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Bioethical And Political Issues Essay

Decent Essays

Identifying Bioethical and Political Issues
Scenario 1: You are the healthcare administrator of a nursing home. You are informed by your Admissions Director that a new memory-impaired resident has been admitted into your long-term care unit. The staff is concerned about the involvement of family with your resident. Family members from out-of-town arrived and expressed concern about your resident’s do not resuscitate (DNR) orders which were authorized by the Power of Attorney of another family member. A quarrel erupts in the nursing home with family members voicing their opinions loudly. You arrive on the scene and are immediately told by the visiting family member, “Do you know who I am? I am a supervisor for the Department of Health and Human Services and will not hesitate to have your facility surveyed for noncompliance.” What do you do?

Any situation that erupts which can disturb the other residents is something that must be diffused immediately, as a healthcare administrator I would have to address this state of affairs with empathy and genuine concern for the opinions of the family members not in agreement with the do not resuscitate (DNR) order. First, I would ask that we move to a private location where we could speak and if voices are elevated it would not interfere with the day to day operation of the nursing home. Second, I would ask to see the Power of Attorney if it is available to speak to the legality of the document. Provided that, all the previous terms set in place are up to par, I would directly talk about the statement made about the family member making me aware of her position with the Department of Health and Human Services. Moreover, going through the document to point out the date signed, to make note if the new resident signed it before here memory was too far gone and if the Power of Attorney would not be substantial. Then I’d call attention to the difference between a Power of Attorney and Durable Power of Attorney. Grammarly states, “The biggest difference is in when the power ends. A general power of attorney ends when a person becomes mentally incapable because of sickness or injury to handle his or her own affairs… To get a durable power of attorney, you must show in the

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