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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| A question of competence | | Author(s) | Michael Lowe, Ian H Kerridge, John McPhee |
| Journal title | Age and Ageing, vol 29, no 2, March 2000 |
| Pages | pp 179-182 |
| Keywords | Self care capacity ; Neglect [care] ; Mental health [elderly] ; Older women ; Social ethics ; Case studies ; Australia. |
| Annotation | Patients should be allowed to make decisions for themselves if they are mentally competent. However, standards of mental competence vary, depending on aspects of the decision and on the patient. The authors of this Australian ethical case study report their experience of dealing with an 82 year old woman who expressed a desire to return home after respite care, although evidence of chronic self-neglect (Diogenes syndrome) suggested that permanent placement in care hostel for older people might be more appropriate. Their discussion considers the assessment of competence, legal aspects, and models for competency testing. If patients are competent (possessing long-term and short-term memory), doctors must allow them to make their own decisions, even if these appear to be against their best interests. Different standards of competence depend on both the complexity and the consequences of the decision, and on the general cognitive state and specific cognitive defects of individual patients. The standards of competence required for a decision may sometimes be reduced, if its adverse effects can be limited. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-000717209 A |
| Classmark | CA: QNR: D: BD: TQ: 69P: 7YA |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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