Case Study Liberty And The Elderly Patient - 1271 Words

#3 Case Study: Liberty and the Elderly Patient In our culture, respect for individual autonomy is valued to the highest degree. We want to do what we want to do, what we think will give us fulfillment and meaning in life. In other words, we value our liberty and the last thing we want is somebody or some circumstance infringing on it. Ronald X is a self-sufficient man who values his liberty. After he broke his leg, everything changed. The free and autonomous life that he was enjoying was now going to change. His medical comorbidity of artheriosclerosis causes him to be confused at times. The doctor and his children did not want him to be discharged home until they found an appropriate nursing home. Ronald X is aware of his problems and†¦show more content†¦Ronald has episodes of confusion related to his condition of arteriosclerosis. He wanders aimlessly in the city putting his safety at risk. Does he have decisional capacity to dictate his care? Does he have the right to patient autonomy? Are we robbing him of his civil liberties? Decisional capacity refers to the patient’s ability to perform a set of cognitive tasks including understanding and processing about diagnosis, prognosis and treatment option; weighing the relative benefits, burdens, risks of therapeutic options; applying a set of values to the analysis; arriving at a decision consistent over time and communicating the decision (Post Blustein, 2015). Ronald does not meet all the requirements for someone with decisional capacity but this does not mean that he cannot make and specific decisions for himself at a certain time. He has fluctuating decisional capacity but on his best days, he still can dictate his care and the caregiver needs to respect that. Capacity is not global, nor is it constant. The determination of capacity can be problematic because of inconsistencies of time, physical condition at the time it was determined or the individual can manipulate results. Some critics also question pathological mental competence. Ronald, due to h is age and clinical condition may demonstrate fluctuating capacity but at a certain degree can still make decisions and has the insight to do so. The caregiver and healthcare professionalShow MoreRelated Dutch vs. American Euthanasia Essay1250 Words   |  5 Pagesallowed for cases where children from 12 to 16 years old could request and receive euthanasia against the wishes of their parents. The modified proposal still allows child euthanasia in this age group, but not over parents objections [New York Times, 7/14/00]. Still unclear is the fate of another controversial feature of the original bill, allowing adults to sign advance directives requesting euthanasia in the event of future mental incompetency. 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HoweverRead MoreQuestionable Popularity Of Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide1355 Words   |  6 Pagesfound 22.5% support for physician-assisted suicide for a terminally ill patient with prostate cancer in unremitting pain, compared to 45.5% support in 1994. Euthanasia in this situation was supported by 6.5%, compared to 22.7% in 1994. Surgical oncologists were more likely to support these practices; Catholics, those who view themselves as religious, and those who say they have sufficient time to talk to dying patients about end-of-life care were less likely to do so. Those who opposeRead More Euthanasia Essay - Assisted Suicide1579 Words   |  7 PagesAssisted Suicide/Euthanasia      Ã‚   Remarkably, few have noticed that frail, elderly and terminally ill people oppose assisted suicide more than other Americans. 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