Cognitive impairment in older adults: The role of ethical mindfulness

Abstract

The challenges in working with older adults with cognitive impairments are multiple and demand that health care professionals perform at the highest level of professional competence coupled with compassionate care. Ethical considerations are part of everyday practice but often remain unspoken or invisible. Although the ethical considerations in the care of this vulnerable population are paramount, traditional ethical principles do not provide practitioners with answers for clinical judgment and actions. We propose that ethical mindfulness is an important aspect of professional competence that requires development of a phenomenological approach that ensures presence and the ability to fully grapple with the relationships visible in the uncovering of the narrative or story. Only then can we see the ethical dimensions, issues, questions, and concerns that are part of the challenges in real, everyday practice. Copyright © 2012 Lippincott Williams &Wilkins.