Question

Laura Penman works in a nursing home with a specialty in dementia care. She floats from the units that provide care to patients with mild dementia to the locked floor for those with severe end stages of the disease. Today she is assigned to care for Sandra McKendrick. Sandra is an 82-year-old woman with end-stage Alzheimer's disease. Laura remembers her from when she was admitted to the facility several years ago. Last month, Sandra's daughter Kate agreed to placement of a feeding tube to get her mom through an acute hospitalization for flu-related pneumonia. She completed her course of IV antibiotics, but her cognitive and self care abilities have not improved. Kate is visiting tonight and says "I don't know what to do for my mom. I wish I never agreed to the tube. She is not better, but if I ask the doctors to take it out now, my sister says I will be inhumane because my mom will starve. I don't know why my mom picked me as her healthcare proxy. This whole situation stinks!"

How would you respond to Kate's statements? Why?

Is it ethical to withdraw the feeding tube? Why or why not?

What would you say to Kate's sister during this difficult situation? Why?

Answer 1

Q. No. 1. Answer :

My response to Kate's statement is

* your mother is having 82 yrs old, and it is a common disease ( Alzheimers disease) in aged people, and there no chance to complete recovery like cognitive and self care abilities, so no 4need to worry about it.

* if We remove the feeding tube, your mother can not able to take food by her self and as your sister says she become starve.

* and also she may aspirate if she takes food with out full conscious, so if the feeding tube is there in the correct place there is no problem of aspiration.

* so like this I will educate her.

Q. No. 2. Answer :

Yes, withdraw of the feeding tube is ethical, because it is advised by doctor whether to remove or keep like that only, it is depending upon patient condition.

Here patient is not recovered fully, so we can't remove. And it is not harm to the client.

Q. No. 3. Answer :

I will educate the Kate's sister regarding her mother condition, it is not a bad condition, it is only depending on age factor, so don't worry, we will provide her comprehensive care to her according to her needs.

So that she will feel better, and also I will educate her to how to taking care of her mother and provide psychological support and emotional support.