Recently I attended the National Nursing Ethics Conference at UCLA.  The participants were primarily registered nurses but there were also a few chaplains, social workers and ethicists. One of my favorite techniques for both teaching and learning about ethics is the use of case studies so I was thrilled when they had several in the breakout sessions. There is one in particular that I wanted

As the new year approaches, I thought that it was time to catch you up on what I’ve been doing in 2018 and why you haven’t seen me here. My “bioethics time” is currently unfunded, so I do what I can to spread the word about why bioethics resources are needed in post-acute care — not just in nursing homes, but in all areas

Dr. Brenda Smith-Booth, a clinical psychologist who works with people in long term care, writes “Many long term care residents know, deep down, there is ‘something more’ out there; and that ‘something more’ is often something unfinished – a hope or aspiration that never came to full fruition in their lives.  This is the hidden existential issue of the long-term care arena.” So, is

The four principles of biomedical ethics (bioethics), credited to Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress, are Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-Maleficence and Justice.  Dorothy’s story primarily focused upon the first three and, although certainly there was injustice done to her and to her family, this time I address justice as it relates to the elder and disabled population in post-acute care as a whole. The

Dorothy lived with gusto.  A lover of Irish music, she was often seen at one of her favorite pubs, singing along with a drink in her hand.  She was robust, full of laughter and compassion with a well-placed curse word here and there.  When told of her terminal diagnosis, she reflected back upon the richness of her life – her children and grandchildren, her