| CODE | LAS1102 | ||||||||||||||||
| TITLE | Dementia Care Practice | ||||||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | I - Introductory Level | ||||||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences | ||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Dementia has become a health and social care priority for many countries. Studies have showed that due to demographic changes of the Maltese population and global ageing population, the number of persons with dementia will be increasing in the coming years. In fact, healthcare professionals and supporting staff at St Vincent de Paul (SVP) are working with more persons who are diagnosed with dementia or cognitive impairment. Dementia care is challenging especially for the person’s relatives and healthcare providers who struggle to provide appropriate care every day. It requires patience, dedication, and highly skilled activities. One way to reduce information gap among staff is to provide continuous training and further practice development in dementia care. The overall aim of this unit is to enable candidates further their studies on dementia care and improve the well-being among persons with dementia. In the first part of this study-unit, candidates will have an overview on the epidemiology, policy development and services offered among persons with dementia in the Maltese Islands. This will help students become aware on the current strategic framework followed locally in dementia care. The theoretical part of this unit will help candidates focus on the psycho-social aspect of care such as how to implement a person-centred care approach, therapeutic activities and most importantly how to manage challenging behaviours among persons with dementia. This will be followed by a description on the attitudes and behaviours needed when caring for persons with dementia. Clinical skills in dementia such as Communication, feeding and incontinence will also be discussed. Legal issues in dementia will be overlooked to safeguard the autonomy and become aware of any directives in dementia care. Last but not least, an understanding of palliative care and the importance of spirituality are further explained, to understand end of life care among persons with dementia. Moreover, the student will benefit from multiple clinical placements in the community and within specialised dementia units at SVP to better implement theory into practice and make students aware of the services offered in dementia care in the Maltese Islands. This study-unit will surely help healthcare professionals and supporting staff to improve the delivery of care among older persons and ultimately improve the quality of life among persons with dementia. The following course modules are covered in this study-unit: - Introduction to Dementia Care - Dementia in Different Care Settings - Psychological and Behavioural Aspects of Dementia - Ethical, Legal, and Human Right Considerations - Therapeutic and Palliative Approaches in Dementia Care - Dementia Care – Innovations and Best Practices Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Provide insight on the current epidemiology of dementia in Malta; - Examine the various communication strategies in dementia; - Manage Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of dementia; - Identify the psychological and emotional impact of dementia; - Demonstrate non-pharmacological interventions among persons with dementia; - Recognize palliative approach measures in end-stage dementia care; - Identify the rights among persons with dementia and their caregivers; - Describe ways of assessing persons with dementia. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Manage the basic needs among persons with dementia; - Demonstrate awareness on person-centered care; - Communicate effectively and efficiently with persons with dementia; - Implement activities among persons with dementia; - Assess the level and stages in dementia; - Apply palliative care in end stage dementia; - Apply ethical and legal frameworks among persons with dementia and their caregivers; <>Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Text: - Formosa, M. (2015). Ageing policy in Malta: Issues, policies and future trends. Malta: Book Distributors Limited. (286 pages) - Formosa, M. and Scerri, C. (eds.) (2015). Population ageing in Malta: Multidisciplinary perspectives. Malta: Malta University Press. (380 pages) - Kitwood, T. (1997). Dementia Reconsidered: The Person Comes First. Buckingham: Open University Press. Supplementary Readings: - Bergland, A., Hofoss, D., Kirkevold, M.,Vassabo, T & Edvardsson, D.(2015). Person-centred Ward Climate as Experienced by Mentally Lucid Residents in LTC Facility. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 24(3-4), 406-414. - Cohen Mansfield, J., Darkheel-Ali, M., Marx, M., Thein, K., & Regier, N. (2015). Which unmet needs contribute to behavior problems in persons with advanced dementia? Psychiatry Research, 228(1), 59-64. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2015.03.043 - Roberts, G., Morley, C., Walters, W., Malta, S., & Doyle, C. (2015). Caring for people with dementia in residential aged care: Success with a composite person centered care model featuring Montessori-based activities, 36(2), 106-110. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gerinurse.2014.11.003 - Scerri, A., & Scerri, C. (2012). Dementia in Malta: New prevelance estimates and projected trends. Malta Medical Journal, 24 (3), 21-24. - Scerri, C. (2015). Empowering change: A national strategy for a dementia strategy in the Maltese Islands. Malta Dementia Strategy Working Group. - Vernooij-Dassen, M., & Moniz-Cook, E. (2016). Person-centered dementia care: moving beyond care giving. Ageing and Mental Health, 1-2. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Please note that a pass in the MCQ Examination and in the Practical component is obligatory for an overall pass mark to be awarded. Pre-Requisite knowledge, skills and competences: - Nursing personnel and supporting staff - Candidates who successfully completed the ‘Care of the Elderly: Theory and Practice (LAS1101) or any other Level 3 health related course - ‘O’ Level Standard - Other applicants may be considered subject to an interview. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Placement and Group Learning | ||||||||||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Victoria Camilleri Stephen Abela Joseph Dimech Alexiei Dingli Rosette Farrugia Bonello Roberta Farrugia Alex Gobey Hammett Fiona Josette Scalpello Anthony Scerri Charles Scerri Deborah Spiteri Nicole Sultana |
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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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