This book is the British Medical Association’s statement on the ethics related to care of the elderly, written and reviewed by a panel of renowned medical ethicists. As such it is an authoritative and considered reference, written in an accessible, non jargon so as to be useful for anyone charged with looking after the elderly. The book includes useful case examples so that it can be used by a range of health professionals and carers who need to know the law and ethics of looking after older people. The authors focus on practical issues such as helping older people stick to their treatment regimes, the sort of information they should be given to give valid consent, and their rights to confidentiality, as well as discussion about where they want to end their lives when it comes to that point.

This book explores the implications and significant ethical, social, economic and health challenges that an ageing world population presents. It provides valuable insights on concerns related to providing, organizing, planning and managing care for older persons in both formal and informal settings. As the number of older persons increases rapidly around the globe, caring for them is a very important aspect of all ageing and aged societies. While in most countries the care of older persons is provided informally by family members, the changing social scene, family structures and work and employment patterns are leading many nations to create provisions for formal care through institutions or paid services of caregivers. This book offers perspectives on formal and informal care from countries such as Japan, the Netherlands, the USA, India, South Africa and Poland, among others. The essays in this book underline a rights-based approach and focus on ethical, social, economic, health and legal aspects of care as they pertain to the universal phenomena of ageing as well as the specific demographic and epidemiological realities of the selected countries. They discuss concerns such as long-term care provisions, catering to the needs of people affected by dementia, providing residential care, taking the needs of family care providers into account, the growing requirement for paid care workers and channelizing training of both skilled and semi-skilled care providers to suit the needs of older people. This volume would be of interest to scholars and those working in the fields of sociology, health studies, age and ageing, psychology, social work, medical sciences, nursing and public policy. It will also be useful to NGO sector workers, administrators, as well as grassroots workers involved with the care of older persons.

The authors of this book share their practical experience of implementing a multi-agency approach to the support of older people. They show how systems thinking can help with the complexity of developing a model of care that co-ordinates medical, social and community services and offer insight into the effective use of on-going assessment.

The notion of quality of life has for several decades beenwell-established in ethical debate about health care and the careof older people. Dignity in Care for Older Peoplehighlights the notion of dignity within the care of the elderly,focusing on the importance of theoretical concepts. Primarily based on a Research Project, Dignity and Older Europeans,funded by the European Commission, this book provides a thoroughinvestigation of the concept of dignity and related concepts suchas quality of life and autonomy. It includes a chapter devoted tothe dignity of human embodiment, emphasizing the importance of thenotion of the lived body in the context of elderly care. As aresult of the conceptual study a model of dignity emerges in whichfour variants of dignity stand out: dignity of merit, dignity asmoral status, dignity of identity and Menschenwürde (thespecifically human value). From this follows a discussion of howthese variants of dignity can be used in characterizing the care ofthe elderly. The notions of dignity and dignified care arediscussed particularly in relation to demented persons and dyingpersons. The book also contains a chapter on the dignity of thedead person. International in focus, Dignity in Care for Older Peopleprovides a contemporary discussion of the care of older people, andwill be of use to qualified nurses and social care practitionersworking with older people, as well as those on ethics andgerontology courses.

CARING FOR THE OLDER ADULT: A HEALTH PROMOTION PERSPECTIVE is a concise, straightforward LPN/LVN textbook covering the essentials of gerontologic nursing from a strong health promotion perspective. The nature of normal aging, as well as disorders common to the elderly, are discussed. This resource also addresses concepts and issues related to promoting both physical and psychological health in an aging population. The engaging, easy-to-read, informal writing style draws the reader into the subject while conveying important information.

Nursing care of older people provides a new, contemporary, evidence based and practical guide to meeting the holistic health needs of older patients. With a clear and engaging style, the authors outline a rigorous and robust account of underlying principles and evidence with tools and tips for best nursing practice. This comprehensive textbook examines the changes brought about by the ageing process to both physical and mental health as well as learning disabilities. Providing essential insights necessary to deliver high quality nursing in primary and hospital care, this text covers a wide range of issues and clinical topics. Learning is aided by case studies, nursing insights, activities, and reflection enabling readers to apply theory to practice. This text is particularly useful for pre and post registration student nurses, qualified nursing staff, and other healthcare professionals working alongside nurses to deliver care to older people. The online resource centre to accompany Nursing care of older people features: For students and lecturers · Additional interactive case studies. · National policy links. · Website links to national older people organizations, charities and support groups and links to journals on older patients in health care. · Audio podcasts on the nursing care of older people.

Offering not only insights into the current state of policy work around the world; it also offers examples of good practice and recommendations for the future. Recommendations that can inspire, support, and direct healthcare policy and decision-making at organisational, regional, national and international levels.

This comprehensive and thought-provoking textbook offers both an essential introduction to key aspects of nursing ethics, including the role of professional codes of conduct and challenges to be encountered in the 21st century, and an in-depth exploration of ethical issues in relation to specific patient groups, such as the unborn, those with mental health difficulties, and the dying. In addition, the book provides a stimulating discussion of ethics relating to public health issues, such as smoking and obesity, as well as the fundamental matter of ethics in nursing research. With ethics at the core of nursing practice, this fully updated textbook is a must-read for students on nursing undergraduate programmes and qualified practitioners wanting to ensure their skills are update and they're delivering the best care possible. New to this Edition: - Fully updated new edition - Illustrated by a wealth of case studies relating to real-life conflicts to aid understanding and application of knowledge and encourage students to think about practical rather than abstract issues

This contributed volume is based on the "European Core Competences Framework for health and social care professionals working with older people" (ECCF), developed and verified in a unique international cooperation between 26 universities and universities of applied sciences in 25 European countries, part of the European Later Life Active Network (ELLAN). In addition to the framework, the book outlines the necessary qualifications and describes the roles of professionals working with older people in health and social services. It explores healthy ageing for older people from different perspectives and describes the seven roles of health and social care professionals (Expert, Communicator, Collaborator, Organizer, Health and Welfare Advocate, Scholar, and Professional), before going on to define 18 related competences and elaborating them in performance indicators. Beyond the ECCF, the book explains the widely used CanMED role model and puts forward theories to support a client centered and integrated approach on health and social care in order to change attitudes toward older clients and offer better care and support. It also provides health and social care professionals, for example nurses, allied health professionals and social workers with new contextual information and cultural awareness. It gives a voice to students by addressing selected perspectives for professional development. The book includes questions for reflective learning helping to make the book a vital practical instrument for use in the educational context throughout Europe. Europe’s ageing populations represent a major challenge for both public health and social care systems. 18% of the population is 65 years old and over, and this proportion will increase in the coming years. As a result, more and more health and social care professionals will work with older people in different settings – at home, in the community, in hospitals or in long-term care settings. Older people, and especially the frail, face a host of interrelated issues, e.g. cognitive restrictions, functional restrictions, psychosocial problems, multimorbidity, polypharmacy and social isolation. These problems call for an integrated approach to health and social care, which this book supplies. It is intended for health and social care professionals, students and educators, for a better understanding of Europe’s ageing society and of the impact on care and services. Furthermore, the ECCF offers educational institutes a unique resource for curriculum development, education, training and assessment.