The mother was elderly and bed ridden and along with her son
QUESTION ONE (1): Identify and discuss the ethical issues in this case using the four principles approach’ That is; acting for the good of individuals and society (beneficence), refraining from harming others (non-maleficence), being fair (justice), and allowing others to make decisions and act according to their own wishes (autonomy). Give reasons for your answers.
Autonomy is the right of the patients to take informed decisions for themselves without any controlling influences. It is the duty of the health professionals to respect their right. Striking a balance between autonomy and promoting well-being of the patients may be one of the most common ethical dilemmas a health professional may come across. In such a case, the patient must be made aware of the repercussions of his choices and the physician or nurse should respect the patient’s choice even if it is against the medical opinion and continue advocating the medically correct option to the patient (Christman 2003). A number of reasons for non-compliance such as lack of information, religious beliefs, financial issues, lack of understanding of information provided by the health professionals, inconvenience etc. should be identified(Stephenson et al., 1993). It is pertinent that a genuine effort is made to identify the issue and give adequate information, counselling and education to the patient regarding the benefits and harms of not abiding to the instructions (Stephenson Alexander, Casalino, Meltzer; 2003). Moreover, the doctors should also try and solve the practical difficulties faced by the patients who is willing to comply but is unable to adhere to the treatment regimen. A better communication is the key to avoid noncompliance or non-adherence issues with the patients as well as to avoid the legal implications associated with it later on (Resnik; 2005).
QUESTION THREE (3): If you were to conduct a ‘vulnerability assessment’ on the mother and son featured in this case, what would your conclusions be? Outline the basis upon which you would make your assessment in terms of the ethical issues raised in this case.
“Vulnerability defines the characteristics of a person or group and their situation that influence their capacity to anticipate, cope with, resist and recover from the impact of a hazard.” (Wisner et al, 2005). Vulnerability is dependent on multiple factors. The mother was elderly and bed ridden and along with her son, she was leading a life of social isolation. Son was the lone care-taker of the mother Hence, they were potentially vulnerable. Dehumanization is on the rise in modern era. It essentially refers to the practice of denying dignity to other human beings and treating them as objects thus lessening their attributes (Smith; 2014). Another component of dehumanizing is social exclusion (Coskuna;2015). In the above discussed case, the mother-son started leading a life of self-imposed solitude. The neighbors, oblivious to their vulnerability should have made an effort to communicate with them regularly. The local authorities should have been intimated about the condition of the mother and son who could have undertaken regular visits to their place. However, there is a fear of these being deemed as paternalistic towards them. This incident highlights the nature of indifference and anonymity in the urban community but at the same time points towards the moral obligation the society faces towards the lonely people of the society (Tonkiss;2003).
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