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• University of the Third Age at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, the University of South Bohemia

  45-46

  Valérie Tóthová

  Jana Šemberová

  Views:

  83

  The goal of the paper is to present almost 30 years of activities of the University of the Third Age at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, the history of which started in 1992.
  The first discipline called Care of Humans and their Health was opened by the University of South Bohemia in the academic year 1992/93. The elderly were offered an educational six-term health and social program, while three hours of direct lessons and two counseling sessions a week (“senior Thursday) were subsidized. The students had to sit for unmarked and marked examinations, and to process and defend a thesis at the end of their study. In July 1995, 28 graduates were awarded a certificate on an extramural education in a festive ceremony. The implementation of the discipline of Care of Humans and their Health confirmed that even a non—professional leisure-time education could be provided at an “academic” level. A comprehensive view of education enabled to identify areas that should be taken into consideration during the education of elderly adults. They include areas relating to computer and functional literacy, cultivation of leisure time, culture of the interpersonal mutuality, and the human being (looking for the sense of life and higher goals).
  In the course of the thirty-year history of the University of the Third Age many activities have developed and the conception has extended. The new educational subject called Man in Health, Disease and Distress was transformed into a two-stage program offering the choice of the length and type of the educational program. The option A represented the choice of an integral and topically closed discipline while the options B and C represented the choice of the educational demandingness and inclusion in the European educational program called SoLiLL: Self-Organized Learning in Later Life. Furthermore, a conception of an extending program called Quality of life in the Old Age and other programs were offered to the elderly living in our region. As a part of the project activities, the elderly were involved in the projects of Phare a Interreg IIIA. The conception of the University of the Third Age at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of the University of South Bohemia enables the applicants to complete an integral educational program, lecture blocks/cycles with various topics, and, at the same time, a unique research program called “Golden Path” focused on the Czech-Austrian border area can be completed. The uniqueness of the educational research program is evidenced by two translated monographs called “Wallern und Wallerer (Volary a Volarští - Volary citizens and Volary)“ and „Der Goldene Steig“ (Zlatá stezka – Golden Path) by the indisputably most important expert and researcher of the Golden Path, a historian living in Bavarian Waldkirchen.

• Palliative and Hospice Social Work Roles in the U.S.

  18

  Ellen L. Csikai

  Views:

  86

  Palliative care services worldwide continue to grow, primarily in response to a human rights approach and to respond to the aging of the population, increasing prevalence of chronic illnesses and cancer mortality. While there is recognition in the WHO definition of palliative care that not only physical, but also psychological, social and spiritual aspects of care must be part of services provided, how these are addressed varies greatly by country and region of the world.
  In the U.S., social work services are mandated to be provided by hospice organizations seeking funding from Medicare (governmental insurance for people over age 65) and supports the tenets of the palliative care philosophy to provide person-centered holistic care. The role of palliative and hospice social workers is highly aligned with the values of the profession centered on the dignity and worth of all humans and the commitment to improving quality of life throughout life and especially at the end of life. Older adults make up the overwhelming majority of hospice recipients in the U.S. and attention to their daily needs and those of the family caregivers is essential to maximize quality of life.
  This presentation will focus on the roles of social workers in the U.S., particularly with older adults, in various palliative care settings and how this may compare to roles across the globe.

• Ageless quarantine yoga - Escape to Yogaland in the time of pandemic

  12-14

  Zsuzsanna Varga

  Views:

  129

  Nowadays it is expansively recognised that practicing yoga can improve the quality of life by providing appropriate physical training exercises which can be performed by every age group. Yoga practitioners of the older generations beside maintaining their physical activity can heal  their sense of balance which decreases the hazard of off-balance and fall.

  During the years of my yoga teaching I met the representatives of every age group at my classes. I led kids yoga courses for preschool children, dynamic flow sequences for trained yoga practitioners, but I did have students over 70 years old who insisted to join an intermediate level hatha yoga class even if they had gone through serious illnesses and operations in the past and they were not able to hold each postures.

  I have experienced that the elderly people are very grateful for the healing that yoga gives them and for the careful attention whereby the yoga instructor tailors the yoga asanas and sequences according to the physical condtitions, state of health and capabilities of each individual.

  At the yoga instructor courses the contraindications of asanas and defining the anatomic and physiological backround of injuries and the physical limitations of each practitioner are emphasized intensively. This comprehensive teacher training and the continuous monitoring guarantee the safety. The instructor faces the mutations and the loss of physical and psychical balance in the the reality, at the yoga classes. Practice makes the master! It is more than true is yoga. Gaining practical experience the instructor can handle the special situations and needs with growing confidence applying yoga props (strap, yoga blocks, chair etc.), modifying the asanas, and using the power of words to motivate the students.

