Try: Euthanasia is the consensual termination of the individual’s life the term usually refers to active action to end the individual’s life such as lethal injection euthanasia is illegal in the united states even if the individual consents a person who participates in euthanasia is potentially liable for homicide however euthanasia is legal in the netherlands is a debated by advocates in the united states euthanasia is generally done for patients who are too ill or unable to take lethal medications on their own otherwise they would not elect physician assisted suicide individuals demonstrating a desire to end their life should be examined by a medical professional for safety concerns information references

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Legal, Medical Physical

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Keywords: End of life planning mental capacity

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Assisted suicide refers to helping another individual end his or her life generally the act involves a physician or some person supplying the individual drugs or medication to end their own life the individual then takes the medication without assistance from anyone else assisted suicide is illegal in all states except oregon and washington individuals who assist someone with suicide where it is illegal are often guilty of a serious crime and can be charged with manslaughter elderly individuals who are severely ill may request assistance with ending their life it is important determine if mental illness or depression is the major reason for the elderly person wanting to end his or her life the elderly person’s capacity must be assessed before this decision can be made in addition it is important to know and understand the individual’s reasons for wanting to terminate his or her life information references

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Legal, Medical Physical

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Keywords: End of life planning mental capacity

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Due to the prevalence of dementia and the side effects of strokes most mentally incapacitated persons are elderly however an individual should not be considered incapacitated just because he or she is old state laws rest on a presumption that adult individuals are legally competent the presumption can be overcome by a court declaring incompetency only a court can make a determination regarding legal capacity a person must be found to be incapacitated for a guardian to be appointed although definitions vary from state to state the general idea is that the incapacitated individual is unable to make informed decisions thus the laws focus on a functional deficiency with the person not on status or condition old age currently the accepted view is that each individual has several different levels of capacity however guardians should only be appointed for individuals who lack mental capacity physical incapacity alone is not grounds for the appointment of a guardian information references

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Legal, Medical Physical, Some Supervision, Maximum Supervision, Fully Aware, Somewhat Aware

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Keywords: Capacity medical decisions cognitive

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: If the Care recipient (cr) becomes incapacitated he or she cannot make medical decisions even though there are several options to plan with many individuals fail to make an advance directive or appoint a surrogate decision maker in the event of incapacity due to this most states have passed surrogate decision maker laws these laws identify who is appointed as a surrogate if the cr is incapacitated the law creates a list of people and an order of priority for appointed decision makers generally the spouse is first on the list followed by children after these groups laws vary widely grandchildren siblings parents extended family and even close friends can be on the list additionally if there are multiple people at a level a vote may have to be taken for example if the cr has no spouse and three children they may have to vote on the medical treatment it truly depends on the state law the hospital or healthcare facility should be aware of the law and knowledgeable of the process overall to avoid the uncertainty of the process have the cr consult an attorney to prepare his end of life planning information references

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Legal, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Capacity legal healthcare decisions

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Advance health care directives are written directives that give direction or guidance to the care recipient’s cr’s medical care in the event that the cr is mentally incapacitated the caregiver should be knowledgeable of any legal documents relating to the cr’s capacity or end of life treatment to be legally valid and enforceable advance directives must meet a few basic requirements state laws generally require the document be in writing and signed by the cr the signing should be witnessed by two disinterested parties although not required by some states it is best to have the document notarized if the cr has any questions regarding end of life documents be sure to have him consult legal representation information references

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Legal, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Capacity legal healthcare treatment decisions

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Denial is an unconscious process in which the individual "denies" or refuses to acknowledge that a situation exists denial can be used to cope with many things but among the elderly denial is often used defense used to cope with growing older denial is all right in moderation because it allows Care recipient (cr) to continue to function and feel useful although usually not a problem with minor issues denial becomes harmful when it affects the cr’s health or well-being denial can often keep the cr from accepting reality if the cr refuses to accept reality he can make poor decisions for example the cr may not acknowledge a deteriorating condition and refuse treatment if denial becomes a serious issue with the cr consult the cr’s physician or therapist information references

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Communication, Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Mental communication communication

