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Chapter One
Introduction
Scope and purpose of this report
Unless we are already old, we will be the old people of the future and so
we all have an interest in ensuring that older people's rights are properly
respected. The remit of this report is narrow. It concentrates specifically on
the rights of older people to have information and be consulted in decisions
about their care and medical treatment, including how their confidentiality
is protected. If they become mentally incompetent, their former wishes
must feature as part of any judgement about their 'best interests'. These may
appear very simple and mundane issues but they affect every single transaction
between care providers and older people and contribute to the general
culture within which care and treatment are provided to this population.
The report is mainly aimed at health professionals but many of the problems
will also be familiar to people providing other kinds of care and support, and
so the advice may be useful to them too.
The rights to accept or refuse treatment and have one's confidentiality
protected are important to everyone but ... read full excerpt from The Ethics of Caring for Older People ebook
