Professionals such as gerontologists play an important role in thedesign, development and implementation of age-friendly services.and products, by using working methods and principles of co-creation.A Dutch undergraduate applied gerontology programme aims totrain students in the why, how and what of co-creation. The degreeto which students are intrinsically motivated to develop competenciesdepends on how their psychological needs are met. Theseneeds are autonomy, an awareness of competence and a sense ofrelatedness, as described in the self-determination theory. To nurturethe intrinsic motivation of the applied gerontology students, arealistic, powerful learning environment called the Living LabApplied Gerontology was designed and implemented. The aim ofthis paper is to present the design of this powerful learning environmentand to discuss its value for nurturing the students’ intrinsicmotivation for co-creation. Based on a focus group with eightstudents, we identify directions for further research and developmentof living labs.
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The “Creating Age-friendly Communities: Housing and Technology” publication presents contemporary, innovative, and insightful narratives, debates, and frameworks based on an international collection of papers from scholars spanning the fields of gerontology, social sciences, architecture, computer science, and gerontechnology. This extensive collection of papers aims to move the narrative and debates forward in this interdisciplinary field of age-friendly cities and communities. (This book is a reprint of the Special Issue Creating Age-friendly Communities: Housing and Technology that was published in Healthcare)
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Background: China faces a serious shortage of competent nurses who can address the healthcare needs of older people in an ageing society. Chinese higher education institutes face serious challenges when it comes to developing new curricula that are capable of educating sufficient numbers of competent gerontological nurses. Therefore, the aim of this research study was to identify and verify competencies for gerontological nurses in China that are needed to provide nursing care for the growing number of older people in all care settings. This study takes into account the possible opportunities that trends and developments may offer in the near future.Methods: In this study, a two-phase research design was used. The first phase concerned needs analysis, including a situational analysis, a trend analysis and a competence analysis. This process resulted in a draft competence framework. The second phase addressed the verification of the competence framework through a two-round Delphi study with a panel of Chinese and European experts. This process led to the final competence framework.Results: The final competence framework for gerontological nursing in China included six competencies divided into 13 essential and five relevant learning outcomes. The competencies are: ‘providing gerontological care’, ‘communication and collaboration’, ‘organization of gerontological nursing care’, ‘health promotion’, ‘evidence-based nursing and lifelong learning’ and ‘professional behaviour’.Conclusion: The framework comprehensively covers the six core competencies that nurses who care for older people should possess. These competencies are well-embedded in a Chinese context. The framework therefore offers concrete, practical suggestions for the competencies and skills that nursing graduates will need to work in current and future professions related to gerontological nursing education and practice.
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