...Abstract This paper is written to discuss the ethical dilemma we come across when asking our self whether or not we should place a tube feeding in a patient with a history Alzheimer’s or Dementia. Will this prolong the patients’ life or just the inevitable death? Most often a decision needs to be made regarding the placement of a tube feeding. The question is not initiated by the patient themselves. This is the reason why educating our patients are so important. In this paper I will discuss how important the role of the healthcare professional plays in advocating for a patient. To help answer this ethical dilemma several issues will be explored. I will focus on the seven principles of ethics, education, utilitarianism, top-down theory alternate treatment options. Will Tube Feedings Prolong Life? While working with the majority of geriatric population, we frequently come across patients with Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The most common problem in these patients is the inability to swallow as well as the patients are failure to thrive. Many healthcare workers and family members become upset when the patient does not have proper nutritional intake. As human beings it is our nature to take care of our loved ones when they are ill, this is our ways of showing love and affection tore’s each other. We often question the situation regarding the need for artificial feeding. Care givers have misconceptions if we provide artificial nutrition it will help prolong...
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...In “Treatment of Alzheimer’s disease”, the author, Shan, discusses how even though Alzheimer’s disease was identified more than 100 years ago, there is still much to learn and understand about the etiology, pathogenesis, treatment, management, and prevention of the disease. The article highlights that diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease is a difficult task, especially during the earlier stages of the disease. In this article, Alzheimer’s disease is clearly defined at each stage of onset and the prevalence of the disorder is mentioned. The article also notes that effective treatments for Alzheimer’s are impalpable and require further empirical research. The rest of the article reviews the evidence and proposed theories about the course of the disease...
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...that can be helped from cannabis include helping patient’s symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, various symptoms for cancer patients, and palliative care for the end of life process. Marijuana can be ingested in a variety of ways. The most common form is smoking it in the form of a cigarette and inhaling it through a glass pipe. Other ways to ingest marijuana can be in the form of capsules to be taken with other medications and even suppositories. A patient can also take medical cannabis by eating the drug in forms of butter, flour, and milk concoctions. When a patient begins to lose their memory, the first diagnosis that comes to mind is Alzheimer’s disease. As the disease progresses, patients may need coaxed to eat and can even forget how to feed themselves. Many medications can be prescribed to help try to improve the patient’s memory and lessen their forgetfulness, but medical cannabis has been proven to help the patients in difference ways. The drug dronabinol is a derivative of marijuana and was proven to enhance the patient’s appetite and lessen mood swings. It can be formulated into a medication they can take with their other pills up to three times a day. Researchers have also found that the marijuana component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been shown to slow the disease process in the brain. THC slows the formation of amyloid plaques, the enzyme that kills brain cells and causes Alzheimer’s disease. While medical cannabis assists patients with...
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...Advance Directives When you are no longer able to make your own decisions. 4/11/2011 DeVry University Health Rights and Responsibilities SPRA11 Sec11 Professor: Deyrl Gulliford Karen Anyalebechi What kind of medical care would you want if you were too ill or hurt to express your wishes? Advance directives are legal documents that allow you to convey your decisions about end-of-life care ahead of time. They provide ways for you to communicate you’re wishes to family, friends, and healthcare professionals to avoid confusion later on. Advance directives centers around the principle of your right to die and death with dignity. With an advance directive, you can express how much or how little you want done for you when you are no longer able to make decisions. (Advance Directives) Legal documents can ease end-of-life decisions. Congress passed the Patient Self Determination Act (PSDA), which became effective in 1991. The act requires all health-care institutions that receive Medicare or Medicaid funds to provide patients with written information about their right under state law to execute advance directives, but it does not require states to adopt or change any substantive laws. The written information must clearly state the institution’s policies on withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment. The PDSA also requires facilities to document in each patient’s medical record whether an advance directive has been executed, to educate staff and the public about the right...
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...sides of the argument before proving using Kantian theory my argument in addressing the dilemma in the case. Deontology is a kind of normative ethics wherein the moral rightness of an action is based on the adherence of duty or obligation (Alexander & Moore). The concept of deontology is in opposition against consequentialism in which the moral rightness or wrongness of an action depends on the consequences. Among philosophers, Immanuel Kant is...
