Overview

Gerontology: Value in contemporary society
 

"When I am old...

Would you avoid continuing this sentence? Is the sense of loneliness, illness, discrimination, and loss of control associated with aging too overwhelming? In Hong Kong, people are regarded as older adults at 65 and life expectancy for the local population is 85 . Therefore, we would spend nearly a quarter of our lives in old age. However, we can make this quarter of life worth embracing but not dejecting.

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Programme Nature and Career Prospect

The Bachelor of Science in Gerontology Programme (GRON) is a University Grants Committee funded two-year full-time credit-based articulated honours programme. It is offered in response to the expanding ageing population and the associated aged care workforce shortage in Hong Kong. The programme put emphasis on both theoretical and practical components of gerontology probing the discipline at different levels from health and societal policy to individual care, and from multiple angles from ethical, financial, preventive and rehabilitative perspectives.
Through this programme, students will be equipped with the following well sought-after capacities.

• Plan for aged care to reduce the burden on society – to optimize policies, coordinate services to improve efficiency, and improve financing strategies

• Guard the most vulnerable group to infections – to strengthen the infection control capacity of aged service facilities based on knowledge of infectious diseases

• Steer quality aged service innovation – to scientifically innovate services, strengthen communications among practitioners, and provide high-quality and individualized services

• Comfort fears related to dying - to guide older adults with terminal illness and their relatives with knowledge and skills, and design appropriate hospice care plans

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Graduates can pursue a career in a wide range of social and health care settings providing active aged and long-term care services. They can start their career as a multi-skilled practitioner in gerontological care and take up key roles in coordinating inter-disciplinary care, planning and implementing evidence-based care models (such as care management, empowerment programme, telecare, and transitional care), and performing service administration, evaluation and reengineering. They can also advance to higher management levels after accumulating adequate work experience.

Graduates with good academic results can pursue postgraduate studies in various disciplines, such as master’s programme in public health, health service management, rehabilitative sciences, nursing, or social work.