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96. Case: Surgery, Supported Decision Making and Capacity

Alex is a 27 year old resident in a supported living facility. She has a diagnosis of developmental delay. She is close with her younger brother, Anton. Alex has identified Anton as someone who helps her to make decisions. The organization that runs the facility where Alex lives has recently adopted a policy in favour…
View Case Study: 96. Case: Surgery, Supported Decision Making and Capacity
95. Case: MAiD and Depressive Disorder

An assumption for the purposes of the case – these circumstances are happening in the perhaps not-too-distant future after the Supreme Court of Canada has struck down Bill C-14’s ‘reasonably foreseeable death’ criterion. Sally York is a 54 year-old, single, unemployed woman who has a longstanding history of treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. Her mother experienced…
View Case Study: 95. Case: MAiD and Depressive Disorder
94. Case: Conventional vs Chinese Medicine

Lisa Chun is a 12-year-old recently diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. She arrived as a refugee from China five years ago with her parents and her younger brother. She has integrated well into the community and is successful in school. She often acts as an interpreter for her parents. Lisa is prescribed corticosteroids and biologic therapies,…
View Case Study: 94. Case: Conventional vs Chinese Medicine
93. Case: Mr. Rattan Wants to Stay

Mr. Rattan has been a resident at Ocean Wind, a retirement community offering a range of options for accommodation, for the last ten years since his partner died. Currently he has a studio apartment in the assisted living wing, which provides assistance with ADLs. Mr. Rattan has been diagnosed with dementia. In the last few…
View Case Study: 93. Case: Mr. Rattan Wants to Stay
92. Case: End of Life with Dementia

Mr. Shah lives in a continuing care facility. A nurse recently commented; “My patient, Mr. Shah, has an advance directive that he wrote last year and that requests medical assistance in dying when he is no longer able to recognize his wife. His dementia has worsened quickly and recently he’s asked who his wife is…
View Case Study: 92. Case: End of Life with Dementia
91. Case: Franklin Isn’t Safe at Home

Franklin Pictou is a 68 year old with limited mobility receiving post-surgical follow up care in the home. He wishes to remain in his dwelling, which is not especially clean and poses hazards to him (uneven stairs, loose carpets, wood stove for heat, and mould) and to health care providers (bed bugs). He chooses to…
View Case Study: 91. Case: Franklin Isn’t Safe at Home
89. Case: Who Has a Right to Know?

Kevin is a14-year-old admitted to hospital with persistent headache, muscle spasms, tremors, significant motor impairment, fever, cough and symptoms of liver damage. A diagnosis of lipoid pneumonia has been made and his clinicians are very suspicious that he has been inhaling nitrite compounds. Eventually they are able to confirm this when one of the team…
View Case Study: 89. Case: Who Has a Right to Know?
88. Case: Whose Problem Is It?

Case substantially modified from “Obesity in Kids: When Appeals to Vanity Don’t Work,” Virtual Mentor 8(10): 377-380, October 2006 – see virtualmentor.ama-assn.org Nicholas has the option of spending the summer in an intensive weight reduction program at a health facility in Ontario. This highly regarded program accepts only 10 adolescents each summer, based on medical…
View Case Study: 88. Case: Whose Problem Is It?
67. Case: What is Angela’s Choice?

Angela Flores is a six year old with some minor developmental delays caused by traumatic birth. She has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor and her prognosis is poor. The health care team is trying to determine goals of care and a develop treatment plan. Angela lives with and is cared for by her…
View Case Study: 67. Case: What is Angela’s Choice?
29. Case: Complicated Caring

Mr. Sundown is a 78-year old African Nova Scotian who is a patient in an internal medicine clinical unit at the Halifax Infirmary. He has a variety of serious medical conditions including diabetes, coronary artery disease, and advanced COPD. He is experiencing progressive respiratory failure on the basis of a difficult-to-treat pneumonia. Mr. Sundown has…
View Case Study: 29. Case: Complicated Caring

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