b'| ELITEHEALTH GUIDEHow to Provide Autonomy and Quality of Life for Elderly PatientsProviding answers for sensitive questionsBy Sarah KaminskiI n as little as a year, 60% of hospital patients are expected to be 65 or older. PATIENT AUTONOMY: A BURNING ISSUENaturally, we hail the medical and technical advancements thatAs medical workers, we are taught to respect and even fight for will make this possible and applaud the longevity we, as a species,patient autonomy: their right to make their own decisions about their have achieved. At the same time, we have to face an important fact: thiscare, even when we disagree.stat will require medical workers and healthcare systems in general toThis is a challenge when dealing with any patient, but even more so adopt a new approach to patient care. when faced with elderly patients whose decision-making capacities How can we learn to focus on quality of life in our elderly patientsmay be diminished to a certain extent. In such situations, these deci-(whose number is so rapidly increasing), ensuring their autonomy andsions are often referred to members of the immediate family, which contentment? locks us in struggles with several voices, all often demanding differ-ISTOCKWhere does the medicine end and quality of life begin? ent manners of care.www.elitecme.com |2019| ELITEHEALTH GUIDE 9'