Care of older people from a multi-professional perspective: Learning on the web

The European population has undergone important changes during past decades with increased life expectancy and a falling birth rate. The high proportion of older people and the vulnerability related to ageing will in the next century demand more multidisciplinary and innovative approaches towards their care. This was the main rationale for the construction of a web-based course. Another reason was that many students are not able to leave their homes to study abroad. The aim of the course was to provide an option for students in different programmes and for experienced health professionals to increase their mutual understanding about older people and their need for comprehensive care. The internet offered several health professionals with their different perspectives a place to meet and communicate. Lecturers who had advanced knowledge about specific areas in the countries could present their views, and the course participants could share knowledge about relevant articles, research and personal experiences as well as share their experiences with professionals from more than one culture, which is usually not the case when going abroad. By working together in international groups, the students said that they had learned to analyse shared attitudes and differences between countries, and how cultural and geographical circumstances could affect quality of life for older people. The students and the teachers felt that that a multi-professional and intercultural approach had increased their knowledge of the various and changing living conditions for older people in different societies.