AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Course attendance and individual study will enable the student to:

- Know and understand age related changes on postural control, movement, particularly gait, and upper limb-related functions (reaching, prehension, and manipulations)

- Acquire basic knowledge related to postural control, gait, and upper limb (reaching, prehension, and manipulations) impairment, due to CNS damage.

- Know functional assessment scales and knowing how to choose only validated for specific diseases

TEACHING METHODS

The course consists of lectures for a total of 10 hours (1 CFU) during which theoretical knowledge will be expounded and scientific evidence presented. In his or her personal work, student will be expected to acquire advanced knowledge of aging and its impact on movement and CNS damage.

Teachers will immediately provide textbook reference and any supplementary material to facilitate the formulation of any clarification/depth questions.

Students with SLD, disability or other special educational needs certification are strongly encouraged to contact the teachers at the beginning of the course to agree on teaching methods which, respecting the teaching objectives, take into account individual learning methods and provide suitable compensatory instruments.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

- Ageing and postural control

- Factors Contributing to Aging

- Age-related changes in the systems of postural control

- Abnormal Postural Control

- Falls in Persons with Neurologic Pathology

- Problems in the motor-sensory, perceptual system affecting postural control

- Problems Affecting Anticipatory Balance

- Problems in cognitive system (Dual-Task)

- Aging and Mobility

- Gait Dysfunction: Aging or Pathology?

- Age-Related changes in motor systems and gait

- Age-related changes in sensory systems and gait

- Age-related changes in cognitive systems and gait

- Age-related changes in other mobility skills

- Abnormal Mobility

- Motor systems and abnormal gait

- Age related changes and gait

- Sensory systems and abnormal gait

- Cognitive systems and impaired gait

- Age related changes disorders of mobility other than gait

- Reach, Grasp, and Manipulation: changes in older adults

- principles underlying the development of behaviors (notes)

- Age-related changes in reaching

- Abnormal Reach, Grasp, and Manipulation

Target location problems

Problems with eye−head−hand coordination

Problems with reach and grasp

Problems with in-hand manipulation

             Interlimb coupling and bimanual tasks

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Book: Shumway-Cook, Anne, Woollacott, Marjorie, Motor Control: Translating Research into Clinical Practice 5TH Edition, Ed. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins 2016

Materials: Scientific papers and other assessment scales (if not presented in the textbook)

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Lessons from March to June, in the second semester of the academic year

 All class schedules are posted on the aulaweb.unige portal.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam with open-ended questions.

Exams for in winter session* (January-February) and summer session (June, July, September) will be available and can be accessed at https://2022.aulaweb.unige.it/

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The examination will verify:

- Knowledge about the course basic concepts

- Advanced knowledge of age-related changes on motor functions (postural control, gait and upper limb reaching, prehension and manipulation)

- Knowledge of functional motor outcomes following CNS impairments on postural control, gait and upper limb

- Functional and clinical assessment scales

Students with LSD or other regularly certified special educational needs will be able to agree with the professor on the written or oral mode of the examination, by contacting professors at least 10 days before the exam. They will also be able to take advantage of 30 % additional time

FURTHER INFORMATION

When a student is a certified LSD, it is required to contact the Referring Teacher of the DISABILITY and DSA Commission for DINOGMI: Prof. N. Girtler (nicolagirtler@unige.it ) and evaluated the single case, he will send to the teachers the necessary directions both for  lessons development  and for modality of examination