| CODE | GDM1009 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Ethical Issues in the Care of Older Persons | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Gerontology and Dementia Studies | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit discusses attitudes towards ageing, giving an overview of ethical theories. The distinct differences between how ethics, philosophy and morality inter-relate in old age will be given attention. The approach to ethical issues in aging (well-being and autonomy, person-hood and solidarity) together with the standing of an older person in society will be brought to the fore. Principilism, autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, fidelity and confidentiality will be explained. It concludes by debating consent, informed consent, and competence in decision-making. The relevance of these concepts in relation to advance directives, and dementia and end-of-life care will also be presented and discussed. Study-unit Aims: The aims of the unit is to provide students with an overview of the main ethical issues related to the ageing population, with special reference to older persons in receipt of community and long-term care, but also including older persons living with dementia and end-of-life care. The unit aims to help students to better understand and evaluate pertinent ethical dilemmas of older persons and older person care. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1) Describe ethical theories and models of care for best service delivery and care for older persons and their informal/formal carers; 2) Explain person-hood, person-centered care, well-being and solidarity in relation to the ethical issues surrounding the older person and the care of the older person; 3) Contextualize the place of values as well as attitudes towards the aging brain and towards ageing; 4) Define how the principles of biomedical ethics (autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, fidelity and confidentiality) impinge on the older person and her/his care; 5) Recognise the standing of the older person in society. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1) Demonstrate an appreciation of the link between the ethical issues and the ongoing care and support at community level, acute hospital services, rehabilitation, residential care as well as end of life palliative care of the older person; 2) Establish that aging is a process, interlinked with issues of confidentiality, respect for the older person's right to confidences being honored, whilst also considering the decision-making ability, especially in older persons living with dementia; 3) Explain person-centered care components in respect of dignity, values, older persons as unique human beings, retaining a sense of identity and enabling feelings of self worth; 4) Integrate the concepts of ethics, values and professionalism in the care of the older person. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main text: - Baille, H.W. (2013). Health care ethics (6th edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice hall. - Scarre, G. (Ed.). (2016). The Palgrave Handbook of the Philosophy of Aging. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Supplementary readings: - Ayalon, L. & Tesch-Römer, C. (eds) (2017). Contemporary perspectives on ageism. Switzerland: Springer. - Brock, D. (1993). Life and Death: Philosophical essays in biomedical ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. - Hughes, J. C., Louw, S.J., & Sabat, S.R. (eds) (2006). Dementia: Mind, meaning, and the person. Oxford: Oxford University Press. - Kitwood, T. (2019). Dementia Reconsidered, Revisited; The person still comes first. Open University Press. - Smith, G.E. & Bondi, M.W. (2013). Mild cognitive impairment and dementia: Definitions, diagnosis, and treatment. Oxford: Oxford University Press. - Vaughn, L. (2016). Doing ethics: Moral reasoning and contemporary issues. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. - Parliamentary Secretary for Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Aging. (2013). National Strategic Policy for Active Ageing: Malta 2014-2020. Malta: Parliamentary Secretary for Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Aging. - Parliamentary Secretary for Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Aging. (2015). National Dementia Strategy: Malta 2015-2023. Malta: Parliamentary Secretary for Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Aging. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | This study-unit is only offered to students following the Higher Diploma in Gerontology and Geriatrics course. | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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