Human Ageing and Elderly Service

Qualification awarded: Bachelor of Social Services and Health Care, equivalent to Yrkeshögskoleexamen inom hälsovård och det sociala området, Geronom (YH)
Scope: 210 ECTS credits
Duration: 3.5 years
Programme director: Elisabeth Kajander

Students graduating from this Degree programme are specialists in the field of elderly care and service. They will develop a deep understanding of gerontology and of the broad organizational context of care and services for older people in society. Furthermore, graduates will be exposed to ethical challenges and dilemmas and will gradually broaden their perspective and deepen their understanding of professional ethics and human diversity. The main objective of the educational programme is to prepare graduates to apply interdisciplinary gerontological knowledge and to use their skills and experience required in planning and providing service and care for the increasing population of older people in the 21st century. The studies are both theoretical and practical preparing for multi-professional work.

The approach of the studies is interdisciplinary. The basis of the programme is the older person from whom the perspective is expanded to the environment including living conditions and the sources to quality of life. Sensitivity to the complexity of the strengths, demands, needs and difficulties that exist among older people, are focused upon. The integration of social services, health care and rehabilitation will be emphasized throughout the curriculum. Students undertaking this programme will study the innovations currently being made in the field of gerontechnology. The extension studies in the final year offer students to deepen their knowledge in leadership and management and/or rehabilitation.

Competences illustrate the graduates’ capacity, proficiency and ability to perform their professional tasks. Moreover, competences are wide-ranging combinations of know-how-composites of the attitudes, skills and knowledge the graduates possess. In this degree programme the aim is to enhance the development of students’ professional competences and through independent learning foster a continuing professional development (lifelong learning). The professional competences in the Human Ageing and Elderly Service programme are six:  Human Ageing, Multi-professional client work, Gerontechnology, Professional ethics and human diversity, Leadership and management, and Research and development.