| CODE | NUR4147 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Ethical Issues in the Care of Older Adults | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 04 - Years 4, 5 in Modular UG or PG Cert Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 10 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Nursing | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will focus on the most relevant ethical themes in elderly care in the community and within a healthcare setting. The decision-making component of healthcare professionals will also be explored to present a comprehensive approach to elderly care. The themes to be discussed will be defined through ethical theories that will lead to the identification of principles which will provide the basis of discussions. The themes to be discussed from an ethical perspective will include: - End-of-life: Quality-of-life and Quantity-of-life; - Institutionalization-who is the person?; - Advanced directives: Who decides what?; - Elderly abuse; and - Dementia care: The challenges presented. Study-Unit Aims: The aim of this study-unit is to facilitate and engage students to reflect and debate ethical concerns in elderly care. Ethical dilemmas in health and social care will be explored to attribute to the moral decision making process. Furthermore, the consideration of ethical theories and principles will lead students to be geared towards decision making in an informed and evidence based manner when experiencing ethical dilemmas related with elderly care. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Explain how personal, professional and organizational values impact ethical decision making; - Consider a range of themes that may "answer" common ethical dilemmas related to elderly care; - Discuss the implications of ethics in elderly care; - Recognise the patients' role and perspective in the ethical decision making process; - Discuss an action from an ethical perspective; and - Evaluate the usefulness of ethical theories and ethical decision making models in health care. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Engage in critical debates on ethical dilemmas related with elderly care; - Address ethical challenges in a professional manner; - Reflect on moral dilemmas in elderly care; - Access, retrieve and utilise evidence that is relevant to the topic of study; - Demonstrate an ability to think and write critically; and - Demonstrate effective communication skills. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - KATH MELIA, Health Care Ethics, Great Britain 2004 - TOM L. BEAUCHAMP- JAMES F. CHILDRESS, Principles of Biomedical Ethics: 5th edn, Oxford 2001. - PIERRE MALLIA, Essays in Bioethics, Malta 2010. Supplementary Readings: - CAUCHI, M. N., AQUILINA, K., & ELLUL, B., Health, Bioethics and the Law, Malta: Malta University Press 2006. - KENNETH M. BOYD- IAN E. THOMPSON- KATH M. MELIA, Nursing Ethics 5th edn, Great Britain 2006. - ROBERT ZUSSMAN, Intensive Care: Medical Ethics and the Medical Profession, USA 1992. - MARK BLOCHER, The Right to Die: Caring alternatives to Euthanasia, USA 1999. Reference: - WILLIAMS, B., An introduction to Ethics, Great Britain: Cambridge University Press, 2000. - ARRIES, E., Virtue ethics: An approach to Moral Dilemmas in Nursing. Curationis 2005; Vol 28. 3:64-72. - CARDSON, D., & MONTGOMERY, J., Nursing and the law, London: Macmillan 1989. - CARSWELL, R., Consent to medical treatment- does doctor know best? The Ulster Medical Journal 2004; Vol 73. 1:37-44. - HALL, J. K., Nursing ethics and law, Philadelphia: Saunders 1996. - McHALE, J. V., & GALLAGHER, A., Nursing and human rights, Edinburgh: Butterworth Heinemann 2003. Internet Links: - ROSALIND HURSTHOUSE, Virtue Ethics (2003) (on-line): http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-virtue/ - MARK H. WAYMACK, Kant and Respect for Autonomy, (n.d.) (on-line): http://www.meddean.luc.edu/depts/bioethics/Files/pdf/MW_BEHP406.pdf - THE UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC and CULTURAL ORGANISATION, Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (2005) (on-line): http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=31058&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html - COUNCIL OF EUROPE, Convention of Human Rights and Biomedicine (1997) (on-line): http://fds.oup.com/www.oup.co.uk/pdf/bt/cassese/cases/part3/ch16/1121.pdf - UNITED NATIONS, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) (on-line): http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml - MAMDOUH GABR, Health Ethics, Equity and Human Dignity (2006) (on-line): http://www.humiliationstudies.org/documents/GabrHealthEthics.pdf - DAN W. BROCK, Quality of Life Measures in Health Care and Medical Ethics (1989) (on-line): http://www.wider.unu.edu/publications/working-papers/previous/en_GB/wp-66/_files/82530826676931941/default/WP66.pdf - PAUL JEWELL, Rationality, euthanasia, and the sanctity of life (2005) (on-line): http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/gig/aapae05/documents/jewell.pdf - ODELL, S. J., 鈥淎xiological Ethical Theories鈥� 2007: Retrieved January 10, 2009 from http://zmeygoryanin.googlepages.com/IPTAS07May407.pdf |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Online Learning | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Noel Borg |
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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 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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