| CODE | GDM5048 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Ageing and the Rights of Older Persons | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Gerontology and Dementia Studies | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit discusses the specific challenges, older persons and older persons living with dementia face when implementing their rights, despite having exactly the same rights as everyone else, be it when living in the community as well as residential care settings. The importance for professionals and health care providers to be abreast and sensitive to the needs and concerns of older persons will be explained. Discussions will ensue on how health concerns and symptoms in the older person and older person living with dementia could be overlooked or dismissed as part of the ageing process. Moreover, the negative beliefs and stereotypes as a form of prejudice will be explained. The Self-Determination Theory in respect of competence, autonomy and relatedness will be clarified in the light of autonomy and independence. The concern of balancing risk and autonomy for the older person from a professional standpoint and a formal/informal caregiver standpoint will be also debated. This will be followed by discussions on the invisible human rights crisis concerning the marginalisation, loneliness and social isolation of the older persons. The importance of the social connections, the quantity, and benefits of human relationships and how these impact on the quality of life of the older person will be discussed. Whether old age and associated implications are an ethical problem or otherwise will also be discussed. The public health problem of elder abuse will also be brought to the fore together with the risk factors at individual, relationship, community and socio-cultural levels that potentially increase the risk of elder abuse. Physical restraint use and least physical restraint use will be explained. The students will be also asked to also reflect on the final stages of the older person's life and how they look at this final lap of their life's journey. Finally, ageing and detention and the additional needs arising from detention which could have particularly severe consequences on the older person detainee will be debated. Study-unit Aims: The aims of this study-unit is to provide students with the knowledge on recognising the more pertinent needs and issues faced by the older person and the older person living with dementia both within the community and residential care settings. Therefore the study-unit aims to: 1) Recognise the specific challenges faced by older persons and older persons living with dementia merely because of their chronological ages, most often attributed to the difficulties in functional and cognitive status; 2) Address the importance of health care professionals to become aware of the importance of addressing the needs and concerns of the older person, putting the older person at the forefront of each and every decision to ultimately practice a person-centred approach; 3) Provide for an adequate discussion on how the older person navigates through the challenges brought about by, (a) elder abuse and physical restraint use, (b) balancing care, autonomy and independence, (c) isolation and loneliness, (d) ethical issues, (e) conversations about death and dying, and (f) prison life. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1) Recognise the challenges faced by the older person and the older person living with dementia both within the community and residential care settings; 2) Identify the conflicts surrounding the balancing of care, autonomy and the independence of the older person; 3) Discuss the misconceptions surronding the process of ageing and how these result in isolation, loneliness, discrimination and social exclusion; 4) List the components of elder abuse and how such practice impinges on the older person's quality of life; 5) Identify the Self-Determination Theory and how it impact the lives, environment and relationships of the older person; 6) Look at the ethical implications of a custodial sentence in later life; 7) Reflect on how death in an older person is a timely event, a completion of the life cycle with advancing age; 8) Recognise that quality of life for an older person is best met within the confines of her/his own community dwelling, knowing what the older person finds important in life, that which is necessary to align her/his goals of care services and expectations. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1) Value the older person's keys to successful ageing though life satisfaction, social participation and functioning as the keys to successful ageing within the community; 2) Reflect on the challenges faced by the older person and the older person living with dementia to the community and residential care living; 3) Demonstrate the major aspects and components of elder abuse, loneliness, isolation, marginalisation and social exclusion; 4) Indicate how the misconceptions surrounding the process of ageing impact on the older person's quality of life; 5) Establish how professionals, formal and informal carers, gage the older person's needs and concerns to incorporate a holistic framework of autonomous decision making and independent living for as long as possible; 6) Evaluate and examine how retaining the older person as central to decision making processes would boost personal coping capacities and resilience through long term impact transitions involving disability, death of a loved one and any life course experiences. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Text: - Downs M., & Bowers B. J. (Eds) (2014). Excellence in dementia care: research into practice. New York: McGraw-Hill Publications. Supplementary readings: - Fillit, H., Rockwood, K., Woodhouse, K.W., & Brocklehurst, J.C. (2010). Brocklehurst's textbook of geriatric medicine and gerontology (7th edition). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier. - Formosa, M., & Scerri, C. (eds.) (2015). Population ageing in Malta: Multidisciplinary perspectives. Malta: Malta University Press. - Ham, R.J., Sloane, P.D & Warshaw, G.A. (2007). Ham's primary care geriatrics: A case-based approach. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier. - Mattu, A., Grossma, S.A. & Rosen, P.L (2016). Geriatric emergencies: A discussion-based review. Hoboken, NJ.: John Wiley & Sons. - Pathy, J.M.S., Sinclair, A.J., Morley, J.E. (2006). Principles and practice of geriatric medicine (4th edition). Hoboken, NJ.: John Wiley & Sons. - Nicholl, C.W. & Wilson, C.J. (2012). Elderly care medicine (8th edition). Hoboken, NJ.: John Wiley & Sons. - Scerri, C. (2012), Challenges of developing a dementia strategy: The case of Malta. In A. Innes, F. Kelly & L. McCabe (eds.), Key issues in Evolving Dementia Care (pp. 150-172). London: Jessica Kingsley. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Independent Study | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Hilary Caruana Maria Aurora Fenech (Co-ord.) Alex Vella |
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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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