PODI12007 - Gerontology in Podiatry Practice

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit is designed to provide you with a strong comprehension of the psycho-social-biological changes that people experience as they grow older. Population ageing across all communities and cultures, as well as the theories of ageing will be reviewed. The physiological and pathophysiological effects of ageing will be covered in-depth. The implications of an ageing society for all Australians will also be discussed. Mental health issues, particularly in dementia care and communication, along with polypharmacy in the elderly will be addressed. By the end of the unit, you will be able to describe the role of podiatric practice in an ageing society.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 2
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisite: ALLH11006 Life Course Development for Health Professionals.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2025

Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Rockhampton

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Written Assessment 20%
2. Presentation 30%
3. In-class Test(s) 50%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2024 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 50.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 66.67% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Feedback from teaching staff
Feedback
Further development of pharmacology-related classes may promote a better understanding of polypharmacy and related problems
Recommendation
It is recommended that in subsequent deliveries additional class time be dedicated to concepts surrounding pharmacology and polypharmacy
Action Taken
Additional lecture materials were developed in 2024 to explore concepts surrounding pharmacology and polypharmacy, which were consolidated during dedicated tutorials focused on these concepts.
Source: Feedback from teaching staff
Feedback
Including additional content related to soft insole design and prescription will further enhance students knowledge of practical interventions in gerontology
Recommendation
It is recommended that in subsequent deliveries additional class time be dedicated to the practical applications of soft-insole design and prescription
Action Taken
Additional information regarding the application of podiatric interventions including soft insole design and other offloading techniques was included in the lecture materials in 2024.
Source: SUTE qualitative feedback.
Feedback
Students enjoyed the assessment items in this unit, but noted similarity in the assessment strategy when compared with prior podiatry units.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the assessment strategy be considered in 2025 to improve the variety in the assessment tasks in PODI12007.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE quantitative and qualitative feedback.
Feedback
Students may benefit from enhancements to the delivery of feedback in this unit.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the unit coordinator reviews the methods of providing feedback to students and communicates these to the teaching team to promote a positive student experience.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Determine the physiology, patho-physiology and socio-economic impact of ageing on the body system and relate them to common foot conditions in podiatric practice.
  2. Develop knowledge and skills to effectively communicate with elderly patients.
  3. Appraise functional performance of geriatric podiatry patients to identify evidence-based management for cognitive, psychological, sensory, and perceptual changes associated with ageing.
  4. Identify the challenges of polypharmacy encountered with elderly patients in podiatric practice

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Written Assessment • •
2 - Presentation • • • •
3 - In-class Test(s) • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication • • • •
2 - Problem Solving •
3 - Critical Thinking •
4 - Information Literacy • • • •
5 - Team Work • •
6 - Information Technology Competence • • • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence • •
8 - Ethical practice • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10