Deciding to place a loved one into a long-term care facility can be extremely difficult. Even more difficult is the thought of your loved one’s rights being violated while in long-term care. Patient healthcare rights are not as clearly defined as one would expect, and there are long-term care and other healthcare facilities that create their own sets of patient rights. However, there are also certain indisputable rights afforded to patients across the board. Read the case study titled “A Legal and Ethical Dilemma”, located on pages 463-465 of your text. Next, use the Internet or Strayer Library to research information on a patient’s right to die. Write a four to six (4-6) page paper in which you: Describe the legal and ethical dilemma discussed in the case study. Analyze the key ways in which a patient’s right to die relates  to this specific case.  From your research, specify the potential repercussions  for failure to comply with the wishes of a patient who has requested to withhold a life-sustaining procedure. Next, take a position on whether the  patient’s right to die or the patient’s right to be protected from harm should take precedence in this case. Provide a rationale for your position. Imagine that you are a part of the ethics committee investigating this case. Determine the main facts pertaining to the issue      that the committee should consider. Suggest one (1) step that the facility should take next in order to resolve the dilemma. Provide a rationale for  your response. Use at least three (3) quality academic resources. Note:      Wikipedia and other similar websites do not qualify as academic resources.        Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font  (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references  must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title,      and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. Case Study Background Mary Evelyn Greene, who has memory impairment, lives in a private room at Shady Brook Skilled Nursing Facility located in a beautiful suburb of a major metropolitan city. She has resided at Shady Brook for the past 18 months. Before moving into Shady Brook, Mrs. Greene lived independently in her own home with assistance from a private-duty nursing assistant and a housekeeper. She and her husband had resided together in this home for more than 50 years. Mrs. Greene is 89 years old and suffers from several health problems associated with aging. Mrs. Greene has one son, David Greene. David has the power of attorney to handle his mother’s health care and other personal affairs. David works as a trial attorney in one of the city’s largest and most prestigious law firms ...

1. Deciding to place a loved one into a long-term care facility can
be extremely difficult. Even more difficult is the thought of
your loved one’s rights being violated while in long-term care.
Patient healthcare rights are not as clearly defined as one would
expect, and there are long-term care and other healthcare
facilities that create their own sets of patient rights. However,
there are also certain indisputable rights afforded to patients
across the board.
Read the case study titled “A Legal and Ethical Dilemma”,
located on pages 463-465 of your text. Next, use the Internet or
Strayer Library to research information on a patient’s right to
die.
Write a four to six (4-6) page paper in which you:
Describe the legal and ethical dilemma discussed in the case
study. Analyze the key ways in which a patient’s right to die
relates to this specific case.
From your research, specify the potential repercussions for
failure to comply with the wishes of a patient who has requested
to withhold a life-sustaining procedure. Next, take a position on
whether the patient’s right to die or the patient’s right to be
protected from harm should take precedence in this case.
Provide a rationale for your position.
Imagine that you are a part of the ethics committee
investigating this case. Determine the main facts pertaining to
the issue that the committee should consider. Suggest one
(1) step that the facility should take next in order to resolve the
dilemma. Provide a rationale for your response.

2. Use at least three (3) quality academic resources.
Note:
Wikipedia and other similar websites do not qualify as
academic resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size
12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references
must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your
professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the
student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and
the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included
in the required assignment page length.
Case Study
Background
Mary Evelyn Greene, who has memory impairment, lives in a
private room at Shady Brook Skilled Nursing Facility located in
a beautiful suburb of a major metropolitan city. She has resided
at Shady Brook for the past 18 months. Before moving into
Shady Brook, Mrs. Greene lived independently in her own home
with assistance from a private-duty nursing assistant and a
housekeeper. She and her husband had resided together in this
home for more than 50 years. Mrs. Greene is 89 years old and
suffers from several health problems associated with aging.

