Study Guide

The graduating student recognises the strengths and development areas of their competence and learning methods, and they utilise the opportunities communities and digitalisation provide in their learning.

- Assesses and develops their competence and learning methods in different learning environments.
- Is able to acquire, critically assess and appropriately apply the national and
international knowledge base and practices of their field.
- Also takes responsibility for group learning and sharing what has been
learned.

The graduating student has versatile working life skills and is able to operate in work communities of their field.

- Is able to work constructively in a work community and promotes their own
and their work community’s well-being.
- Is able to act professionally in communication and interaction situations at a workplace.
- Utilises the opportunities offered by technology and digitalisation in their work.
- Understands the complexity of changing working life and their own resilience in changing working life situations.

The graduating student adheres to the ethical principles and values of their field of profession, taking the principles of equality and non-discrimination into account.

- Is able to take responsibility for their own actions and their consequences and reflects on them in accordance with the ethical principles and values of their field.
- Takes others into account and promotes equality and non-discrimination.
- Take into account the realisation of diversity and accessibility in their actions.
- Understands the principles of responsible conduct of research and adheres to them.
- Is able to influence society based on ethical values.

The graduating student is familiar with the principles of sustainable development, promotes their implementation and acts responsibly as a professional and a member of society.

- Is able to use information related to their field in finding, implementing and establishing sustainable solutions and operating models.
- Understands sustainability challenges, their interdependencies and the various aspects of issues and problems.

The graduating student is able to operate in multicultural and international operating environments and networks.

- Is familiar with the impacts of their cultural background on their activities and is able to develop operating methods that take multiculturalism into account in their work community.
- Is able to monitor and utilise the international development of their field in their work.
- Is able to communicate internationally in their work tasks.

The graduating student is able to develop solutions that anticipate the future of their own field, applying existing knowledge and research and development methods.

− Solves problem situations creatively and reforms operating methods together with others.
− Is able to work in projects in cooperation with actors of different fields.
− Is able to apply existing knowledge in the field in development and utilises research and development methods.
− Is able to seek customer-oriented, sustainable and economically viable solutions, anticipating the future of their field.

- can apply multi-disciplinary gerontological knowledge and skills to care and services for the elderly and understand ageing from the perspectives of individuals and their life courses and from the perspectives of community and society
- have adopted a resource-oriented approach to old age as a foundation for their work with older people
- can observe and promote the implementation of ethical principles in the care for older people
- are able to promote self-determination, justice and individuality to ensure dignity in old age
- are capable of acceptance, empathy, dialogue and reflective interaction with all kinds of people
- know how to approach ageing people from different cultural backgrounds
- work in a holistic and multi-disciplinary manner, paying attention to individual backgrounds of older people in a variety of settings

- in multi-professional collaboration, can assess, plan and implement service packages based on the needs of older persons
- are able to assess and anticipate older people’s holistic wellbeing, functional ability and service needs in relation to clients’ resources, individual lives and coping in their respective environments
- can assess, implement and coordinate multi-disciplinary, individual services for older people
- can use tools and methods for assessing functional capacity and apply knowledge of activities that promote the wellbeing of older people
- is able to recognise social and health risks, including background factors, that jeopardize older people’s well-being and functional ability.
- together with other professionals, know how to assess older people’s needs for assistive equipment and how to support them in the use of the equipment

- in their counselling work, observe the principles of foresight and preventive work with older people, promoting clients’ health and wellbeing
- can take action to prevent older persons’ social exclusion and related risks
- can disseminate information on factors related to older people’s health and well-being
- are familiar with the case management approach and can use methods of case management and networking when counselling individual clients and groups
- by their counselling, are able to promote social engagement and empowerment of older people while respecting their self-determination
- in their work, can apply community group counselling and goal-oriented group counselling methods
- know how to counsel and advise older people, their next of kin, families and significant others on meeting their individual needs and coping in daily life
- are familiar with special features in counselling older people and able to carry out the counselling process, taking into account older people’s individual needs

- are able to promote elderly people’s social engagement and agency in care, nursing and rehabilitation services
- know how to use a resource-oriented and rehabilitative approach to work and how to apply essential methods in their gerontological work with individuals and groups
- are able to use information and welfare technology to provide a safe and functional environment
- know how to use sociocultural and participatory action methods and how to strengthen the sense of community as part of care, nursing and rehabilitation
- are able to implement and evaluate safe pharmacological care for older people
- recognize common diseases and their effect on older people’s functional ability and know how to counsel them in the treatment of diseases and in rehabilitation
- are familiar with methods of caring for, supporting and rehabilitating people with dementia and able to develop services for people with memory disorders
- know how to support older people living at home and care-giving families, as well as how to develop services to support such families

- are familiar with important national and international strategies and objectives ageing policies and use them to develop services and their quality
- can participate in public discussion on the life and position of older people in society and service provision systems; use gerontological expertise to influence them
- are familiar with service settings and service provision (in public, private and third sectors) and able to apply their knowledge to the organisation, provision and development of services
- are familiar with social, health and rehabilitation services for older people and with the relevant legal framework, guidelines and programmes, so that they can apply their knowledge to both service development and client work
- can extensively use culture and sports services to support functional capacity and wellbeing of older people
- know how to coordinate multi-professional collaboration and the development, planning and implementation of services to meet the needs of older persons

- are able to develop and manage gerontological work in an ethical, client-centred manner
- know how to apply important strategies and theories on work community development and management to develop, coordinate and manage work with older people
- are able to evaluate the quality of services provided for older people and to use important tools of quality work
- can demonstrate flexibility and conduct dialogue in the work community; possess negotiation, communication and counselling skills
- have an entrepreneurial approach to work
- are able to work in managerial positions and have basic skills in financial management and marketing
- know how to support employee welfare at work
- are able to apply research, development and innovation methods to develop services and work communities
- know how to work in projects
- apply gerontological research and knowledge to development and management
- are able to produce knowledge that serves the foresight work and development of services for older people