Overview
The paper emphasises rehabilitation and management of conditions that cause impairment and activity limitation in older adults such as falls and cognitive impairment.
As Aotearoa New Zealand’s population ages, the demand for skilled professionals capable of delivering effective, culturally responsive rehabilitation for older adults continues to grow. This course provides health and rehabilitation providers, as well as service planners and funders, with the advanced knowledge and tools needed to meet this challenge.
Examine contemporary models of rehabilitation and ageing through a critical lens to gain a comprehensive understanding of how rehabilitation services are structured and delivered within the unique cultural, social, and policy context of Aotearoa. Learn to navigate complex clinical presentations such as frailty, multimorbidity, and cognitive decline, and design tailored, evidence-informed interventions that reflect the values and goals of older adults and their whānau.
This course will expand your ability to work across multiple disciplines and systems—hospital, community, aged residential care, and primary care—to enhance equity and outcomes in later life.
About this paper
| Paper title | Rehabilitation for the Older Adult |
|---|---|
| Subject | Rehabilitation |
| EFTS | 0.25 |
| Points | 30 points |
| Teaching period | Not offered in 2026, expected to be offered in 2027 (Distance learning) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $3,486.75 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Limited to
- MHealSc, PGDipRehab, PGCertRehab, PGDipPhty, PGDipHealSc, MPhty
- Eligibility
Suitable for people who hold a degree or diploma from a New Zealand university or are in an appropriate profession approved by the academic board.
If you have not already done so, please contact the department for course advice before selecting your programme, rtru.uow@otago.ac.nz.
- Contact
- More information link
View further information about Rehabilitation Studies
- Teaching staff
- Teaching Arrangements
This Distance Learning paper is taught remotely.
Regular interaction with classmates and paper tutors via Zoom videoconferencing and the online learning platform, Moodle. Additional on-line events to support whakawhanaunatunga (establishing relationships), and skills development, within the broader Rehabilitation Teaching and Research Unit learning community.
- Textbooks
- Textbooks are not required for this paper.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Interdisciplinary perspective, Critical thinking, Research.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
As a graduate of REHB 707 Rehabilitation for the Older Adult, I will be able to:
- Critically evaluate current theories, models, and frameworks of rehabilitation as they apply to older adults, with particular attention to the practice of supporting older adults across biological, psychological, social, and environmental domains.
- Apply evidence-based approaches to assessment, goal setting, and intervention planning for older adults, considering complex presentations such as multimorbidity, frailty, and cognitive impairment.
- Design and justify a rehabilitation intervention or service innovation for older adults in Aotearoa New Zealand, integrating a critical appraisal of current evidence, a contextual analysis, and stakeholder engagement.
- Demonstrate an understanding of how to work in an interdisciplinary manner across various sectors, such as aged care, community, hospital, and primary care settings, to support holistic rehabilitation outcomes for older adults.
Throughout this course, I will enhance my knowledge and appreciation of biculturalism within a Te Tiriti o Waitangi framework, as well as deepen my understanding of multiculturalism, and learn to apply this knowledge to achieve equity in rehabilitation access, experiences, and outcomes.