A8.1. Decision Authority

Mr. Parker is an 88-year-old resident of your LTC home with end-stage Alzheimer’s. He is wheelchair-bound and spends most of his days sleeping in his wheelchair near a window facing the garden. He needs to be spoon-fed but has recently started to refuse to eat. Mr. Parker has three children, one of whom – his only daughter — is very involved in the care of her father. The team approaches the daughter about her father refusing to eat and feels that his refusal is legitimate. Thus, they propose changing the plan of care to palliation. The daughter absolutely refuses, claiming that “you cannot kill my father, I want everything done to keep him living!”

The director of nursing (DON) for the facility has turned to you, as the executive director, for guidance, asking these questions.

a. Do we know whether the resident is capable to make his own health care decisions?

b. Are there any known wishes from Mr. Parker? What would he want? What are his values?

c. Is his daughter the substitute decision-maker? Can she, in this role, demand treatment and expect that you comply?

Because of the potential legal and reputational liability, the corporate counsel has recommended you respond to the DON in writing. Prepare a 4-10 page memorandum, double spaced addressing the DON and daughter’s issues. Cite relevant sources.

A8.2. Death with Dignity

On March 25, 2019 in New Jersey, a death with dignity bill passed both the Assembly and Senate with votes of 41-33-4 and 21-16, respectively. Less than an hour after passage in both houses, Governor Phil Murphy issued a statement that he would sign the bill, which he did on April 12, 2019. New Jersey now the eighth jurisdiction to enact death with dignity legislation. The measure, A1504, took effect August 1, 2019

This morning when you report to your work as a senior consultant with Acme Health Strategies, your inbox and voice mail are filled with inquiries from the New Jersey Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, the Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, network news outlets in Philadelphia and New York, and your managing partner at Acme.

Prepare a 3-5 page analysis –https://papersowl.com/blog/write-critical-analysis-essay -(not including title page and references), that would be the basis for talking points, examining the public health, legal, ethical, and policy issues involved with these deliberations and the possible outcomes of this legislation.