Aims

This course is aimed to enable the student to recognise the normal process of ageing in order to select the abnormal conditions amenable to prevention and to interventions. The second main objective of the course is to give the student a good knowledge of the epidemiology of the functional impact of the age-related health problems and the care needs related to. The student should also be able to know about the main diseases influencing the quality of life and functional conditions of the elderly.

Main themes

The course defines and explain the normal process of ageing. I that section, the theories and mechanisms of ageing are discussed ; then, the ageing of the different systems are analysed (cardiovascular, immune, CNS, etc.). The evolution and perspectives of morbidity and mortality in the ageing population are presented and discussed together with the main diseases which have an impact on the quality of life in the elderly population. The course do not give a biomedical approach nor diagnostic or therapeutic approaches, but focuses on the functional aspects in a population perspective, in a biopsychosocial approach (ICF model).

Content and teaching methods

Normal ageing is discussed with other concepts of ageing. The theories and mechanisms of ageing are explained. The evolution of mortality and morbidity, and functional decline in the older population is discussed. The normal evolution, and the main age-related diseases in the main organs and systems is presented.

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