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...persons 65 years of age and older. The most common are visual impairment, diabetes, heart disease, deafness and hearing impairment, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, hip fractures, urinary incontinence, stroke, Parkinson’s disease and depression o Shape- multiple health problems with protracted, unpredictable course. Management during the acute phase is usually in the hospital, other phases are usually managed at home. Implications of Chronicity: 1. Managing chronic illness involves more than managing medical problems. Adaptation to illness/disability is a continuous process. 2. Chronic conditions can pass through many different phases over the course of the disease – There can be stable & unstable periods, flare-ups & remission. 3. Keeping chronic conditions under control requires persistent adherence to therapeutic regimens. 4. One chronic disease can lead to other chronic conditions – Diabetes can lead to Neurologic & circulatory changes. 5. Chronic illness affects the whole family 6. People with chronic conditions & their families must assume major responsibility for the day-to-day management of the condition. 7. Management of chronic conditions is a process of discovery. 8. Managing chronic conditions is a collaborative process 9. Management of chronic conditions is expensive 10. Chronic conditions pose ethical dilemmas for the pt, HCPs &...
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...Introduction Ethical decision-making is a process where one decides on a course of action based on ethical and professional principles. The ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, justice and nonmaleficence are often brought into consideration in ethical dilemmas. Healthcare professionals often use these ethical principles as a premise to make morally sound judgements on care provision. Ethical dilemmas surface when these principles conflict with one another. The correct course of action is not clearly defined and the decisions made may be challenged. Decisions made on moral grounds are often intrinsically complex and intricate. This essay will cover the principles of distributive justice, autonomy, and beneficence. Drawing from personal experience, three individual case pertaining to each principle are provided to illustrate how each principle is either observed or breached. A conclusion is presented at the end of each case study to summarize the ethical reasoning and concepts discussed. A final conclusion will also be presented at the end of the essay to provide closure to the discussion. Distributive Justice Case Study: Dr Adams is a physician working in an acute medical ward. During his shift, he reviewed two critically ill patients. Patient A was an 80-year old lady with thrombocytopenia secondary to lymphoma with a low haemoglobin level. She had been receiving palliative care prior to admission. Patient B was a 50-year old man with an actively bleeding...
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...Long Term Care Options: Don and Mary When a loved one is aging or ill the subject of long term care is discussed with family over dinner, with a social worker at a hospital, with friends at a neighborhood social. The dilemma of Don and Mary is faced by millions of families. According to Spencer, Patrick and Steele (2009) older adults would prefer to remain at home, although given several options, most would prefer not to be cared for by family and friends. What long term care options should Don consider for Mary and himself? Don is put in the position of having to explore options for long term care for his wife Mary and for himself. Based on the description of Mary’s illness, it appears she is in the severe stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and requires total care of all functions including feeding, dressing, bathing (McSweeney-Feld & Oetjen, 2012, p71). People with Mary’s symptoms need the safe and structured around- the -clock care provided in a skilled nursing home facility. Don’s physical ailments have started to affect his ability to care for himself, although his mental faculties remain intact. An assumption is made that Don needs help in meeting some of his daily living needs such as meals, transportation to physician appointments, and probably the use of assistive living devices, such as a cane or walker for ambulation. While he could gain the assistance he needs from a home health aide and continue to live at home with some structural changes...
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...3. What is passive euthanasia? * The act of allowing a patient to die primarily by not administering life saving treatments or procedures. * Does not require active participation by health care providers. 4. What is voluntary euthanasia? * The rational decision of a terminally ill person to end their life. * Requires a comprehension of the consequences of their decision. * A person must be able to make competent decisions about their own health care. 5. What is non-voluntary euthanasia? * The decision of someone other than the patient to end that patient’s life. * Usually as a result of the patient’s inability to speak for themselves. * May not be competent to make the decision, (i.e.) Alzheimer’s disease. 6. What is the difference between ordinary treatment and extraordinary treatment? * Ordinary treatment is the application of established and standard medical procedures to sustain life. * Usually offers hope of a cure. * Not typically very expensive. * Treatments should be available to everyone. * Extraordinary treatment is the use of experimental medications and procedures to cure or extend the life of terminally ill patients. *...
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...population of 72 million older Americans (CDC, 2013). This population has wide-ranging implications for virtually every facet of American society. At each point in the lifespan of baby boomers, the United States has felt and been changed by the impact of their numbers and needs—from booming sales in commercial baby food in the late 1940s, to construction of new schools during the 1950s, to the housing construction boom of the 1970s and 1980s. The 30-year gain in life expectancy within the span of a century had never before been achieved. Diseases that once claimed lives have been eradicated while others like heart disease still present challenges other chronic diseases and conditions, such as stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes are placing a huge financial on the nation’s healthcare system. While chronic disease is the leading cause of death among older adult’s age 65 and older chronic diseases encompasses a much broader spectrum of negative...
