98% Of Nurses Admit To Lying To Dementia Sufferers: How Ethical Is A False Reality?
By Chris Weller | Sep 4, 2013
The slide into dementia is slow and painful, for those suffering directly and the loved ones on the periphery who must provide care while watching a trove of memories gradually erode. Patient care works inside this delicate balance, but going against the wishes of theAlzheimer’s Society, nearly all nurses
in a recent survey reported telling the occasional white lie to avoid patient bereavement.
in a recent survey reported telling the occasional white lie to avoid patient bereavement.
The ethics of such a practice are slippery. Memories keep people anchored in the shared reality of family members, friends, and even their conceptions of themselves. When anurse is asked about a family member who has been dead for years, she must negotiate a thin moral line: Does she tell a small lie to pacify the patient, or tell a potentially devastating truth? What if the scenario takes place on a regular basis?
is asked about a family member who has been dead for years, she must negotiate a thin moral line: Does she tell a small lie to pacify the patient, or tell a potentially devastating truth? What if the scenario takes place on a regular basis?
Read the full article at Medical Daily
(http://www.medicaldaily.com/98-nurses-admit-lying-dementia-sufferers-how-ethical-false-reality-255535)
0 comments: