Opinion
António Fonseca, lecturer at the Portuguese Catholic University - Braga
Portugal is already one of the oldest countries in Europe and will be the oldest country in the European Union by 2050, according to the Ageing Europe 2019 report. Today, almost one in four Portuguese is aged 65 or over and the group of those aged 80 and over is the fastest growing in the national demographic panorama and the one in which the risk of social isolation is most prevalent, as around 38 per cent of the elderly over 80 live alone.
Accustomed until the turn of the century to seeing itself as a ‘young’ society, these figures reveal a new face of Portuguese society - now a clearly ageing society - and impose the need for qualified responses to meet the needs of a population that is living longer but not always ageing in the best conditions.
In this scenario, Gerontology stands out as an important area of training with high employability potential. The complexity of working with the elderly requires skills in areas such as human and financial resource management, compliance with legal requirements, health, social security and the provision of specialised care.
The job opportunities are vast and diverse. Gerontology graduates can work in Residential Facilities for the Elderly (Nursing Homes), Day Centres, Social Centres, Home Support Services, National Integrated Continuing Care Networks, Hospitals, Health Centres, Municipalities, Foundations, Social Security and Social Services, among others. This is a vast field of activity, part of the so-called silver economy, a fast-growing sector that responds to the needs of the over-50s and which represents a promising future for Portugal and other ageing countries.
The Master's in Applied Social Gerontology, which has been running since 2005 at the Portuguese Catholic University in Braga, is a quality training programme that is attentive to this reality. With a new edition starting at the end of February 2025 and applications already open, the Master's in Applied Social Gerontology provides multidisciplinary training that prepares professionals to face the challenges and exploit the opportunities of ageing societies.
In a world that is ageing at a remarkable rate, Gerontology is strategic training, essential for guaranteeing quality care for the elderly, boosting economic growth and strengthening social policies in the field of social action.