Program Overview

HHS502 Psychiatry of Old Age

The major focus of this subject is on Geriatric Psychiatry and provides a necessary background in the related areas of gerontology, geriatric medicine, and neuropsychology. The subject has a clinical orientation.

Subject Information

Grading System

HD/FL

Duration

One session

School

School of Nursing, Midwifery and Indigenous Health

Enrolment Restrictions

Master of Mental Health students only

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:

• Distinguish between normal and abnormal aspects of ageing
• Understand the issues associated with normal ageing, including loss and grief
• Identify "disorders" of old age and their treatments, e.g., dementia, affective disorders, psychotic disorders, neurotic and personality disorders, substance abuse disorders
• Develop assessment and management plans and skills in relation to challenging behaviours of old age, e.g., wandering, confusion, aggression
• Understand a range of treatments and management strategies, and their appropriate usage, including cognitive behavioural therapy, family therapy, pharmacology, music therapy
• Understand and apply appropriate legislation related to aged care
• Identify a range of services to assist older people and their families/carers
• Develop self-management and workload management strategies
• Intervene at administrative/organisational level when required to assist in making services more responsive to client need

Syllabus

This subject will cover the following topics:

• The ageing process
• Models of ageing
• Cultural aspects of ageing; family systems
• Bereavement and loss
• Geriatric medicine - general principles
• Drug therapy in old age
• Aged care assessment
• Assessment process in geriatric psychiatry
• Psychiatric illness- demography and epidemiology
• Neuropsychology of ageing
• Classification of systems
• Dementia, affective disorder, paranoid disorder, neurosis, delirium, self-harm, substance abuse
• Management skills - using services
• Residential services
• Psychopharmacology
• Legislation, ethical issues, research and evaluation
• Agency visits