The elders aging process studies have proved as a multidisciplinary field that integrates contributions from different disciplinary areas. The main considered areas are biology, sociology, and psychology. However, many other knowledge areas make their significant contribution, such as public politics, humanities, economics, and education.
Gerontology is the study of aging as a process and also of individuals as they get older. According to the Association of Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE, 2014), this science integrates the study of physical, mental, and social changes of the aging population, the research of social changes from the aging population, and the application of knowledge provided from these fields in defining and improving programs and politics.
This study cycle has the goal of training professionals to have scientific knowledge about the population aging process and theoretical-practical skills of real situations intervention. It aims to educate professionals qualified for:
- Detect specific problems of aging, identifying the chain of social and psychological factors that are at its origin;
- Identify and understand the normal and pathological manifestations of aging;
- Establish and develop an empathetic listening relationship and psychosocial assistance for the elderly, considering the diversity of their life paths and social resources, as well as their health status;
- Carry out the multidimensional evaluation of the elderly person and define their life project;
- Interact with diverse professions involved in the treatment of problems related to aging, thanks to the understanding of the fields of intervention of each other, their specific knowledge and ways of cooperation which can be develop by each other;
- To be an active agent in the construction and management of organizations that promote the social participation of the elderly, self-reflective, and open to improvement and change;
- To update their knowledge about the protection policies of the elderly population, in Portugal and the European Union, and of the resources provided by the social solidarity and health systems;
- Measure the potential and limitations of the different kinds of equipment and services accessible to the elderly population and develop the necessary creativity to fight against stereotyped operations which are far away from the concrete needs of the elderly;
- To make a diagnosis of the human, material, and cultural resources available in a specific region and that can be mobilized for the design and implementation of a gerontological plan.
It¿s about providing a solid education regarding the current aging approach, as well as the capacity for innovation to create a world where life makes sense and continues to preserve the individual's autonomy. The purpose of this course is to prepare a kind of a technician with sensitivity and organization compatible with the preservation of curiosity for the things of life, through the setting of accessible goals that efficiently protect the elderly from social marginalization and self -devaluation.