3. Mrs. Greene has one son, David Greene. David has the power of
attorney to handle his mother’s health care and other personal
affairs. David works as a trial attorney in one of the city’s
largest and most prestigious law firms. He owns a large home in
an upscale neighborhood and works hard to put two of his
children through college and another one through medical
school. His home is about an hour’s drive from his workplace
and about 20 minutes from Shady Brook. David’s wife Barbara
has never been close to her mother-in-law and has not shown
much interest in her care. Hence, caring for his mother has
become a major responsibility for David, and he is having a
difficult time dealing with her declining health and the onset of
mild dementia. It is becoming increasingly more difficult for
David to leave his law practice or the court room to deal with
issues related to his mother.
Mrs. Greene’s husband was a very successful land developer
who left her with a substantial estate, which meets all of her
financial needs. After her husband passed away, Mrs. Greene
decided to remain in her home. She was able to maintain her
independence until she was 87 years old, when she began to
show signs of dementia. Shortly thereafter, David moved her to
Shady Brook. David also hired a part-time “sitter” to keep her
mother company because she was too weak to go out of her
room on her own. Mrs. Greene seems to enjoy the sitter’s
company and likes the attention she gets.
Upon entering Shady Brook, Mrs. Greene became depressed
over losing her independence and her home and felt a growing
frustration with forgetfulness. She gradually lost her appetite,
and her desire to eat continued to decline. On the other hand,
Mrs. Greene seems to enjoy the smell of certain foods. The
associates monitor and document her food intake and her facial
expressions when she is offered different foods. Mrs. Greene is
particularly fond of Susan Brown, a certified nursing assistant

4. (CNA), who sits with her and helps Mrs. Greene with whatever
little she can eat. When this occurs, her appetite shows some
improvement. Mrs. Greene also responds well to volunteers who
carry out activities at the facility.
Frustrated Family Member
Mrs. Greene has become too weak to eat on her own. When no
one is feeding her, she leaves most of her food on the tray.
Recently, she has sustained a weight loss of more than 5 pounds
per week. Her plan of care needs to be reevaluated, and her
situation needs immediate attention.
David has been visiting his mother quite regularly. Recently,
however, his visits have become less frequent, generally two to
three times per week. The associates who work on Mrs.
Greene’s nursing unit have reported some changes in David’s
attitude. At one time he became angry with his mother, raised
his voice, and spoke to her as if she were a bad child. Although
no one was present in Mrs. Greene’s room at the time, the
associates working at the nursing station heard David’s loud
voice. When the charge nurse went into Mrs. Greene’s room to
find out why David was angry, David told her that it was none
of her business. On David’s subsequent visits, the associates
observed that Mrs. Greene would become agitated during
David’s visits. These issues were brought to the charge nurse’s
attention, and they were documented in the patient’s medical
record.
The Dilemma
One day David approached the charge nurse and exclaimed that
his mother had expressed that she wished to die. On his next
two visits, David also told the CNAs that his mother’s desire

5. was not to eat anything so she could just die a quick death. This
was the first time the CNAs had heard that Mrs. Greene had
expressed a desire to die. The associates also believed that Mrs.
Greene appeared to be happier when David was not there.
Before the week was over, David came into the facility early in
the morning on his way to work. He handed a sealed envelope to
the incoming charge nurse on the day shift. The envelope was
addressed to Betty Wright, Shady Brook’s administrator. David
said to the charge nurse, “I have been telling you people that my
mother wishes a speedy death. Tell your administrator that I
will be filing a lawsuit if my mother’s wishes are not carried
out.” David left without visiting his mother.
Betty Wright decided to place the issue on the ethics
committee’s agenda for that same afternoon. As a safeguard,
Betty also notified the facility’s liability insurance carrier of
the potential legal action.
Meeting of the Ethics Committee
That afternoon, Betty met with members of the ethics
committee: chaplain, medical director, director of nursing,
charge nurse, social worker, two CNAs, and the local
ombudsman. Betty began the meeting with these remarks: “The
man’s mother has been declining rapidly and eats very little. He
wants his mother to die rather than prolong her suffering. I have
learned that the son is the heir to his mother’s estate, and my
overall concern is my trust in his decision or his motives. I
think he needs the money to pay for the college expenses for his
three children. Although it is not uncommon for some residents
to be ignored by family after they are admitted, it is rare that
they express the wish to enable the death of a relatively healthy
person.” The ethics committee is faced with the issue of what is
legally and ethically appropriate. The committee deliberates on

6. whether or not to comply with David’s request to withhold food
as well as the threat of a lawsuit.