Listening in thin places: ethics in the care of persons with Alzheimer's disease.
Healthcare professionals may see prolonging life and use of scarce resources as futile if the quality of life of persons with Alzheimer's disease is deemed to be poor. Thus, nurses and other healthcare providers need to question traditional assumptions of quality of life. This article presents a phenomenological study of ethical concerns related to quality of life as described by persons with Alzheimer's disease, family caregivers, and professional caregivers. The theme of "Creating a Quality of Life Through Connected Lives" calls forth an ethics of respect for the individual experience and its connecting relationships.
Sorrell
Jeanne Merkle
JM
College of Nursing and Health Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, Va, USA. Jsorrell@gmu.edu
D000544:Alzheimer Disease; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D026690:Ethics, Clinical; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D011287:Prejudice; D011788:Quality of Life