An Examination of the Moral Authority of Use of Advance Directives with the Alzheimer's Dementia Population
Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Advance directives in Canada are instructions made by capable adults that pertain to future healthcare treatment choices at a time of incapacity. My experience as an ethicist working in an Ontario long-term care facility that provides medical treatment to patients with Alzheimer’s Dementia portrays a range of important ethical concerns that arise out of the use of advance directives, at least in terms of their current use. In this thesis I analyze composite case studies to identify the more prominent challenges that exist and I turn to the literature to seek ways to more clearly understand these problems and to determine if they can be overcome. What I conclude is that the use of advance directives with the Alzheimer’s Dementia population in long-term care, as it is currently used, is fraught with problems that are mainly irresolvable. I offer clinical and policy recommendations that are aligned with this view.
Source: UWSpace (University of Waterloo)
Author: Marcia Sokolowski
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2531896155