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Overview
Nursing 442: Gerontological Nursing provides an opportunity to explore the challenges of aging through the lens of transitions. Within the course, we examine how aging adults respond to transitions such as health challenges, changes in living environments, existential issues, family issues, and dying and death. While physical health issues are addressed, the major emphasis lies in how older adults understand and process transitions in older years and how nurses can facilitate the process for their patients or clients and family members. We also examine the challenges faced by emerging sub-populations of aging adults, such as those with developmental disabilities, the incarcerated, the homeless, as well as those with HIV/AIDS.
Outline
Unit 1: Nursing in an Aging Society
Unit 2: Physiological Changes in Aging
Unit 3: Health Challenges: Living with Chronic Illness
Unit 4: Mental Disorders
Unit 5: Medication and the Older Adult
Unit 6: Sub-populations
Unit 7: Housing
Unit 8: Dying and Death
Unit 9: Legal and Ethical Issues
Unit 10: Aging Families
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of NURS 442, the student will achieve or exceed the following learning outcomes:
Identify the unique challenges faced by older adults, including those found within emerging sub-populations;
Understand why transitions can be more difficult for aging adults than their younger counterparts;
Explore the importance of families for older adults experiencing transitions and recognize why relationships can be stressed during transitions;
Identify nursing interventions related to a variety of health challenges and transitions experienced by older adults
Evaluation
To receive credit for NURS 442, you must complete and submit all of the required assignments and achieve a composite grade of C (64 percent). All papers submitted must follow the guidelines of the current APA Publication Manual.
The assignments and weightings of the composite grade is as follows:
Activity
Weight
Assignment 1: 40 Question Quiz
15%
Assignment 2: Two Postings
20%
Assignment 3: Transitions and Aging
30%
Assignment 4: Sub-populations within a Population
35%
Total
100%
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.