scholarly journals 203 - Decisional capacity and advance care planning in older people who are incarcerated

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. 8-8
Author(s):  
Dionne Hart

AbstractThere is a growing number of older people incarcerated across the United States. With a population of greater than 300 million, the US has 5% of the world’s population, yet incarcerates 25% of the world’s prisoners. From 2000 to 2005, the percentage of prisoners in federal and state correctional institutions who were 55 and older increased by 33%. According to the American Civil Liberties Union older prison population has climbed 1300% since the 1980s, with 125,000 inmates aged 55 or older incarcerated.Correctional facilities are the largest mental health institutions with 1 out of 5 individuals with serious mental health or substance use disorders. These facilities lack the capacity to provide long-term care for those with severe physical or mental health disorders even in the most ideal circumstances.Individuals within the criminal justice system have a higher burden of chronic physical and health disorders and have a lower life expectancy.Health care decision making is one area where patients in custody have autonomy in discussing advance directives, substitute decision makers and medical decision making. However, prisoners are at risk of suboptimal care, unmet palliative and end of life care needs, and lacking or inappropriate surrogates. Without documentation of advance directives or surrogates there are bureaucratic, practical, and legal barriers particularly for those without family or friends. In addition, some individuals involved in the correctional system’s only surviving family members may also be their victims, thus have a conflict of interest.This presentation will explore capacity and substitute decision making for individuals involved in the criminal justice system who have severe mental and physical health disorders. A case description will be used to illustrate a decision-making tree for patients who are incarcerated. As the world population continues to age, the number of older people who are incarcerated and unable to make healthcare decisions will continue to increase. In this special population, correctional system clinicians and providers need to be familiar with strategies to address the need for advance care planning before older people lose decisional capacity.

Author(s):  
Simon Chapman ◽  
Ben Lobo

This chapter provides an overview of the MCA’s impact on end-of-life care. It situates the MCA in the current context of policy and practice. It describes how the MCA can be used to improve care, enable people to express and protect choices, and empower and enable the professional and/or the proxy decision maker. It also presents an introduction and explanation of the role of the IMCA and how it might apply to advance care planning (ACP) and end of life decision making, and an explanation of the legal and ethical process involved in reaching best interest decisions, especially for potentially vulnerable people in care homes and other settings.


Author(s):  
Anjali Mullick ◽  
Jonathan Martin

Advance care planning (ACP) is a process of formal decision-making that aims to help patients establish decisions about future care that take effect when they lose capacity. In our experience, guidance for clinicians rarely provides detailed practical advice on how it can be successfully carried out in a clinical setting. This may create a barrier to ACP discussions which might otherwise benefit patients, families and professionals. The focus of this paper is on sharing our experience of ACP as clinicians and offering practical tips on elements of ACP, such as triggers for conversations, communication skills, and highlighting the formal aspects that are potentially involved. We use case vignettes to better illustrate the application of ACP in clinical practice.


2020 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2020-002304
Author(s):  
Judith Rietjens ◽  
Ida Korfage ◽  
Mark Taubert

ObjectivesThere is increased global focus on advance care planning (ACP) with attention from policymakers, more education programmes, laws and public awareness campaigns.MethodsWe provide a summary of the evidence about what ACP is, and how it should be conducted. We also address its barriers and facilitators and discuss current and future models of ACP, including a wider look at how to best integrate those who have diminished decisional capacity.ResultsDifferent models are analysed, including new work in Wales (future care planning which includes best interest decision-making for those without decisional capacity), Asia and in people with dementia.ConclusionsACP practices are evolving. While ACP is a joint responsibility of patients, relatives and healthcare professionals, more clarity on how to apply best ACP practices to include people with diminished capacity will further improve patient-centred care.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (Suppl 2) ◽  
pp. A56.3-A57
Author(s):  
O Kiriaev ◽  
Emme Chacko ◽  
JD Jurgens ◽  
Meagan Ramages ◽  
P Malpas ◽  
...  

Geriatrics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng-Pei Lin ◽  
Shao-Yi Cheng ◽  
Ping-Jen Chen

With dramatically increasing proportions of older people, global ageing has remarkably influenced healthcare services and policy making worldwide. Older people represent the majority of patients with cancer, leading to the increasing demand of healthcare due to more comorbidities and inherent frailty. The preference of older people with cancer are often ignored, and they are considered incapable of making choices for themselves, particularly medical decisions. This might impede the provision of their preferred care and lead to poor healthcare outcomes. Advance care planning (ACP) is considered an effective intervention to assist older people to think ahead and make a choice in accordance with their wishes when they possess capacity to do so. The implementation of ACP can potentially lead to positive impact for patients and families. However, the assessment of mental capacity among older adults with cancer might be a crucial concern when implementing ACP, as loss of mental capacity occurs frequently during disease deterioration and functional decline. This article aims to answer the following questions by exploring the existing evidence. How does ACP develop for older people with cancer? How can we measure mental capacity and what kind of principles for assessment we should apply? What are the facilitators and barriers when implementing an ACP in this population? Furthermore, a discussion about cultural adaptation and relevant legislation in Asia is elucidated for better understanding about its cultural appropriateness and the implications. Finally, recommendations in relation to early intervention with routine monitoring and examination of capacity assessment in clinical practice when delivering ACP, reconciling patient autonomy and family values by applying the concept of relational autonomy, and a corresponding legislation and public education should be in place in Asia. More research on ACP and capacity assessment in different cultural contexts and policy frameworks is highlighted as crucial factors for successful implementation of ACP.


2014 ◽  
Vol 107 (3) ◽  
pp. 178-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jung Kwak ◽  
Maggie S. Wallendal ◽  
Thomas Fritsch ◽  
Gary Leo ◽  
Trevor Hyde

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