Who is responsible for this? Assigning rights and consequences in elder care.
In the context of providing health and human services for older individuals, modern American culture often depends on formally asserting and battling over a clashing array of rights among respective combatants as a first resort at problem-solving. A substantial impediment exists in our cultural environment that discourages families and professionals, and the agencies that employ them, from recognizing and respecting the rights of older persons in a less adversarial and more subtle, sensitive, and flexible manner. This article discusses this barrier, illustrating it in several aging-related settings, and suggests a paradigm for addressing the situation. Then, several current challenges to the rethinking of rights and responsibilities in geriatric and gerontological practice are acknowledged.
Kapp
M B
MB
Wright State University, Dayton, OH 45401-0927, USA.
D000368:Aged; D003422:Critical Care; D003469:Culture; D003657:Decision Making; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000592:standards*; D016852:Housing for the Elderly; D006806:Human Rights; D006801:Humans; D008020:Life Support Care; D010358:Patient Participation; D012941:Social Responsibility; D014481:United States