Ethics in elderly care and in the profession

Structure Type: Course
Code: KFG11B0221
Level: Bachelor
Credits: 2.0 points
Responsible Teacher: Hietaniemi, Elina
Teacher Team: Palomäki, Sirkka-Liisa
Language of Instruction: Finnish

Learning Outcomes

Students will learn to evaluate the implementation of ethical norms in elderly care and reflect on the responsibility they bear for the promotion of old people's rights and good life. Students will learn to abide by ethical principles set for elderly care and to promote self-determination, justice and individuality to secure their clients' dignity in old age. They will know how to analyse ethical problems and seek solutions, using ethical theories, models and norms. Students will also learn to reflect on and develop their ethical action and professional practice of the work community.

Student's Workload

Will be announced at the beginning of the course.

Prerequisites / Recommended Optional Courses

Practical training periods in elderly care practice.

Contents

Conceptions of old people and values; important ethical concepts for elderly care, theories and modles; norms and instructions in professional ethics; morality in work community; personal ethical development

Recommended or Required Reading

Gerontologia -lehden ikäetiikan teemanumero 3/2007.
Juujärvi, Soile, Myyry, Liisa ja Pesso, Kaija 2007. Eettinen herkkyys ammatillisessa toiminnassa. Helsinki: Tammi.
Sarvimäki, Anneli ja Stenbock-Hult, Bettina 2009. Hoitotyön etiikka. Edita.
Seppälä, Marjaana, Kröger, Teppo ja Karisto, Antti 2007. Vanhuus ja sosiaalityö: sosiaalityö avuttomuuden ja toimijuuden välissä. PS-kustannus.
Other current material.

Mode of Delivery / Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lectures and discussions, case studies

Assessment Criteria

Level 1 (grade 1-2)
Students are aware of and can describe the implementation of ethical norms in elderly care. They follow ethical principles in their work with the elderly. They identify ethical problems and various solutions. Students are able to compare professional practices in work communities.

Level 2 (grade 3-4)
Students are able to reflect on the implementation of ethical norms in elderly care and reflect on their responsibility in the promotion of old people's rights. Students abide by the ethical principles of elderly care and promote old people's self-determination and individuality. Students are able to analyse ethical problems and seek solutions for them. They are able to reflect on their ethical action and on the professional practice of the work community.

Level 3 (grade 5)
Students are able to evaluate and analyse the implementation of ethical norms in elderly care and to reflect on their responsibility in the promotion of old people's rights and good life. Students have integrated the ethical principles of elderly care into their own work and they know how to promote old people's self-determination, justice and individuality. Students are able to analyse ethical problems and justify their solutions with theory, models and norms of professional ethics. Students are able to reflect on and develop their ethical action and the professional practice in the work community.

Assessment Methods

Active participation in discussions and reflection on cases. Students demonstrate their competence by writing an ethical essay, to be assessed numerically.

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