The minor Healthy Ageing explores how good health and well-being at every stage of life contributes to how individuals and populations age. Having a healthy lifestyle not only applies to those who are older but applies across the life-course, at all stages. It is not only the healthcare field that is involved with heathy ageing, technological developments can also contribute to a healthy lifestyle in children, adults and seniors. By combining several disciplines – for example healthcare and technology, epidemiology, sociology, ethics – Healthy Ageing offers the opportunity to explore a wide range of perspectives as to how individuals and populations can age with optimum health.

As life expectancies rise, so does the importance of reducing the number of years with illness. Health care services and systems face challenges just as do governments and policy makers, to effectively accommodate people to living longer and healthier lives. During the minor, students will work together in interdisciplinary groups, to investigate both the challenges and opportunities of an ageing world.

The framework of the minor programme consists of the following inter-related modules:

Future of Health
How do societal developments in health care impact individuals and populations? What measures can be taken to ensure healthy ageing? Preventative and self-care?

What processes of growth, change and stability will we be dealing with as we age? This module examines future challenges faced by health care professionals of the future.

Health & Technology
Here we look at how e-health and health technology can successfully contribute to changes in health care. In part as a result of an ageing population, the need for cost effectiveness, knowledgeable and empowered patients – there is an increasing need and demand for self- management. The ways in which E- health and health technology can contribute to the various challenges facing health care systems and health care delivery are key aspects of this component.

Global Health
It takes into account the influence of wider aspects such as globalisation, social determinants, health systems and international policies that lie outside the direct sphere of influence of an individual or population. The newly acquired knowledge can be used to set up effective strategies for policy advice in one’s own professional field.

Bridging the Gap: Ageism
Key themes addressed are those associated with growing older – frailty, dementia, ageism. Here stereotypical ideas associated with older people are challenged as we “bridge the gap” and interview those who are experiencing later life. Practical research carried out on seniors in the form of a semi structured interview which further facilitates learning and knowledge.

Innovation Project 1 & 2
The minor additionally prepares students to cooperate in international, multidisciplinary teams by executing a real project about a health problem in an international context. Within this integral task, which makes up the core of the minor, you will develop a  health solution for a Global Health problem in a group setting. The project module is a compulsory component in the first period of the minor and runs for 10 weeks. This allows students to work together in small groups, following the stages of the design thinking approach to find an innovative solution to a real life problem.

ALL modules are 5 credits and run for a period of 10 weeks. 

In this minor you will find out more about life course psychology and the positive influence of directing one’s own behaviour, as well as how you can influence it. You will gain insight into developments in healthcare, societal issues and ethical dilemmas, and ample attention will be paid to the possibilities that technology and ICT offer for the development of new healthcare concepts. Examples are the design of an app that brings together volunteers and help-seekers, a serious game about healthy nutrition, and an aid that helps people measure the effect of certain healthy or unhealthy behaviours on blood pressure. You will also learn more skills that will enable you to communicate with your target group. From the beginning of the minor you will work in a multidisciplinary team on various assignments. These will come from external customers, which means that you will be working on real issues from practice.

Admission requirements

• You are a third-year of fourth-year student (Bachelor level undergraduate or associate degree).
• You have completed your first year of your education and have obtained at least 45 ECTS in the main phase (year 2, 3 (or 4)).
• You have experience with project management and you have developed research skills. No general education on these two topics will be offered.

You will need to work in an international interprofessional multidisciplinary team and master the English language (graduation level secondary school). Useful additional personal characteristics for participation in such a team are: an open mind, the ability to listen actively, tolerance, flexibility, transparency in motives, interests and values.

Language requirements for international students

• Academic IELTS 6.0 overall

Please note that the programme is subject to cancellation if the minimum number of registered students has not been achieved.

Literature

Will be published in August / on the intranet (blackboard).

Schedule

Will be announced after registration. During the teaching weeks, there is an average of 12-20 contact-ours per week consisting of lectures, tutorials, trainings and workshops.

• Future of Health
  Assessment: Essay
• Health & Technology
  Assessment: Infographic/ presentation/ debate
• Global Health
  Assessment: Written report
• Bridging the Gap: Ageism
  Assessment: Interview/ Presentation
• Innovation Project 1 & 2
  Assessment: Product/ report/ presentation

In the minor Healthy Ageing we expect active participation from the students. That means students prepare for the classes, according to the instructions in the study guide, are in time for the lessons, take an active attitude in class and adhere to the agreements made in the lesson.