Values
and Guiding Principles
Values
Respect: Show
respect for the dignity of the person with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia.
Compassion: Show
concern and understanding, and support the personhood
of people with Alzheimer's disease.
Integrity: Focus
on trustworthiness, including honesty, reliability and
loyalty, in an environment of total quality care.
Competency: Focus
on effective, appropriate, high-quality care and administration
in programs and services for people with Alzheimer's disease
and their families.
Guiding
principles
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the
brain that has profound impacts on people with the disease
and their families.
People
with Alzheimer's disease need to be told their diagnosis
and made aware of available treatment options.
People
with Alzheimer's disease must have access to current information,
and receive co-ordinated care and support from knowledgeable,
health-care professionals.
People
with Alzheimer's disease need to participate in decision-making
regarding their daily lives and future care for as long
as they are able. If unable to participate, the known
values and wishes of the person with Alzheimer's disease
must guide all decisions.
People
with Alzheimer's disease need a safe, restraint-free living
environment, and protection from exploitation and abuse.
Family
and friends who care for people with Alzheimer's disease
need to have their caregiving needs assessed and provided
for.
People
with Alzheimer's disease and those who care for them need
to take an active role in the planning and implementation
of care.
Adequate
resources must be available to provide support to people
with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers throughout
the course of the disease.
Resources:
- Everyday
Ethics. Joshua Halberstam, Penguin Books, New
York, 1993.
- The
Ethical Canary. Margaret Somerville, Viking Press,
Toronto, 2000.
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