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Determination of Decision-Making Capacity

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Geriatric Medicine

Abstract

Decision-making capacity is a central determinant of an older person’s ability to direct her care. When decision-making capacity exists, a patient or nursing home resident should engage fully in the process of informed consent to recommended treatment or diagnostic interventions. In addition, she may develop advance directives, refuse life-sustaining treatment, and exercise the personal freedoms guaranteed in our society. When decision-making capacity does not exist, however, the older person’s ability to exercise her autonomy or right to self-determination is severely compromised. Decision making often continues without the direct involvement of the mentally incapacitated person, usually by having either a family member or a designated proxy act as the surrogate decision maker.1

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Authors
  1. Robert Allan Pearlman
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Henry L. Schwartz Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, The Mount Sinai Medical Center, 10029-6574, New York, NY, USA

    Christine K. Cassel M.D. (Professor and Chairman) & Diane E. Meier M.D. (Associate Professor) (Professor and Chairman) &  (Associate Professor)

  2. Center for Study of Aging and Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Duke University Medical Center, 27710, Durham, NC, USA

    Harvey J. Cohen M.D. (Director) (Director)

  3. University of Washington Medical Center, 98195, Seattle, WA, USA

    Eric B. Larson M.D., M.P.H. (Medical Director) (Medical Director)

  4. Gerontology Division, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 02115, Boston, MA, USA

    Neil M. Resnick M.D. (Chief) (Chief)

  5. Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Sepulveda VA Medical Center, 91343, Sepulveda, CA, USA

    Laurence Z. Rubenstein M.D., M.P.H. (Director) (Director)

  6. Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, 60637, Chicago, IL, USA

    Leif B. Sorensen M.D. (Professor and Vice Chairman) (Professor and Vice Chairman)

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© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Pearlman, R.A. (1997). Determination of Decision-Making Capacity. In: Cassel, C.K., et al. Geriatric Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2705-0_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2705-0_16

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-2707-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-2705-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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