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...the degree of involvement and behavior. Assisted suicide entails making the lethal mechanism available to the patient to be used at a time of the patient’s own choosing. By contrast, euthanasia entails the physician taking an active role in carrying out the patient’s request, and usually involves endovenous, or within a vein, delivery of a lethal substance. For the sake of this paper, I will consider both of them equal issues in the bioethical paradigm, and use them interchangeably. The objective of this paper is to outline two ethical theories, utilitarianism and Kantianism, in regards to the concept of euthanasia and bring about the questions of morality that are still in debate. Initially, I would like to address the current ethical dilemma within the United States, and bring up the questions of morality that are being discussed. One of the greatest controversies surrounding the issue is whether or not it should be legalized in the United States. Euthanasia supporters advocate that...
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...Katherine Soroj, a dermatologist, is suffering from Alzheimer’s. She has two sons and a daughter along with her loving husband. Her family has to see her suffer from the disease on the daily and they pray to God that one day she will be cured. With future research of stem cells, she can be cured. Stem cells are a large focus of research in today’s biomedical society. Stem cell research should be supported and funded by the United States. It is important for us alal to be informed with the reasons why stem cell research should be supported because it can save yours or someone you loves life in the future. Today I want to share with you all the background of stem cell research, the benefits of it, and how it can advance modern medicine. So what exactly is a stem cell you may ask? A stem cell is a cell that has the ability to turn in different specialized cells. The reasons why scientists have such a high interest in stem cells is because with the right practice these cells have the potential to cure diseases such as Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, and can even be used to help treat patients with cardiovascular diseases. These cells are typically extracted from a four-day-old human embryo. Although embryonic stem cells are an essential focus and vital factor in finding cures for many diseases, unfortunately there are criticized aspects to stem cells as well. In order to obtain these cells the human embryo is destroyed. This causes a huge controversy in today’s political...
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...questions. One substance in particular that is illegal but has not been proven to be harmful is marijuana. In 1970, marijuana was officially illegalized when the Substance Abuse Act was passed. It wasn’t until 1996 that California was first state to take action and to legalize marijuana for medical use (“Medical Marijuana States”). In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Since then, Oregon, Alaska, and the District of Columbia have joined the group with numerous other states on the verge of recreational legalization. Currently, 23 states have marijuana legal in either recreational use, medical use, or both (“State Marijuana Laws Map”). So where should we stand on this marijuana dilemma? Are there benefits to legalization? Is the drug actually harmful or does it have medical benefits? Marijuana is a non-harmful substance, with numerous benefits available and should be legalized on a national level. Whether or not marijuana has any true medicinal value has been debated vigorously for decades now. In recent years the FDA has approved some medicinal use of marijuana in patients. However, the FDA hasn’t approved a full-blown go ahead for marijuana, due to lack of research on the potential risks. These risks include: altered senses, impaired memory, impaired body movement, all of which being temporary. Marijuana is generally accepted in the medical field to have medicinal...
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...This essay will discuss issues that nurses have to consider when caring for a person that either lacks or have compromised capacity. At the same time, the author will explain important terms in the essay and include several examples from placement. Similarly, explanation of consent, capacity, best interest, Deprivation of liberty, advanced decisions and risk assessment would be included. The author will also discuss the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Mental Health Act (1983) and how it protect an adult who is vulnerable and lacks capacity. Likewise, the author will discuss ranges of nursing interventions, person-centred care, and ethical dilemmas. Due to confidentiality and according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council...
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...coming to terms with death, family values during and after the death of a loved one and the ability to move past the hurt and pain after a death occurs. Soul Food depicts an African American family with many underlying issues for each child in relation to each other and also in relation to themselves individually. Mother Joe is the patriarch of the family who, despite her every effort to maintain peace and harmony, has her hands full with her daughters. Family is the thread of our society. Success for an individual is measured by the way he or she interacts with family. In relation to death and dying, the movie, Soul Food has every element that families encounter when attempting to grasp the concept of a loved one dying. The overall summary of this movie is about a matriarch, Mama Joe, who is adamant about family. She has three daughters, all with differing dramas in their lives, and issues with each other’s lives. Every Sunday, the family would gather at Mama Joe’s for Sunday dinner. There, family conflict would begin, be discussed and most times, end over dinner. Traditions are begun at the table and never forgotten because of Mama Joe. Children With Differing Personalities Dealing With A Major Life Change The daughters in this movie are seen in varying ways. In each of their respective ways, all daughters love their mother and care for her, but differently. Teri, who is the oldest child, provides the financial stability to the whole family and she somewhat resents...
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