Ethics and Personhood in Dementia Care
Explore practical person-centered approaches to dementia care to promote ethical decision-making and compassionate support.
Duration
8 weeksWeekly study
2 hours100% online
How it works
Ethics and Personhood in Dementia Care
Apply ethical practices to improve dementia care
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 55 million people are living with dementia worldwide. While there is no cure for dementia, there are still ways to care for individuals with dementia and their support systems.
On this flexible, online course from McGraw Hill, you’ll explore ways to improve quality of life for dementia patients by examining ethical considerations around person-centred care.
At the end of eight weeks, you’ll leave the course with greater knowledge and skills to confidently deal with difficult ethical issues when caring for individuals with dementia.
Assess ethical theories in dementia
Ethical issues are involved in every decision involving someone with dementia. Start this course by learning what some of these issues are and the four ethical theories approaches to providing support.
You’ll apply these theories and approaches as it relates to coherence, which involves understanding and integrating various ethical perspectives to create consistent and compassionate care strategies.
Grasp the concept of personhood and patient best interests
Then explore what it means to have personhood and how this concept applies to individuals living with dementia. Understand how to use the Situated Embodied Agent (SEA) perspective to provide more compassionate and person-centred care.
Assess ethical issues when supporting dementia patients
Lastly, you’ll delve into more nuanced issues that you may encounter when supporting individuals living with dementia. Before finishing with end-of-life ethical dilemmas, you’ll discuss the implications of assistive technology, forced care, sexuality and intimacy, as it relates to dementia care.
Syllabus
Week 1
Ethical Issues in Dementia
Welcome to the Course
An outline of the topics that will be covered in Week 1 is discussed.
Introduction to Ethics
This activity outlines what ethics and morals are and how ordinary decisions can be ethical in nature.
Ethical Issues
In this activity, students will identify ethical issues in connection with dementia. They will learn about ethical issues that emerged after talking with family carers and from reading the relevant literature.
Ethical Theories
In this activity, learners will be presented with four main ethical theories: consequentialism, deontology, principlism, and virtue ethics.
Wrap Up
A brief summary of the concepts covered in Week 1 will be discussed.
Week 2
Patterns of Practice and Truth-Telling
Introduction to Week 2
An outline of the topics that will be covered in Week 2 is discussed.
An approach to ethical thinking
In this activity, learners are introduced to patterns of practice and three types of coherence.
Truth-Telling
In this activity, learners will understand the issues involved in truth-telling while dealing with people with dementia and how to answer appropriately in tricky situations.
Wrap Up
A brief summary of the concepts covered in Week 2 is discussed.
Week 3
Personhood in Dementia
Introduction to Week 3
An outline of the topics that will be covered in Week 3 is discussed.
Person-Centred Care and Personhood
In this activity, learners will understand what it means to be a person, what is person-centered care, and how people with dementia were victims of ‘malignant social psychology’.
Narrow Views of Personhood
In this activity, learners explore the threats and dangers posed by narrow views of personhood, psychological continuity, and hypercognitivism in dementia.
The SEA View
In this activity, learners will understand the broad view of personhood introduced by the situated-embodied-agent (SEA) view, and what it means to be situated, embodied, and an agent as a person with dementia.
Wrap Up
A brief summary of the concepts covered in Week 3 is discussed.
Week 4
The SEA View of Personhood and Feeding and Drinking
Introduction to Week 4
An outline of the topics that will be covered in Week 4 is discussed.
Introduction to Feeding and Drinking
In this activity, learners will understand how eating and drinking can become a problem in dementia and how to deal with them.
Personhood, Feeding and Drinking
This activity discusses optimal palliative care in older people with dementia, the tensions and ethical issues surrounding the use of artificial feeding and the SEA view of the same.
Wrap Up
A brief summary of the concepts covered in Week 4 is discussed.
Week 5
Best Interests and Dementia
Introduction to Week 5
An outline of the topics that will be covered in Week 5 is discussed.
Which Conception?
In this activity, learners recap the definitions of proxy and substituted judgments and possible problems with both.
The MCA and Best Interests
This activity discusses the checklist in the Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice.
