what are the legal ethical issues in patients with dementia?

Question

Regarding consent and autonomy. what are its principles/theories and how can these be applied?

Answer 1

When there is a full understanding of mental illness there will be much shame. People with mental illness are treated differently than people with other medical conditions. These differences are taken advantage of by individuals who are supposed to help them. In Ventura County California the probate and conservator department exhibited wide spread abuse of the people in their care. The office workers would apply for credit cards and pass them around the office for people to use for personal purchases.
So; quite frankly, in America they have no principles in regards to the care of the mentally ill. My theory is the government will continue to use the prisons for mental health care. The elderly mentally ill are killed through our medicare program. The mentally ill cannot afford nursing homes unless medicare pays for it. Nursing homes work the system. They insist patients have feeding tubes done on the mentally ill elderly to receive the most money from medicare. The system pays 100% for the first 30 days. The elderly mentally ill live almost exactly 30 days then the next one starts the process. It's been happening for years. Everybody looks the other way. The government saves money. Consent and autonomy never comes up.

Answer 2

well my dad has it
the consent thing is an issue with us also
according to his social care unless he don't understand the difference between yes and no they are unable to act
they told us he must have a memory of under two hours for him to have his legal rights of "yes and no" taken away
dad is so bad that he will even open the front door in the nod and hold a conversation like it
if any one makes a comment his reply is "well i got skin on"

what i'm saying is unless by law the person is unable to care for them self or and become a danger to them self or others the theories are no help at all
in the uk you need to fight your gp just to get to stage one for help and then this can take a very long time
our gp laughed at us when we put it to them that dad had a memory problem saying it's because he's old
age has nothing to do with memory loss

Answer 3

I will give you a scene happened in my medical office of what happened just this week with a woman who was having dementia episodes. Sent to hospital for brain scan to come back to office (100 yds from office), she got lost, finally directed by another office to our parking lot, then took off in her car, I called chief of police, national guard to find her son at work, neighbors, former place she worked, and back to hosp in case she ended back up there to help find her. Son finally found her and she was referred to large hospital. We care down here in the South.
I am lucky we live in a rural county in Mississippi and our patients with dementia are all known, if no family then neighbor helps, or we find the closest next of kin and try to get them into the nursing home also run by trained, locals who care.
First sign I notice at the front desk of one not doing so well, I get them to sign a release of information form so IF they go down in mind I want to know who and where I can contact someone about their health for the doctor to discuss their care.
We try not to get the courts involved but sometimes, only 2 times I know of in 25 years, its been a have to case. Then it was to have the court get them signed into the nursing home for protection NOT to be sent off to a mental hospital.
The nursing home & doctors are regulated by laws that govern what can be done to a patient...even restraining them can't be done unless proven beyond doubt they need it..as for feeding tubes???? thats bs....its only done when the patient can no longer eat foods. I was the one that made the decision to stop the feeding tubes on my mother in her dying last few days of life with brain cancer....the doctor didn't nor did the government

Answer 4

the rights are as follows: what a pretty dress. will i see you at the hop? I just voted to re-elect " IKE"