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: The Care recipient (cr) must consent to most medical treatments determining if the cr has the mental capacity to consent to treatment can be a difficult process in order to have the capacity to consent to treatment the cr must understand the information presented to him understand the consequences of the supplied information be able to understand and weigh the pros and cons of the proposed treatment and be able to give a meaningful answer to the question in determining capacity it must be decided if the cr has the mental capacity to make an informed choice that is based on rational reasons or on generally accepted personal values as part of capacity crs must be able to process the information they are presented with obviously many individuals cannot completely understand the complex information presented by healthcare providers however the cr needs a basic understanding of the information unfortunately there is no one test to determine capacity if capacity is at issue it is best to consult with a physician even then it still can be difficult to determine capacity information references

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Health capacity medical decisions

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: Normally the Care recipient (cr) determines his medical treatment however if the cr cannot give consent because of a lack of capacity someone must make the decision on medical care one solution is to appoint a guardian for the cr to have a guardian appointed a guardianship petition must be filed in a court the court will then hold a hearing to determine if the cr is actually incapacitated if the cr is found to be incapacitated the court will appoint a guardian to make medical decisions for the incapacitated individual with most medical decisions the guardian will decide the appropriate actions with some decisions such as removal of life sustaining treatment the guardian may be required to gain court approval this requirement can vary based on the jurisdiction information references

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Medical capacity surrogate

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: The ability to make informed decisions is essential to medical treatment if the Care recipient (cr) suffers from diminished capacity he may be unable to give informed consent to medical decisions mental capacity refers to the ability of a cr to make decisions based upon a competent perception of reality in general the law will presume that adults have appropriate mental capacity however evidence of incapacity can be used to overcome the presumption for caregivers it is probably most important to decide what level of comprehension is necessary to consent to medical treatment capacity is a complex issue because it is difficult to determine while a cr who is unconscious and in a coma is obviously incapacitated most crs have at least some level of capacity information references

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Mental health capacity medical

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

Try: There there’s no clear-cut reason why an individual may be shakier than another but two major health conditions have shakes tremors and unsteadiness as symptoms parkinson parkinson’s disease parkinson parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that leads to shakiness limited walking ability and poor coordination the majority of people who develop parkinson parkinson’s are over the age of 50 this disease affects around two out of every 1 000 people in some cases a family may have a history of parkinson parkinson’s and can develop symptoms at a younger age however when seniors develop parkinson parkinson’s the cause is usually not family history the cause is usually not known the reason parkinson parkinson’s causes shaking is because nerve cells that control movement are slowly destroyed as nerve cells are destroyed a person person’s muscles receive fewer or no movement signals proper movement functions are lost and in an effort to control muscles the body shakes parkinson parkinson’s symptoms are managable if detected early but there is no known cure for the disease essential tremor essential tremor is a movement disorder essential tremor can appear in young people but is far more likely to affect older adults the first sign is usually a tremor or shakiness in the hands essential tremor can start very gradually and progress to other areas of the body most of the time these tremors only occur when someone is trying to complete a voluntary movement like writing or holding a cup very fine motor movements such as the ones used to thread a needle or hammer a nail are the hardest for people with essential tremor during rest periods the tremors can vanish completely a person can have a mild case of essential tremor for their whole life and it may not affect them much some people develop essential tremor later in life and may become severe over time essential tremor is not a disease that always leads to serious complications it is more manageable but for the people experiencing essential tremor the shakiness can be frustrating differences between parkinson parkinson’s and essential tremor essential tremor usually occurs when someone is in the process of moving to do a task parkinson parkinson’s shakes occur most of the time even when the body is at rest parkinson parkinson’s often comes with other health issues a person with essential tremor shakes at times but is otherwise healthy although both conditions can cause emotional and mental stress essential tremor can cause shakiness in the head and voice parkinson parkinson’s rarely does link between essential tremor and dementia some research has found a link between essential tremor and dementia the american academy of neurology found that people with essential tremor are more than two times as likely to develop dementia as people without the condition hopefully this research will lead to better and earlier care for people with dementia other causes of shakes and tremors elder abuse alcohol abuse alcohol and other drug withdrawls including prescription medication withdrawals or incorrect dosing elderly depression bi-polar disorder parkinson parkinson’s disease information references adapted from jennifer chait 2011 "what causes shakiness in elderly " available at

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Categories: Cognitive Intellectual, Emotional Psychological, Maintenance, Medical Physical

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Keywords: Shakiness shakes tremors unsteadiness shaky hands dementia

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed