Dementia Ethical Dilemmas

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1. Introduction Dementia is a collection of symptoms caused by disorders affecting the brain which impact on a person’s functioning, ranging from thinking to behaviour and the ability to perform ordinary task and there are different type of dementia with the most common types being Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and Parkinson’s disease (Keast, 2015). In 2009, nearly two-thirds (62%) of people identified as having dementia or Alzheimer 's disease were living in a health establishment such as a nursing home, an aged care hostel, or the cared component of a retirement village (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012). People with dementia experience problems with communicative, cognitive and emotive tasks. 2. Immediate issues of care …show more content…

Caring for Wanda should also focus on involving the family in the care process to promote engagement and improve provision of culturally acceptable nursing care. Ethical issues have an influence on the way different cultures deal with issues of Advance health Care Directive and this may be the case in Wanda’s care. According to Sowmini, & De Vries (2009) the use of advance health directives is shaped by both cultural ideas and social resources. Discussion about End of life decisions in dementia can raise ethical dilemmas and this is subject that should he approached with care and support provided to the patient and family as it is a sensitive subject. Assessment of decision making competence and consenting to treatment normally arise as complexities of the disease process continue to progress. As a result there are emerging conflicts of interest in care provision process that may affect nursing staff. There is a legal obligation of duty of care that health professionals have to fulfil when caring for patients who lack capacity. Staff owe a duty of care to people who lack capacity (Nazarko, 2006, p.179). Wanda has been admitted with the understanding she will only stay for two weeks but is now a permanent resident and this can be viewed as telling her lies. Nursing staff may face the dilemma of whether to reinforce this to help her settle as this can be viewed as unethical. Capacity to consent to treatment should be assessed and this is normally challenging in Dementia patients. An issue of guardianship needs to be considered for decision on behalf of Wanda

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