Entry requirements

• 135 passed credits.

• All oral, written and practical examinations in physiotherapy from earlier semesters must be approved for admission to the course.

Learning outcomes

The course should provide knowledge and skills in initiating, organising and carrying out preventive and rehabilitating activities for the elderly and provide knowledge and skills about physiotherapeutic examination, treatment and evaluation with emphasis on behavioural medicine principles and with a focus on the activity skills of the elderly people.

Aim for course:

After completed course, the student should be able to:

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

1. account for organisation and leadership as to healthcare, rehabilitation, housing and service for the elderly.

2. account for what characterises the geriatric patient

3. account for different forms of dementia diseases and diagnosis of dementia

4. account for different forms of dizziness and how to diagnose and treat dizziness

SKILLS AND ABILITY

5. apply behavioural medicine principles at aim talk with the elderly patient

6. examine the functional disorders and disabilities of the older and geriatric patient that are possible to influence with physiotherapeutic measures

7. apply physiotherapeutic methods to prevent and treat older with various types of disabilities and functional disorders

8. evaluate physiotherapeutic treatment with objective methods of measurement

9. present and bring out a message 10. initiate rehabilitating and preventive activities within the geriatric care 11. cooperate in team and interact with representatives from other professions, relatives, interest groups and public institutions.

EVALUATION ABILITY AND ATTITUDES 12. show self-knowledge by identifying how attitudes to aging influences the professional role and the elderly themselves 13. interact for a continuity in the care chain for patients in need of continued actions 14. supervise individuals in the network of the elderly what regards rehabilitating measures

Content

The course comprises 7.5 HE credits, of which 4.5 HE credits theory and 2 weeks clinical placement worth 3 HE credits, and contains:

Theories of aging. Attitudes to aging. Functional disorders that occur at high age such as dementia. Rehabilitation of the elderly; organisation, management and aim. Methods for physiotherapeutic examination, treatment and evaluation of participation restrictions, disabilities and functional disorders being found in the elderly. Organisation of care, service and housing for the elderly.

Clinical placement. Physiotherapeutic organisation and management structure and the physiotherapist's role and authorities. Teaching and supervision and other cooperation with other staff in the nursing chain around the patient.

Instruction

Theory: The teaching is given in the form of lectures, practical exercises, processing and presentation of patient case and an advanced assignment equivalent 1 credit point. Clinical placement: Individual supervision at planning, implementation, follow up and assessment of tasks.

Assessment

Passing the course requires:

Theory:

- Passed oral presentation of patient case that examines aim 1-4.12

- Passed oral and written presentation of advanced assignment that examines aim 5-8 10.11, 13.14

- Implemented lecture that examines aim 9

Clinical training:

- Passed achievements according to Assessment criteria in "Instrument for development and assessment in clinical placement"

Students who have not passed the examination have a right to attend 4 additional examinations (i.e. 5 examinations in total). If special circumstances apply, the programme committee may admit additional examinations. Every time the student participates in an examination counts. Submission of so called blank exam is counted as an examination. The student has a right to request a change of examiner after two failed examinations.

A student is qualified to start a clinical placement if he or she has shown sufficient knowledge during the theoretical physiotherapy course to be able to accomplish the clinical placement.

If failing the clinical placement due to insufficient knowledge and skills and/or absence 25% or more during the internship the student has to redo the clinical placement one more time for a full time period

If the student fails to accomplish the clinical placement with a pass the student has to get a pass in all theoretical parts of the course before starting a renewed clinical placement period.

Prematurely interrupted clinical placement:

A student may fail and be forced to interrupt the clinical placement prematurely if there is a noticeable risk that the student due to incompetence may injure another individual or valuable property if he or she continues the clinical education. An individual plan should be decided for the student and given to him or her in writing. This plan, to be decided by the programme committee, must state the knowledge and skill shortages at hand, the support the student may receive from the department and also state how and when the control will take place. A student is entitled to a maximum of two control occasions, however no more than once a year. The student may not participate in the clinical placement again until the programme committee has controlled and accepted the required knowledge and skills of the student. Decisions on the individual study plan may be delegated by the programme committee to a student welfare committee or equivalent with student representation.

A student who has failed to accomplish the clinical placement with a pass has the right to undergo renewed placement once. If special circumstances apply, the programme committee may consider an additional occasion for clinical placement.