Course Coordinator:Gordana Dermody (gdermody@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Nursing
Online |
Online | You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement. |
Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
Ageing is not a single event but an ongoing process shaped by the interplay of biological, psychological, social, environmental and systemic forces. Students will engage with contemporary theories of ageing, analyse Australian and international policy responses to population ageing, critically examine ageism and discrimination directed at older people, and evaluate evidence-based approaches to promoting health and wellbeing in later life. The course is designed for those working with older adults in health and wellbeing sectors.
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Online | |||
| Online – Online Self-directed study | 3hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
Module 1 – Understanding Ageing: Theories, Frameworks and the Ecology of Ageing
Ecology of ageing: the individual, home, community, system and society as interacting environments
Social gerontological perspectives on ageing
Biophysiological and psychosocial processes associated with ageing
Module 2 – Ageing in Context: Society, Policy and System
Population ageing in Australia: trends and projections
How and where older people age: ageing in place, residential care, community settings
UN Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021–2030 and the WHO Healthy Ageing framework
Australian aged care reform: the rights-based Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Quality Standards
Policy language and its consequences: active ageing, successful ageing, ageing in place
Module 3 – Ageism, Discrimination and the Ethics of Ageing
Ageism: origins, manifestations and consequences across health and social systems
Stigmatisation, discrimination and the language of ageing
Intersectionality: gender, culture, First Nations identity and socioeconomic disadvantage in ageing
Autonomy, dignity of risk, advocacy and supported decision making
Module 4 – Wellbeing Across Later Life
Promoting health and wellbeing: reablement, preventive care and community-based supports
Mental health in later life: depression, anxiety, loneliness and social isolation
Climate change, environmental risk and healthy ageing
Module 5 – Practice, Evidence and Advocacy
Translating evidence into interprofessional practice with older people
Advocating for older people: professional, systemic and societal dimensions
Future directions in gerontology and aged care in Australia
500 Level (Advanced)
12 units
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | Professional Standard Mapping * Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia | |
| 1 | Analyse the ecology of ageing as a framework for understanding the biological, psychological, social, environmental and systemic dimensions of later life. | Knowledgeable |
1.1
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| 2 | Evaluate contemporary Australian and international policy responses to population ageing, including the Aged Care Act 2024 and the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing. | Ethical |
1.1, 5 |
| 3 | Critically examine ageism, discrimination and the ethical dimensions of care and practice with older people. | Ethical |
1, 1.1, 1.5 |
| 4 | Apply evidence-based approaches to promoting health and wellbeing across later life in diverse health and social care contexts. | Empowered |
1, 1.1, 1.3, 2, 4.3 |
| 5 | Communicate scholarly analysis of ageing-related issues using advanced academic writing and referencing conventions, including ethical use of sources and AI-generated content. | Ethical |
1, 3.7 |
| CODE | COMPETENCY |
| Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia | |
| 1 | Standard 1: Thinks critically and analyses nursing practice |
| 1.1 | The RN accesses, analyses, and uses the best available evidence, that includes research findings for safe quality practice |
| 1.3 | The RN 1.3 respects all cultures and experiences, which includes responding to the role of family and community that underpin the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people of other cultures |
| 1.5 | The RN uses ethical frameworks when making decisions |
| 2 | Standard 2: Engages in therapeutic and professional relationships |
| 3.7 | The RN identifies and promotes the integral role of nursing practice and the profession in influencing better health outcomes for people |
| 4.3 | The RN works in partnership to determine factors that affect, or potentially affect, the health and well being of people and populations to determine priorities for action and/or for referral |
| 5 | Standard 5: Develops a plan for nursing practice |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Enrolled in any postgraduate program.
Not applicable
HLT500
Not applicable
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Early assessment and formative feedback will be provided through submission of task 1 outlining a topic area and plan for task 2 report.
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| Online | 1 | Report | Individual | 40% | 1,500 words (excluding references) |
Week 8 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| Online | 2 | Oral | Individual | 60% | 15-20 minutes |
Exam Period | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| Online - Assessment Task 1:Critical Policy Analysis Report | ||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | The purpose of this task is to critically analyse an Australian policy response to population ageing, evaluating its effectiveness in promoting the health, wellbeing, autonomy and/or rights of older people. A brief ungraded plan (250 words) identifying your chosen policy and direction is submitted at Week 3 to support early formative feedback. |
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| Product: | Report | |||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||
| Format: | Using a provided report template, you will select a policy from a provided list and critique it in terms of: • alignment with evidence on ageing health and wellbeing • promotion of autonomy, dignity and the rights of older people • equity considerations including cultural safety, rural and remote access, and First Nations older Australians • gaps or tensions between policy intent and practice |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy |
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| Online - Assessment Task 2:Online Presentation | ||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | The purpose of this task is to synthesise learning across the course by developing and delivering an evidence-informed oral presentation on a significant ageing-related issue, directed at a professional or community audience. |
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| Product: | Oral | |||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | ||||||||||||||||
| Format: | You will select a significant issue affecting older people in Australia, drawing on the ecology of ageing framework and the evidence base explored throughout the course. Your presentation will be recorded and submitted online. It will be structured as a professional briefing for health or social care leaders, advocates or community organisations. You will identify the issue, analyse its causes and consequences across the levels of the ecology framework, evaluate relevant evidence and policy responses, and propose a clear, feasible recommendation. A slide deck or equivalent visual support is required. |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy |
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A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Required | Maree Bernoth,Denise Winkler | 2022 | Healthy Ageing and Aged Care | 2 | Oxford University Press, USA |
Not applicable
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct
Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.
The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
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