Program Overview

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Program Overview

The Master’s Degree in Geropsychology for Longevity and Dementia: Tools, Interventions, and Care Approaches is a one-year program that provides theoretical knowledge and practical skills for the management of elderly individuals, whether experiencing physiological aging, neurocognitive disorders, or psychopathologies, as well as their caregivers, across various institutional, healthcare, community, and home settings.

Educational Content

The Master in Geropsychology for Longevity and Dementia provides tools and competencies for:

• Active/healthy aging (psychological and social well-being) through:
  • Multidimensional screening and assessments from a preventive perspective;
  • Effective and personalized interventions aimed at enhancing cognitive, metacognitive, emotional, theory of mind, and social skills;
  • An intergenerational approach;
  • Utilization of the environment as a resource and of new technologies (artificial intelligence, information & communication technology).
• Management of individuals with neurodegenerative disorders, including early-stage, psychopathology, and disability:
  • From anamnesis and psychodiagnostic interviews with the individual and family, to differential neuropsychological assessment and corresponding reporting;
  • From diagnosis communication to the proposal of evidence-based psychosocial interventions, also aimed at combating loneliness and promoting quality of life.
• Support and prevention of burden in formal and informal caregivers, including home care.
• Home care for frail individuals or those with dementia.
• Multidisciplinary teamwork across different care settings (nursing homes and community).
• Preparation of individualized care plans (ICP).
• End-of-life management and emergency situations.
• Provision of consultancy and training at organizations and services.

Course Target and Career Opportunities

The Master’s Degree in Geropsychology for Longevity and Dementias: Tools, Interventions, and Care Approaches is intended for individuals holding one of the following degrees:

• Undergraduate degree (old system) in Medicine and Surgery; Pedagogy; Psychology; Educational Sciences; Primary Education Sciences; Health Planning Sciences; Social Work;
• Specialist degree (Ministerial Decree 509) in: 46/S; 56/S; 57/S; 58/S; 63/S; 65/S; 87/S;
• Master’s degree (Ministerial Decree 270) in: LM-41; LM-50; LM-51; LM-55; LM-57; LM-85; LM-87. The Master trains geropsychologists and expert professionals capable of working autonomously or within multiprofessional teams in healthcare and educational institutions, providing consultancy and training services, assessment and screening, support and intervention, and service organization.

Program Structure

The Master’s program has a one-year duration (60 ECTS) and includes 300 hours of instructional activities, primarily conducted online via the Zoom platform, approximately 1 to 2 weekends per month, on Saturdays and Sundays or Fridays and Saturdays. Additionally, the program includes several in-person days throughout the year, which feature practical exercises at the School of Psychology of the University of Padua and professional training sessions at the facilities of the Institute for Residential and Assistance Services for the Elderly in Treviso. The Master also includes a mandatory internship (300 hours) to be completed at elderly service centers, nursing homes (RSA), respite centers, day centers, centers for cognitive disorders and dementias, hospitals, associations and cooperatives, research institutes, or university departments/services. At the end of the program, participants are required to submit a final paper (thesis) focusing on specific topics of interest, such as a clinical case study, experimental research work, a literature review, or an experience related to their internship training project.

Study Prizes

At the end of the Master in Geropsychology for Longevity and Dementia, based on the quality of the dissertation and the works carried out within the internship, the Master Direction can decide to award any deserving student with study prizes of variable amount, assigned by the Master’s partner institutions affiliated with the Master’s program.

Partner Institutions

The internship can be completed at institutions located throughout the national territory, either already affiliated or to be affiliated with the University of Padua. Among the local institutions already partnered with the Master’s program are:

• Psychology of Aging and Longevity Service affiliated with the University Clinical Psychological Services Center (SCUP) of the University of Padua (Padua)
• Institute for Residential and Assistance Services for the Elderly – ISRAA (Treviso)
• AltaVita United Assistance Institutions – IRA (Padua)
• Immaculate Conception Foundation – OIC (Padua and other Venetian locations)
• Nursing Home Adele Zara (Mira, VE)
• CSA Tiepolo (San Martino di Lupari, PD)
• IPAB la C.A.S.A (Schio, VI)
• Geriatrics Unit (UOC) OSA and Community Hospital, Sant’Antonio Hospital Complex, University Hospital of Padua (Padua)
• Omnia Social Enterprise Association (Verona)
• Regional Cerebral Aging Center (CRIC) – UOSD (Padua)
• Elderly care facilities in Roncade (TV) and Cordenons (PN)
• Anni Sereni Service Center (Scorzè, VE)
• Multifunctional Center Palazzo Malta (Venice)
• Senior Veneto, Vicenza (VI)
• Alzheimer’s Disease Association Padua (AMAP), Padua (PD)
• Elderly Service Center Marzotto Foundation, Valdagno (VI)

General Ranking of Merit

The general ranking of merit for the academic year 2025/26 will be published on the Italian page of this Master according to the timing provided in the Call.

Information

Thematic area: Mind and psycho-physical well-being End of classes: 31/10/2026 Mandatory attendance: 80% Minimum available spots: 15 Maximum available spots: 45 First instalment: € 1.822,50 Second instalment: € 1.100,00

Management

Prof. Erika Borella - Vice Director Prof. De Beni Rossana

Teaching Method

The instructional activities (300 hours) consist of approximately 1 to 2 weekends per month of online lessons (via Zoom), held on Saturdays and Sundays or Fridays and Saturdays, from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Additionally, throughout the year, several in-person teaching days are scheduled, dedicated to practical exercises and field-based deepening, held at the University of Padua and the ISRAA in Treviso. Attendance is mandatory for at least 80% of the total teaching hours (i.e., a minimum of 240 hours out of 300).

Frequently Asked Questions

• How is the teaching organized and what is the attendance requirement?
• Does the Master’s program provide ECM (Continuing Medical Education) credits?
• Where can the internship be completed?
• Is it possible to enroll in the Master’s program if already enrolled in a degree, doctoral, or specialization course?
• Can the Master internship be completed at the same time as the post-graduate internship or at one’s current workplace?