sources.
This process is a key component of the methodology and supports the decision that the teaching staff should not provide a predefined list of references, as doing so could hinder the development of students' research autonomy and critical thinking skills.
Software
Not requiered
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 301 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 302 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 303 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 304 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 305 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 306 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 501 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 502 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 503 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 504 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 691 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 692 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 693 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 694 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 695 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 696 | Catalan | first semester | morning-mixed |