Question

Develop a case study in the health field and geriatric care. Analyze the ethical theories and other theories.

Answer 1

Ms. Maria Steve is an 81-year-old lady in the WeCare Assisted Living Facility at Utah. She has been living there for the past 6 years. Her only son serves in Canadian Armed Forces and is a permanent resident there. He visits her whenever he can, but frequent visits are not possible. She has no other relatives living close by. Her only relative, who visits her occasionally, other than her son, is her cousin's Casey's granddaughter Rene, who is her healthcare proxy. Rene lives in Illinois and visits Maria every 3 months. Maria suffers from Alzheimer's dementia, which is progressive in nature, diagnosed just a year back. Other than that she suffers from type 2 diabetes for the past 7 years and is a left below-the-knee amputee, because of which she got herself admitted at the Assisted Living Facility. She needs help with ambulation though she has a prosthesis. Now her blood sugar is under control on a strict diabetic diet and antihyperglycemics.

Maria shares her wishes with her caregiver and now her only wish is to live with her son and family, at least for a few days before her death, which she often describes as the inevitable end in the near future. Unfortunately, her son is not in a position to fulfill her wish as a vacation with family is unthinkable for him. His wife who is a Canadian also serves in the Armed Forces, and their children are away, busy with their studies. Thus fulfilling Maria's wish is the most impossible thing that the caregiver can guarantee, but she makes false promises to make Maria happy. This is an ethical dilemma for the caregiver, who says a lie unwillingly, which is against her strong ethical base. Once she had to discuss and obtain the sign of Maria's HCP for a podiatry procedure, but she signed the consent form in the absence of HCP without discussing with Maria. After this particular incident, she couldn’t face Maria and hardly spoke to her for 3 days.

In this case, it is quite evident that the four principles of ethics; autonomy, justice, beneficence, and non-maleficence, which should be the basis of any caregiver-patient relationship were not strictly adhered to while rendering care to Maria. Here Maria’s right to make her own decisions based on her values and beliefs were not respected and the ethical principle of autonomy was violated. The principles of beneficence or doing anything that benefits the patient and non-maleficence or ‘do no harm’ to the patient were strictly adhered to.