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17. Case: Too Much to Expect?
View Case: 17. Case: Too Much to Expect?92-year old Ellie MacPherson has recently moved to a long-term care facility. She had found that the increasing difficulty she was experiencing due to arthritis with getting dressed, making her…
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16. Case: Shifting Gears
View Case: 16. Case: Shifting GearsNedra has been fighting ovarian cancer for 3 years. When first diagnosed, Nedra had surgery followed by intensive chemotherapy. Although it initially looked like she might be moving into remission,…
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15. Case: Acceptable Judgement?
View Case: 15. Case: Acceptable Judgement?Sara Thornton, an unemployed 19-year old woman, lives with her 28 year old sister, Fran, and Fran’s boyfriend, Alan. Both sisters were diagnosed with bipolar I disorder in their mid-adolescence….
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14. Case: I Want to Go Home!
View Case: 14. Case: I Want to Go Home!A widower (age 88) lives alone, but has family living nearby. Recently he had a stroke and regained consciousness after being admitted to hospital. He was deemed to have cognitive…
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13. Case Mind Over Matter?
View Case: 13. Case Mind Over Matter?Essie Marshall is well-known in the community for her many years of dedicated volunteer work and leadership. She is also well-known in the emergency department for her frequent visits. As…
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12. Case: Should Steve Go Home?
View Case: 12. Case: Should Steve Go Home?Throughout his life, Steve was the athlete that everyone admired. He played all sports well, especially excelling at basketball. While being quite competitive, Steve was a team player who enjoyed…
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11. Case: Truth-Telling
View Case: 11. Case: Truth-TellingThe patient is an 89-year-old gentleman with moderate dementia and a history of COPD, swallowing difficulties, a CVA, and recent aspiration. The investigation of his aspiration uncovered a lesion in…
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10. Case: At a Crossroads…
View Case: 10. Case: At a Crossroads…Sandra Livingstone, age 45, was admitted to the hospital with diffuse ischemic encephalopathy – a very significant, global brain injury – secondary to sustaining a massive stroke at home. It…
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9. Case: Right to Treatment
View Case: 9. Case: Right to TreatmentA 54-year-old male patient has been treated for cancer for 2 years, but his illness has not responded to the major lines of treatment. He has been admitted to hospital…
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8. Case: Who Should Decide?
View Case: 8. Case: Who Should Decide?This case concerns a 35-year-old developmentally delayed female patient (functional age about 5 years old); her mother is her legal guardian. The patient tested positive for a BRCA gene mutation….
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7. Case: Unknown Risks
View Case: 7. Case: Unknown RisksA person who was a first responder at an accident comes into the Emergency Room with blood/body fluid on himself. The patient who was involved in the accident was immediately…
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6. Case: To Feed or Not to Feed?
View Case: 6. Case: To Feed or Not to Feed?You receive a call on the ethics line about a patient’s relative (next-of-kin and legal decision-maker) force-feeding her sister who is a patient on the unit (pushing food into the…
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5. Case: Caring for a “Difficult” Patient
View Case: 5. Case: Caring for a “Difficult” PatientA female patient in her mid-forties has been on the GI service for several months now due to severe Crohn’s Disease, which has left her with multiple draining abdominal fistuli….
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4. Case: Expectations for Care
View Case: 4. Case: Expectations for CareNed is an elderly patient with relatively advanced dementia who is recovering from surgery to repair a hip fracture. He spends most of every 24-hour period screaming unless someone familiar…
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