Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Ageing and Frailty Studies

Module 1: The Biology of the Ageing Process (10 ECTs; Semester 1)

The aim of this module is to provide an overview of what happens to the body during the ageing process. It will provide a general overview to the ageing process and will focus on some of the key mechanisms of ageing. There will be focus on how age-associated physiological changes leave us more susceptible to developing diseases as we age. There will be a focus on biological determinants and stressors that accelerate the ageing process and detail how they exert their effects on the systems of the body. The module will explain the important differences between chronological and biological age and focus on the factors that can influence our rate of ageing. There will be a focus on the immune system and how age-related changes to immunity leads to increased susceptibility to diseases.

The objectives of this module are:

• Describe what happens to the body during the ageing process
• Demonstrate knowledge of major theories of ageing
• Understand the concept of biological vs chronological ageing
• Outline how certain stressors can drive accelerated ageing
• Discuss the role that genetics plays in the ageing process
• Understand age associated changes in immunity and how inflammation plays a major role in age related diseases
• Discuss the physiological changes associated with major age associated diseases and how changes to lifestyle can mitigate disease development and pathology
• The content of this module will be delivered through lectures on Friday afternoons (2 – 4pm Standard Irish Time) throughout semester 1 and through associated online materials.

Module 2: Frailty in Ageing Adults (5 ECTs)

The Aims of this module are:

• Describe the clinical concept of frailty in ageing adults.
• Recognise the biological underpinnings of frailty in ageing adults.
• Differentiate the various operationalisations of frailty in ageing adults.
• Identify the relevance and importance of the assessment of frailty in healthcare settings.
• Outline the principles of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in the management of frailty and geriatric syndromes.
• Describe the application of CGA for the management of frailty in special specialty scenarios (e.g. surgery, oncology).
• Describe the application of CGA for the management of frailty in special patient groups (e.g. HIV, intellectual disabilities).
• The content of this lecture will be delivered through 10 lectures on Tuesday afternoons (3 – 5pm) throughout semester 1.

Module 3: Frailty in Ageing Adults: Clinical Practice (5 ECTs)

The aim of this module is to provide an overview of the clinical assessment of key geriatric/frailty syndromes with an emphasis on the practical use of common geriatric assessment tools and their practical integration through the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment method.

This module examines the assessment of four major geriatric syndromes across care settings:

• Mobility, disability and falls risk assessment
• Assessment of cognitive impairment, dementia and delirium
• Assessment and management of polypharmacy with an emphasis on appropriate prescribing tools
• Transitions between care settings including hospital discharge planning processes
• The above practical sessions will culminate in a session where the student will have an opportunity to integrate a variety of clinical assessments via a simulated Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment.
• Students will undergo practical tutorials on components of frailty assessment in a clinical environment.
• Students will be supervised and guided by clinical consultants in the four geriatric syndromes.
• Students will also undertake virtual workshops on implementing frailty services in their clinical practice.

The content of this module will be delivered through practical tutorials and on Friday afternoons (2 – 4pm Irish Standard Time) throughout semester 2.

Module 4: Quantitative Analytical Tools for Ageing and Frailty (10 ECTs; Semester 2)

The Aims of this module are:

• Provide a theoretical overview of statistical methods used in the operationalisation of frailty-related parameters
• Introduce students to statistical analysis software (Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS))
• Provide students with an overview on navigating SPSS software.
• Provide detailed guidance on performing descriptive analysis using simple datasets, along with more complex bivariate and multivariate regression techniques using SPSS.
• Introduce the TILDA dataset and relevant to frailty analysis therein
• Provide overview on operationalising frailty models in SPSS using consolidated theoretical knowledge from earlier modules and new knowledge on analysis techniques from the current module.
• The content of this module will be delivered through lectures and on Friday afternoons (2 – 4pm Standard Irish Time) throughout semester 2.