ISMT researchers publish international articles on ageing and the rights of older adults

2026-09-07

Two teams of lecturers and researchers from the Instituto Superior Miguel Torga have published new scientific studies, indexed in Scopus, focusing on the defence of the autonomy and dignity of the older population.

Two teams of lecturers and researchers from the Instituto Superior Miguel Torga (ISMT) have recently published two articles in peer-reviewed international journals, both indexed in the Scopus database (Q1). The papers share a common focus: the defence of the dignity, autonomy, and rights of older adults, addressing topics ranging from communication practices in long-term care to the protection of decision-making capacity.

The first article, entitled "Communication programs to reduce elderspeak with older adults in long-term care settings: a systematic review", was published in the journal Current Psychology and is authored by F. Daniel, L. Lemos, I. Massano-Cardoso, A. Grasina, F. Nogueira, D. Dias-Azedo, F. Ney-Matos, and H. Espírito-Santo. The study, conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines, analyses programmes designed to reduce elderspeak — a paternalistic form of communication — in residential care settings. The analysis of eight studies revealed that interventions based on staff training and person-centred approaches result in reductions in elderspeak indicators and a decrease in resistance to care, highlighting the need to continue developing independent, methodologically robust studies in this area.

The second article, published in the Journal of Human Rights and Social Work, is entitled "The Legal Regime for the Accompanied Adult in Portugal: Human Rights and Social Work Competencies", and was developed by lecturers and researchers F. Daniel, I. Santos, É. Costa, and M. J. Barata. The research addresses the legal transition from guardianship models to the Legal Regime for the Accompanied Adult (Law no. 49/2018), which focuses on the person's autonomy. Based on a survey of 201 social workers operating in mainland Portugal, it was found that the majority actively deal with this regime and recognise their competence to inform users, noting, however, the need to deepen the specific training of professionals on this subject.

The data from this second study also highlight that ISMT is the training institution with the highest representation among the surveyed professionals (20.8%). This indicator documents the institution's historical connection to training in the field of Social Work in Portugal, whose roots date back to the creation of the Escola Normal Social de Coimbra in 1937.