  Supported by my friends I created The Force Yoga Group Facebook site in April , where I have been leading yoga classes since then. It is a great place to meet my yoga practitioning friends, my family members, my elderly parents and in defieance of quarantine and lockdown to practice yoga together, at the same time. Our magical yoga carpet is a tranquil island to where we can escape from the raging pandemic, where we can start our inner journey in the time of the outer movelessness.

  The online practice team has already more than 100 members. It is an intercultural and intergenerational group. I knew I had no information of the health conditions, the perfection of yoga practice of each group member, and with many of them I had not practiced together in person (offline), so I had to call their attention to the rules of safe yoga practice constantly and acutely. At the beginning and at the end of the online sessions I dedicate some sentences to it, during practice I try to instruct precisely to protect them from the injuries. The verbal correction playes here a very important role.

  My online students can be informed about the topic from the scientific articles I share on our page from time to time.

  I am aware of the fact that an avarege home is not a well-equipped yoga studio, so  I show online how to use the furniture, fixtures and everyday objects as yoga props.

  A shorter, 30-45 minute Chair Yoga Class is the part of our weekly program as well, especially for those members who struggle with balance poses or get weak easily.

  In private messages the students send me their observations, remarks, questions  and requests. Some of them experience pain or tension in certain asanas, so we try to find out together the reason of it and to correct and to set the posture. A 75 year-old student of mine asked me to build a yoga sequence of simple breathing exercises and stretching asanas which can be performed by anyone.

  Many feedbacks speak about how big inspiration is to watch my everyday practice and my enthusiasm is pushing the spectators to their yoga mat. There are older practitioners who perform the breathing and warm up exercises sitting on a chair, and it means already 15-20 minutes of  physical training.

  During lockdown there are 4-5 online yoga sessions weekly, the videos are available anytime. The regular practice becomes a sure point in the life of the members, there is something to look forward to, even if there is no stimulus to receive from the outer world. In this online yoga space you can get new friends, through the comments you can share your ideas and suddenly you belong to a yoga community.

  The stress relieving classes I close with  Yoga Dream (yoga nidra) relaxation which is an at least 20 minutes of visualization, an imaginery journey interlarded by positive affirmations while body and mind are calming down.  Such a mini meditation does not require any intensive physical activity but breathing. I could mention many other positive increments that occured creating The Force Yoga Group, but quoted the great yoga master, B.K.S. Iyengar:

   “Words cannot convey the value of yoga – it has to be experienced.”

• Insights into the lived experience of Long-Term Care and End of Life Transitions in Malta

  3-4

  Christian Borg Xuereb

  Views:

  45

  In this keynote presentation, I explore the profound implications of the global demographic shift towards an ageing population. I delve into the challenges and opportunities presented by this shift, using Malta as a unique case study with 25% of its citizens aged 60 and older. The dense population poses challenges for infrastructure, healthcare access, and the overall well-being of older individuals.

• Revealing the Concept of Aging in Turkish Nursing Students: An Exploratory Metaphor Analysis

  51-52

  Emel Bahadir Yilmaz

  Arzu Yüksel

  Views:

  94

  Purpose:
  This study aimed to reveal the perceptions of nursing students about the concept of aging through metaphors.

  Methods:
  The study was carried out in a qualitative research design. The study sample consisted of 104 senior nursing students at Aksaray University in the 2021-2022 academic year. In the study, "Metaphoric Perceptions Data Collection Form", which was prepared by the researchers in line with the literature, was used as a data collection tool. In order to collect the data, each student was asked to fill in the blanks of the sentence: "Aging is like … because …" .
  The analysis of the data was carried out in five stages: (1) Coding and sorting phase, (2) Sample metaphor image compilation phase, (3) Main theme and sub-themes development phase, (4) The stage of ensuring validity and reliability, and (5) Transferring the data to the computer environment.

  Results:
  Students produced a total of 102 valid metaphors for the concept of aging. The metaphors revealed the students' perceptions of the concept of aging, and four main themes and 11 sub-themes were collected. The main themes were aging as an ending story, as a need for care, attention, and support, as a new beginning, and as a source of life. Sub-themes were acceptance, no turning back, approaching the end, deprivation, helplessness, being dependent, rooting, starting, guiding, being a building block, and being valued.

  Conclusion:
  Nursing students' metaphors about aging are generally negative, but also contain expressions of respect.