Advanced Nursing Care for Elderly People
Code: 106133 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | OT | 4 |
Contact
- Name:
- Alicia Lluva Castaño
- Email:
- alicia.lluva@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
There are no established prerequisites, but it is recommended to have passed the course Nursing Care in the Ageing Process.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The increase in life expectancy, along with the decline in birth and mortality rates, has led to a demographic growth in the population aged over 65, resulting in an ageing society. In this context, addressing the needs of this population group requires the development of specific nursing competencies aimed at responding to health problems during this stage of the life cycle. These competencies must support the delivery of holistic care for older adults, taking into account their physiological, psychosocial, and spiritual needs, with the goal of maintaining quality of life, promoting well-being, preserving autonomy, and ensuring the continuity of their social and family roles for as long as possible.
The aim of this course is for students to acquire the necessary competencies to respond to the health problems of older people derived from the ageing process. Consequently, the most prevalent acute health problems and major chronic diseases affecting the elderly will be studied, along with an analysis of the geriatric syndromes associated with these conditions. These syndromes often lead to high levels of dissatisfaction, increased dependency, social isolation, and a general decline in quality of life.
To maintain the balance between health needs and their fulfilment, nurses must develop care plans based on the latest available scientific evidence, ensuring the safety and effectiveness of the interventions. In this regard, nursing care should support the fulfilment of basic needs and promote individual autonomy. Ultimately, identifying geriatric syndromes at any level of care enables effective interventions that can reduce morbidity and mortality among the geriatric population.
Specific Objectives
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Identify risk situations and apply bioethical principles in the care of older adults: Understand bioethical principles applied to geriatrics. Identify abuse, neglect, and mistreatment of older people.
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Promote and support active and healthy ageing from a holistic perspective: Promote healthy ageing, understand the biological aspects of the ageing process, including gender differences, and develop care adapted to this stage of the life cycle.
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Understand and apply Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) and design individualized care plans: Address the needs of older adults through the application of CGA; design care plans based on actual needs, including interventions aimed at maintaining quality of life and well-being.
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Identify and manage geriatric syndromes, their causes, consequences, and interrelationships: Acquire knowledge about geriatric syndromes, their causes and consequences, strategies for prevention, and the understanding of interrelationships among different syndromes.
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Recognize the most frequent acute and chronic pathologies in geriatrics. Pain assessment: Understand acute conditions and common diseases such as neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine-metabolic, digestive, and osteoarticular disorders, and their connection to geriatric syndromes and pain (including in patients with cognitive impairment).
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Apply pharmacological knowledge and understand the specific characteristics of medications in geriatrics: Ensure the safe use of medications in older adults, and identify polypharmacy and its consequences.
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Identify the etiology of different types of ulcers (arterial, venous, or mixed): Apply treatments based on the underlying causes of impaired skin integrity. Design care plans with targeted interventions for wound 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 an understanding of people without prejudice: consider physical, psychological and social aspects, as independent individuals; ensure that their opinions, values and beliefs are respected and guarantee their right to privacy, through trust and professional secrecy."
- 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.
Learning Outcomes
- Acquire and use the necessary instruments for developing a critical and reflective attitude.
- Analyse nursing interventions justifying them with scientific evidence and/or expert opinions that support them.
- Analyse the physical, psychological and social aspects affecting the autonomy and independence of individuals.
- Analyse the problems, prejudices and discrimination in the short and long term in relation to certain people or groups.
- Apply scientific evidence in the planning and practice of nursing care.
- Consider the physical, psychological and social aspects of situations of conflict from a bioethical point of view to reach a solution.
- Describe the most prevalent changes in the health of elderly people, their manifestations (changing needs) and the nursing care to address their health problems.
- Identify the appropiate actions that promote respect at the people’s psychosocial answers to health situations (particularly illness and suffering).
- 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.
Content
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Thematic Unit |
Subtopics |
1. Fundamentals, concepts, and general principles in geriatrics |
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2. Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) |
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3. Geriatric Syndromes |
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4. Acute and chronic disorders in geriatrics |
Most frequent pathologies:
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5. Pain and sensory disorders |
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6. Psychosocial aspects and mental health |
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7. Prevention, safety, and quality of life |
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8. Geriatric pharmacology |
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Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Problem-Based Learning (PBL) | 37.5 | 1.5 | 1, 3, 4, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Personal study and coursework | 112.5 | 4.5 | 1, 3, 4, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
The course will be conducted using Problem-Based Learning (PBL). PBL is a methodological strategy aimed at providing students with a long-lasting learning experience. This methodology seeks to empower students by encouraging them to take ownership of their own learning process, moving away from traditional lecture-based teaching methods.
PBL begins with the presentation of an open-ended situation to the students. This situation can be a real or simulated case from the clinical environment. In small groups of 10–12 students, the situation is analyzed through the formulation of possible hypotheses and questions that help identify the learning needs guiding the student to achieve a thorough understanding of the phenomenon under study and, consequently, to construct knowledge.
It is important to emphasize that the ultimate goal is not so much to resolve the initial case or situation, but rather to focus on the process of inquiry to verify the hypotheses formulated. The emphasis is placed on the learning path rather than the final outcome. This approach aims to develop students’ skills in analysis, synthesis, argumentation, and problem-solving, as well as communication and teamwork competencies.
During the course, five problem situations will be worked on. Each situation will be developed over three mandatory face-to-face sessions, each lasting 3 hours, scheduled during class time. The structure of the three sessions is as follows:
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Session |
Activity |
Description |
|
Session 1 |
Case Introduction |
Presentation of the clinical case by the tutor.* |
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Step 1: Situation Analysis |
Brainstorming based on prior knowledge. Identification of learning objectives and competencies related to the case. Formulation of an initial hypothesis. |
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Step 2: Work Plan |
Analyze, prioritize, and organize ideas. Development of a work plan to be submitted to the tutor. Organization of tasks, definition of objectives, and information sources. |
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Session 2 |
Step 1: Discussion |
Sharing of the information gathered. Critical discussion of sources and content. |
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Step 2: Work Evaluation |
Discussion about the planned work plan. Reflection on the learning achieved. |
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Session 3 |
Step 1: Evaluation |
Individual and group analysis of the worked problem situation. A synthesis of the learning and objectives achieved will be made. Self-assessment, peer-assessment, and overall evaluation of the work, including the tutor’s input. |
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Step 2: Introduction of the new case |
Presentation of the new clinical case. |
* The role of the tutor is to answer questions and guide the group. Interventions will be only occasional..
A work template will be provided on Moodle to help students structure their work, both at the group and individual levels. It is a tool designed to support reflection, planning, and monitoring of learning.
Individual Tutorials
Tutorials with the teaching staff can be scheduled through the Virtual Campus. This space allows addressing specific needs, resolving doubts, and monitoring the learning process.
Use of AI
For this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed exclusively for support tasks, such as text translations. Students must clearly identify which parts have been generated using this technology, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final outcome of the activity. Lack of transparency regarding AI use in this evaluable activity will be considered academic dishonesty and may result in partial or total penalty of the activity grade, or more severe sanctions in serious cases.
Participation in Quality Surveys
According to the schedule established by the center, 15 minutes of a class will be reserved for student participation in evaluations of the teaching staff and the subject.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance and active participation in scheduled sessions plus autonomous work | 50 | 0 | 0 | 1, 3, 4, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| Final work | 40 | 0 | 0 | 1, 3, 4, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| Self-assessment | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1, 3, 4, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
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The evaluation system will be organized into 3 modules, each with a specific weight in the final grade:
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Activity |
Weight (%) |
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Attendance and active participation in classes and seminars. Face-to-face sessions guided using the PBL methodology will be assessed continuously and formatively, accounting for 60% of the final grade. Problem-solving skills, attendance, and active participation in seminars will be evaluated. Attendance to all sessions is mandatory. Students who accumulate more than 2 absences will not be assessed and will not be allowed to submit the final work. All absences must be justified in advance by informing the teaching staff via email and providing the corresponding documentation. |
60% |
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Final work. This work will consist of a small project or intervention proposal aimed at demonstrating the practical application of the course contents. Failure to complete or submit the work will result in a grade of 0 for the entire course. |
35% |
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Individual self-assessment This accounts for 5% of the final grade. Students will be required to submit an individual self-assessment, both quantitative and qualitative, following the provided guide that will be available on Moodle. If the self-assessment grade differs by 1.5 points or more from the final course grade, the ABP tutor reserves the right to review and/or modify the final grade and may request an individual meeting with the student to verify the learning process. Failure to submit the self-assessment or to attend the meeting proposed by the instructor, if applicable, will result in a grade of 0 for this component. |
5 % |
Evaluation Criteria
To pass the subject through continuous assessment, students must achieve a minimum score of 5 in the final project, 5 in the ABP sessions, and 5 in the self-assessment to calculate the final grade. The final grade will be the weighted average of these three modules. A minimum overall grade of 5 is required to pass the subject.
Students with particular situations: In the case of special circumstances, an evaluation committee will be established for this purpose.
Students who do not pass the subject through continuous assessment may submit a recovery final project, for which they can only achieve a maximum grade of 5 in the subject.
This subject does not allow the option of a single final evaluation.
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Evaluation Dates |
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Activity |
Date |
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Submission of final work and self-evaluation |
4/05/2026 |
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Submission of recovery work |
12/06/2026 |
A student who does not pass one or any of the assessment activities will be considered non-assessable and will receive a score of zero..
Bibliography
No specific bibliography is provided in accordance with the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) methodology. One of the competencies to be achieved is that students develop strategies for constructive and meaningful autonomous learning. Therefore, by the end of the course, students should be competent in searching for and managing information independently.
Software
Mendeley
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/Spanish | annual | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 501 | Catalan/Spanish | annual | morning-mixed |
| (ABP) Aprenentatge basat en problemes | 601 | Catalan/Spanish | annual | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 301 | Catalan | annual | afternoon |
| (TE) Theory | 501 | Catalan/Spanish | annual | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 601 | Catalan/Spanish | annual | morning-mixed |