Rethinking paradigms in geriatric ethics

This paper calls for a shift away from autonomy as the central value in geriatric ethics. In treatment and experimental settings, differences between older and younger adults are easily attributed to deficiencies on the part of the elderly when autonomy is the central value. Overemphasis on the conc...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of religion and health
Main Author: Spielman, Bethany J. 1952- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Springer Science + Business Media B. V. [1986]
In: Journal of religion and health
Further subjects:B Young Adult
B Aged Person
B Social Characteristic
B Experimental Setting
B Rational Model
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Description
Summary:This paper calls for a shift away from autonomy as the central value in geriatric ethics. In treatment and experimental settings, differences between older and younger adults are easily attributed to deficiencies on the part of the elderly when autonomy is the central value. Overemphasis on the concept of autonomy skews our understanding of human relationships toward excessively rational models, distracts attention from important physical and social characteristics of aged persons, and results in ethics by default. This paper describes several principles that would be more useful starting points than autonomy in developing a geriatric ethic.
ISSN:1573-6571
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religion and health
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/BF01533244