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An Ethics Consult Team in Geriatric Long-Term Care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 July 2009

Eileen R. Chichin
Affiliation:
Coordinator at The Kathy and Alan C. Greenberg Center on Ethics in Geriatrics and Long-term Care, The Jewish Home and Hospital for Aged, New York, New York
Ellen Olson
Affiliation:
Codirector of The Kathy and Alan C. Greenberg Center on Ethics in Geriatrics and Long-term Care, and Director of Medical Education, The Jewish Home and Hospital for Aged, New York, New York

Extract

The increasing incidence of ethical dilemmas in long-term care settings, in concert with recommendations from the President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research, has prompted long-term care institutions to develop mechanisms to address these concerns. Some facilities have chosen to set up an ethics committee, although estimates obtained in the past few years indicate that only between 2 and 27% of institutional long-term care settings have such committees. Ethics committees are responsible for assisting staff, residents, and families with the resolution of ethi- cal concerns, and typically engage in policy review and development, case review, and education. Such committees usually count among their membership representatives from a variety of disciplines, with family members, patients, and representatives from patient advocacy groups supplementing the professional component of the committee.

Type
Special Section: Elder Ethics
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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References

Notes

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