General Information About the Course
The Action Plan for the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021–2030 emphasizes that healthy aging should be possible for everyone. This Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) explores how we can move closer to this goal.
The MOOC was developed on behalf of the Competence Center for the Future of Health Promotion (KoZuG) at Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG) and funded by the Health Promotion Agenda.
Scope and Applications
This MOOC consists of approximately 25 hours of instruction and is open to anyone interested. It is suitable both for individual professional development and for integration into courses and degree programs in the fields of health, nursing, and social sciences.
Course Content
This MOOC provides fundamental health knowledge with a special focus on healthy aging, and its content is based on the areas of action outlined in the model “Community-Based Health Promotion for Healthy Aging – Caring Communities” developed by the Competence Center for the Future of Health Promotion at Gesundheit Österreich GmbH. The course examines the influence of genetic, social, and environmental factors on the aging process, as well as key concepts in health promotion for older adults. A key focus is on promoting physical and mental health, including exercise, nutrition, sleep, mental fitness, and mental health, as well as their interrelationships. In addition, the MOOC addresses the importance of social participation, relationships, volunteer work, and Caring Communities for healthy aging. Participants explore age-appropriate living environments and the use of assistive technologies to promote independence and quality of life. Another lesson is dedicated to health promotion in the context of chronic diseases and the associated challenges in practice and care. Finally, the course addresses equity and diversity in older age and demonstrates how health promotion can be implemented in a community setting while taking into account social inequalities, migration, and gender.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of the MOOC, participants will have a solid understanding of key concepts in health promotion, with a focus on healthy aging. They will be able to critically evaluate evidence-based interventions designed to promote the physical, mental, and social health of older adults and apply them in practical settings. Participants recognize the importance of social participation, age-appropriate living environments, and assistive technologies for independence and quality of life in older age. Furthermore, they can differentiate between various health promotion approaches for older adults with chronic conditions. They are equipped to design health promotion programs for older adults that are equitable, diversity-oriented, and particularly relevant in a community context.
Prerequisites
No specific prior knowledge is required to participate in the MOOC. The only prerequisite is a basic interest in the topics of health, aging, and health promotion. Initial experience or prior knowledge in the fields of health, social services, or local government can support the learning process, but is not a requirement.
Course Outline
The course is held over 6 weeks or lessons. For each lesson, expert interviews, theoretical content with reflection questions and exercises, best-practice examples, supplementary materials, podcasts, and a quiz to reflect on what has been learned will be posted. A discussion forum provides an opportunity to reflect, discuss, or explore topics in greater depth with other learners.
Certificate
If you actively participate in the course, you will receive an automatically generated certificate of participation from iMoox.at that includes your name, the course title, and confirmation that you answered at least 75% of the self-assessment questions correctly. You will also receive Open Badges for all completed lessons and for the entire course.
ECTS credits: Instructors can integrate the course into their classes. The course is designed so that the content of all six lessons is equivalent to a total of 1 ECTS credit.
Interested?
Click here to register: https://imoox.at/course/gesundesaltern?lang=de
Course Instructor
Institute for Health Sciences | Ferdinand Porsche FERNFH
The MOOC “Healthy Aging” was commissioned by the Competence Center for the Future of Health Promotion (KoZuG) at Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (https://goeg.at/zukunft_gesundheitsfoerderung) and designed by the Institute for Health Sciences at FERNFH (https://www.fernfh.ac.at/institute/institut-fuer-gesundheitswissenschaften/) in coordination with KoZuG and produced in collaboration with the Instructional Systems Design Department at FERNFH (https://www.fernfh.ac.at/fernfh/instructional-systems-design/).
FERNFH Team – Institute for Health Sciences, responsible for developing the MOOC's content (listed alphabetically)
- Prof.(FH) MMag.aTanja Adamcik – Program Director, Bachelor’s in Aging Services Management; Deputy Head of the Faculty at FERNFH
- Alexandra Gössl, BA, MA – Research Assistant & Instructor, Institute for Health Sciences
- Mag.aStefanie Kuso, Bakk. – Research Assistant & Instructor, Institute for Health Sciences
- Mag. Dr. Lukas Küster – Research and Teaching, Institute for Health Sciences
- Prof.(FH)Mag. Barbara Prazak-Aram – Program Director, Master’s in Digital Health Management
- Eva Plasch – Assistant at the Institute for Health Sciences
- Mag.a(FH) Ursula Prinz, M.Sc. – Research and Teaching, Institute of Health Sciences
- Mag. Dr. Friedrich Teutsch – Research and Teaching, Institute for Health Sciences
- Prof.(FH) Mag.aDr.inKarin Waldherr – Director of the Institute for Health Sciences
FERNFH Team – Instructional Systems Design Department, responsible for implementing the MOOC content (listed alphabetically)
- Sabine Kolb, MSc
- Reinhard Staudinger, BSc – Department Head
- Andreas Wappel, B.Eng. (FH)
External Experts (listed alphabetically)
- AssociateProfessor Barbara Wessner,Dipl.-Ing.,Ph.D.– Sports Biologist at the Institute for Sports and Movement Sciences, University of Vienna
- Prof. Thomas E. Dorner, MPH – Director of the Academy for Gerontology at the Haus der Barmherzigkeit, Medical University of Vienna, Center for Public Health
- Maria Fellner,Dipl.-Ing., MBA – Know Center Research GmbH, President of Digital Health and Care Austria
- Univ.-Doz. Dr. Gerald Gatterer – Clinical and Health Psychologist/Psychotherapist
- Dr. Sabine Haas – Senior Health Expert at Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG)
- Mag.aDr.inPetra Plunger, MPH – Senior Health Expert at the Competence Center for the Future of Health Promotion within the Health Promotion Agenda at Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG)
- Barbara Preiner, BA, MSc,Professor at the UniversityofApplied Sciences– Dietitian & Health Expert
- Mag.aGerlinde Rohrauer-Näf, MPH – Department Head of the Competence Center for the Future of Health Promotion at Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG)
License
This work is licensed undera Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license.