AQA Religious Studies GCSE

Problem faced by the Elderly:

1) Poverty: Have to rely on Pensions and benefits (very small amount)

2) Work and Retirement: they're not wanted by employers and some have to retire ang give up their money

3) Illnesses: Eldery may suffer so needs extra help and care to do daily routines

4) Mobility: Aren't able to walk and get into the bath so face pain of needing help

5) Agesim: Feeling worthless as they no longer work due to their age. They feel like a burden to society and their families who have to look after them.

6) Lonliness: They  have less contact with society, are left alone and ignored 

Sanctity Of Life: Life is sacred and a god given gift. Therefore it's our duty to protect our girft and only god decides when it ends.

Quality Of Life:  This is the belief that a human being's life must have value so that they can live a normal life and do normal things (communicate, feed themself).

Whos should care for the elderly?

1) The government: through provision of social and care workers

2) Family members: By visiting regularly or live with them

3) Care homes: paid staff provide meals, do the washing up and look after them with the paid expenses of the person or family member

4) Sheltered accomodation: many elderly may want to be independant so will live in their own house but throught their expenses. They will have neighbours of their similar age and regular check with the security warden.

Voluntary Euthanasia: (self-determination) the person has requested that they are helped to die.

Involuntary Euthanasia: The person does not request to help them die.

Passive Euthanasia: (Legal) Nothing is done to slow down the killing effects of a disease by a person refusing to take a treatment.

Active Euthanasia: (Illegal but not in Switzerland) A person is deliberately helped to die. The death is quicker than the naural cause of death.

Suicide: The deliberate and direct act of taking one's own life.

Hospice: A hospital for people who are dying from a terminal disease

Aims of a hospice:

1) To stop people from feeling worthless, isolated and a burden to the family

2) Hospices make their patients comfortable by giving them pain relief, medications, massage and meditation

3) They offer counselling to achive mental and emotional peace

4) Family members are also given couselling to cope with the fact that they are going to lose someone.

This is known as an alternative to Euthanasia.

Respite Care: Provision of short-term, temprorary relief from caring family members who otherwise require permanent placement in a facility outside their house.

Paliative care: Sufficient pain relief to maintain relative comfort and consiousness. This improves Quality of life.

Life Support Machines help by:

Feeding someone through their stomach, helping someone to breathe, keepig someone alive and by giving medication.

Is it right to keep someone alive artificially?

The person won't be able to do anything (low quality of life), They may get more ill, they may not have family to take care of them, the person may be in a lot of pain and it may be going against god by staying artificially alive.

But it might give hope to the family, the person may survive, family members don't want to give up and they let their emotions cloud up their head.

Alternative to life support machines:

Pacemaker, Medication, Insulin, Dialysis, organ transplants and chemotherapy/drugs 

Death can be looked upon positively:

Death stops the suffering from an illness

People believe that they have gone to a better place (heaven)

It's believed that their soul starts a new life within another creature

The physical body may have gone but the soul still roams around you

Both Muslims and Christians belive:

That Life is a test and that God will decide based on your actions

That real eternal life is after the judgement

That there's heaven and hell

Religious people should take care of the sick as that is judged too

That suffering is part of life and shouldn't give up faith in God

Social Drug: These are drugs used by people as they socialise, usually legal (alcohol in the pub).

Recreational Drug: These are drugs consumed as part of a recreational activity (clubbing - dancing), usually illegal drugs (alcohol at pubs).

Soft Drug: Drugs that are classed as less harmfulto the human body in terms of effects and addiction, it's always reffered as illegal drugs (e.g cannabis).

Hard Drug: These drugs have damaging effects to the body, leading to bad health. They're mentally and physically addictive and overdose could lead to death. This is referred to illegal drugs (e.g heroin).

Class A: drugs that produce a very strong mental high.They're very addictive and can lead to serious health risks including death from overdosing (cocaine/heroin).

Class B: These drugs are considered not to be addictive and less harmful to the mind and body than class A. They still produce mental highs and can cause users to behave eratically (cannabis).

Class C: These drugs are considered to not be addictive and are less harmful to the body and mind than class A and B drugs (e.g anabolic steroids).

Depressants: these drugs shut down parts of the brain (alcohol/paracetamol/heroin).

Stimulants: These drugs open up and excite parts of the brain (cocaine/caffeine/ecstacy/speed).

Hallucinogenics: These drugs make people see or hear things that are not real (hallucination e.g: magic mushrooms/LSD)

Why do people use drugs:
Rebellion: Teenagers, Curiosity: to see what the effects are and what it feels like, Peer Pressure: To feel part of a group, Family influences: Parents or family members using drugs, Confidence: to gain confidence in social situations, Idols: musicians/popstars/celebrities take drugs so they follow their idols, Boredom: Unemployed/those dissaffected and disillusioned with school or work or life, Religion: Rastafarians smoke cannabis to feel spiritual high and be in touch with God and Physical pain: medical needs for illnesses.