Older Adult Care: Fundamental Treatment Ethics

According to the U.S. Agency for Community Living, older adults are one of the most rapidly growing demographic groups. It is estimated that approximately 80.8 million Americans will be 65 and older in 2040. This is more than twice as many as in 2000. The ethical issues encountered in working with older people can differ in vital ways from those involved in working with younger people, especially given the unique medical and psychosocial circumstances in which many older adults live. This course provides an overview of core ethical principles and their application in work with older people, with case examples. Special attention is also paid to applications in unique settings and contexts such as long-term care facilities and end of life care.

2 hours CE. Recorded video format (non-interactive)

ESTIMATED COURSE LENGTH: 2 hours 

CE CREDITS: 2.00 continuing education/contact hours for social workers, psychologists, counselors, and marriage and family therapists

TARGET AUDIENCE: Mental Health Practitioners

LEVEL OF INSTRUCTION: Advanced 

PREREQUISITE(S): None

INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD: Recorded video format (non-interactive)

ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS: Closed captioning of audio components. In order to request further accessibility accommodations, please email support@psychhub.com.

COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS: To obtain your CE certificate, learners must complete a pre-test (not scored), progress through all course segments, complete a participant evaluation, and obtain a score of 80% or higher on a post-test. Learners are expected to complete the quiz within 3 attempts. If unable to do so, the learner will need to re-review the course segments.

FINANCIAL/COMMERCIAL SUPPORT STATEMENT: This course has no commercial support.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:  This course has no potential conflict of interest or outside commercial support. Psych Hub's conflict of interest statement is found in the footer of the training center.

GRIEVANCE AND REFUND POLICIES: Grievance and refund policies are found in the footer of the training center.

PARTICIPATION COSTS:  The cost to participate in this CE activity is included in the subscription registration fee.

COURSE CREATION DATE:  11/30/2023

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Describe basic processes of ethical reasoning
• Compare and contrast how ethical principles and reasoning processes are different across cultures, times in history, faith traditions, and all the other diverse aspects of the human experience
• Define ageism and the negative impact it can have on ethical reasoning
• List the major ethical principles involved in caring for older people in the U.S. and the ways in which they can interact and conflict
• Identify basic resources to facilitate ethical decision-making in these circumstances

1. Introduction: The Complexity of Defining Ethics
2. One Model for Ethical Reasoning (with help from Yogi Berra)
3. Core Ethical Principles in Older Adult Care
1. Beneficence
2. Nonmaleficence
3. Safety
4. Autonomy
5. Privacy/Confidentiality
6. Dignity
7. Futility
8. Consent/Assent
9. Utilitarianism
10. Truth Telling
4. Ethical Conflicts Commonly Encountered in Residential Settings
5. Ethical Issues Commonly Encountered at End of Life