Ethical Issues in the Care of Older Adults

This chapter introduces key concepts and principles of bioethics and shows their application to the care of older adults. It begins by discussing four general principles of bioethics: autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. The chapter shows that each principle is an abiding concern for people across the lifespan and illustrates how these values arise for older adults. The chapter next turns to explore life-stage-related values that are more central for older adults. These include keeping dignity intact and maintaining central functioning and capabilities. The final section examines the application of ethical values and principles to three paradigm cases: surrogate decision-making, withholding medically effective treatment based on a patient’s prior wishes, and withholding medically futile interventions.