Personhood and Best Interests
This activity analyzes the checklist in the MCA with respect to the SEA view of personhood.
Wrap Up
A brief summary of the concepts covered in Week 5 is discussed.
Week 6
Issues Around Assistive Technology and “Forced Care”
Introduction to Week 6
An outline of the topics that will be covered in Week 6 is discussed.
Assistive Technology
In this activity, learners understand the definition of assistive technology and how patterns of practice can help navigate ethical issues that arise in connection with assistive technology.
Forced Care
In this activity, learners understand the concept of forced care and how the SEA view of personhood and patterns of practice can help think about the ethical issues that arise in connection with forced care.
Wrap Up
A brief summary of the concepts covered in Week 6 is discussed.
Week 7
Sexuality and Intimacy
Introduction to Week 7
An outline of the topics that will be covered in Week 7 and a recap of the last two weeks is discussed.
Sexuality and Intimacy
In this activity, learners understand the dilemmas in connection with sexual activity in older people with dementia, and how the SEA view of personhood and patterns of practice help us to think about these issues.
Course Review
In this activity, learners will attempt a quiz to recap the concepts learned so far. They will then be given a summary of sexuality and intimacy in people with dementia.
Wrap Up
A brief summary of the concepts covered in Week 7 is discussed.
Week 8
End-of-Life Issues and Dementia
Introduction to Week 8
An outline of the topics that will be covered in Week 8 is discussed
End-of-Life Issues
In this activity, learners will be presented with case studies on end-of-life and assisted dying in older people with advanced dementia.
Two Doctrines
In this activity, learners will be presented with a case of resuscitation in an older individual with advanced dementia and learn about the doctrine of ordinary and extraordinary means and the doctrine of double effect.
Wrap Up
A brief summary of the concepts covered in Week 8 is discussed.
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Available now
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Identify the extent of ethical issues that arise in the context of dementia, both for the person living with dementia and for those (formally or informally) who provide care.
- Explain (using driving as an issue) the four main theories of ethics: consequentialism, duty-based ethics (deontology), principlism and virtue ethics.
- Discuss an approach to ethics that relies on coherence (“patterns of practice”).
- Reflect on how person-centred care is based on a broad notion of what it is to be a person (that is, what it is to have personhood).
- Explore a broad view of personhood: the situated-embodied-agent (SEA) view.
- Explore what might be in the best interests of a person living with dementia in connection with the use of assistive technology using the notions of patterns of practice and personhood.
- Explain issues that arise in connection with sexuality and intimacy for people living with dementia using the notions of patterns of practice and personhood.
- Assess issues that arise in connection with the end of life using the notions of patterns of practice and personhood.
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for health professionals looking to upskill in ethical dementia care. It’s particularly suited for health and care professionals, students in health-related studies, and those living with dimension or people with dementia. No prior knowledge is needed to join.
Who will you learn with?
Who developed the course?
McGraw Hill
With over 130 years’ experience, we continue to evolve as a global education pioneer within the sector, transforming from a print-centric producer of content to a leader in digital resources and adaptive learning solutions.
University of Worcester
The University of Worcester is a close-knit and high-achieving community where students are supported to succeed at every level.
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| Choose the best way to learn for you! | $134/one-off payment | $244.99 for a whole year Automatically renews | Free |
| Fulfill your current learning need | Develop skills to further your career | Sample the course materials | |
| Access to this course | tick | tick | Access expires 7 Dec 2024 |
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| Learn at your own pace | tick | tick | cross |
| Discuss your learning in comments | tick | tick | tick |
| Certificate when you're eligible | Printed and digital | Digital only | cross |
Cancel for free anytime |
Ways to learn
Choose the best way to learn for you!
Subscribe & save
$244.99 for a whole year
Automatically renews
Develop skills to further your career
- Access to this course
- Access to 1,000+ courses
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Digital certificate when you're eligible
Cancel for free anytime
Buy this course
$134/one-off payment
Fulfill your current learning need
- Access to this course
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible
Limited access
Free
Sample the course materials
- Access expires 7 Dec 2024
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades) Sale price available until 31 October 2024 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply. | |||
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)
Sale price available until 31 October 2024 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.
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