In a note sent to Lusa news agency, the IPG said that the course "Caring to Promote Healthy Aging" is intended for informal caregivers and aims to empower them with strategies and guidelines that slow down the functional decline of the elderly they are caring for. The free and open access training will focus on the management of the most common geriatric syndromes in the senior population, but also on the health and well-being of the caregiver. The course is part of the European project EducAge, coordinated by the Polytechnic of Guarda, and will be offered in Portuguese, English, Spanish, Hungarian and Czech. The polytechnic pointed out that the training already has 60 registered students, some of whom have already started their online learning. At IPG, the face-to-face modules will start being taught at the end of June. In addition to Guarda, face-to-face classes will also be given in Spain, Hungary and the Czech Republic. According to Carolina Vila-Chã, a professor at IPG responsible for the international coordination of the project, the course has a mixed teaching methodology, combining online educational materials with classroom interactions. Developed from the World Health Organization's recommendations on Integrated Care for the Elderly (ICOPE), the training lasts 32 and a half hours, with seven and a half hours of face-to-face training, divided into three main modules. "The structure of the course was designed to provide a broad learning experience, while respecting the busy schedules of caregivers. The online study time will be managed by each student-caregiver", said Carolina Vila-Chã. The professor stressed that the modular approach allows for flexibility, since each session was designed to be completed in short intervals, allowing caregivers to more easily integrate learning moments into their schedule without feeling overwhelmed. The training addresses strategies to prevent a sharp decline in physical and cognitive abilities, malnutrition and mental health degradation. There will also be other topics, such as the prevention and management of geriatric syndromes associated with care dependency, including the risk of falls, chronic diseases, urinary incontinence, skin lesions and pressure ulcers. The module dedicated to the caregiver discusses the management of emotions and the caregiver's mental health. Under the coordination of the Polytechnic of Guarda, the EducAge project is attended by the Collaborative Laboratory of Research Mountains (Bragança), the Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery Jesus Uson (Cáceres), the Faculty of Medicine of the University Semmelweis Egyetem (Budapest) and the Czech Faculties of Medicine of the University Karlova (Prague) and of Informatics and Management of the University Hradec Králové (Hradec Králové, on the outskirts of Prague). The EducAGE project is co-financed by about 300 thousand euros by the European Union through the ERASMUS+ program (k220). Read also: Polytechnic of Guarda wants to prevent adverse effects of medication in the elderly (Portuguese version)