Ageing and Chronic Diseases

Code: CMS15077M

3 ECTS

Duration: 15 weeks/78 hours

Scientific Area: Health Sciences

Teaching languages: Portuguese

Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese

Regime de Frequência: Presencial

Sustainable Development Goals

Saúde de qualidade - Assegurar uma vida saudável e promover o bem-estar para todos, em todas as idades.

Educação de qualidade - Assegurar a educação inclusiva, e equitativa e de qualidade, e promover oportunidades de aprendizagem ao longo da vida para todos.

Learning Goals

At the end of this course the students are expected to be able to:
I. Recognize lifestyle practices that promote health and prevent disease and/or disability.
II. Know the physiologic changes associated with normal aging versus chances associated with age-related disease.
III. Recognize the risk factors, symptoms, and treatment of common chronic conditions associated with aging.
IV. Understand other issues that affect health and function including polypharmacy, oral health, and mental health.
V. Appreciate the roles of the professionals comprising the interdisciplinary geriatric team in the care of older adults.

1. Aging:
Biogerontology, Theories of ageing, Epidemiology of ageing, Physiological changes, caused by ageing, Frailty, Illness presentations in frail older people.
2. Care:
High-quality care for older people, Rehabilitation, Swallowing, Rehabilitation equipment, Home adaptations, Community support, Health promotion, Ageism, Abuse of older people.
3. Medication:
Evidence-based medicine, Statistics, Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in old adults, Potentially inappropriate medicines, Medication-related harm, Polypharmacy, Medication adherence.
4. Chronic diseases associated with advancing age:
Nervous system disorders, Urinary tract disorders, GI disorders, Musculoskeletal disorders, Cardiovascular and Respiratory disorders, Metabolic disorders, Cancer.

Teaching Methods

The teaching methodologies underlying the lectures will include interactive oral presentations with multimedia support and didactic software. Theoretical-practical classes will be geared towards group discussion of clinical cases and scientific articles using a problem-based learning (PBL) methodology in which, first individually and then in groups, students are encouraged to seek solutions to concrete problems in the area of ageing.

Assessment

Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the RAUE (articles 110 and 111).
The theoretical component will include two exams in the continuous assessment and one exam in the final assessment. This assessment component will be worth 70% of the final grade.
The practical component will be assessed by written tests (20%) in line with those carried out for the theoretical component, and by participation in discussions of articles and clinical cases with a positive contribution to solving the problems posed (10%).