Legal and Ethical Issues in Decision Making for Elderly Care

Healthy aging
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PART 1
Introduction
There are several legal and ethical issues in decision making that need consideration
while taking care of the elderly with chronic diseases. This essay will discuss those
issues in reference to the case study given and outline their importance in the nursing
profession. An interdisciplinary approach to holistic care is fundamental to giving quality
care to old patients with chronic illnesses, and it is also discussed in this essay. Self-
care strategies for primary carers to patients with neural illnesses such as Alzheimer’s
disease are vital to helping them endure the stress that comes as a result of dealing
with these patients (Jutkowitz et al. 2016).
Legal and ethical issues in decision making
The code of conduct for nurses clearly and explicitly explains the legal requirements,
conduct expectations, and professional behavior for all nurses (Momennasab et al.
2016). The code of conduct for nurses is a guide that has to be well understood by all
nurses, especially in this case study, to provide guidelines that will help during the
decision making the process for how to take care of Mac. Ethical issues are those
principles that guide a nurse’s conduct in terms of wright and wrong while taking care of
a patient. These ethical principles that the nurse involved in the care of Mac are

beneficence, justice, accountability, autonomy, and nonmaleficence (Aydin& Ersoy,
2017).
Autonomy is the respect accorded the patients right to choose the course of action to be
taken in their treatment, and the nurses should show support to this plan. It is important
that I support Mac’s right to choose his treatment plan and agree to it even though I do
not like it. To offer quality care to Mac, both legal and ethical issues will be the
foundation upon which his treatment plan is based and adhered to accordingly. End of
life care is achieved if the patients’ wishes are well understood and followed by the
nurses involved. Elderly patients with mental illnesses like Mac should be assessed to
determine their mental capacity to make decisions regarding the treatment plan, and if
found to lack the mental capacity required, this role can be taken up by a relative like
Dorothy in the case study (Li et al. 2016).
An interdisciplinary approach to the holistic care plan
An interdisciplinary approach means that staff from different disciplines work together,
with a similar objective, in order to make a decision and share responsibilities (Morgan,
Pullon& McKinlay, 2015). An interdisciplinary approach is fundamental when taking care
of older people, mostly because they experience multimorbidity, psychological, and
social problems. The members involved in this case study are the wife Dorothy, Mac,
the nurse, and the general physician. All these members need to work together and do
an assessment and come up with a care plan that best covers Mac. A holistic care plan
for Mac who has Alzheimer's disease has to take into account and honor the following
concerning him, his physical, spiritual, social, and emotional needs (Fazio et al. 2018).
The team needs to work together and help mac who has Alzheimer's disease and

chronic airway disease to foster relief and physical care, help him feel spiritually,
socially, and emotionally supported.
There are several elements that have to be considered if the interdisciplinary approach
has to create a successful holistic care plan, such as leadership, teamwork, person-
centered practice, and communication. The nurse has to play the leadership role in this
case study involving Mac, to guide the team on the plan they come up with to offer
quality care to him. Providing a person-centered practice to Mac means that the plan
they come up with has to be well coordinated based on his needs and ensure he feels
involved in the decision making process. Teamwork is important to achieving a holistic
care plan where all the members involved have clear roles to play and responsibilities
shares according to the skills of the members. Communication among the team
members is vital to the setting of a plan that reflects Mac’s needs and desires (Wihardja,
Hariyati & Fitri, 2018).
Self-care strategies for the primary carer
Taking care of an older person with Alzheimer's disease and chronic disease is both
emotionally and physically, and the caregiver needs to learn how to take care of
themselves (Cesário et al. 2017). A caregiver taking care of an older person with
Alzheimer's disease experience burnout characterized by fatigue, irritability, feeling
hopelessness, and isolated socially. There are several strategies that can be used by
caregivers such as self-compassion, deep relaxation techniques, eating and sleeping
well, and maintaining social connections. Dorothy can join the support of people facing
the same situation like hers, and this will help her realize that she is not alone and hear
the experience faced by others. Support groups will give her the motivation to face her