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The other day I was having a consult at the psychogeriatric ward of a local hospital. While we were discussing a CT scan of my father's brain, the psychiatrist mentioned that his ward was really aimed at reshaping disruptive behaviour -- like painting the bathroom with excrement -- of patients with dementia (pdf).
Thinking the conversation over, this sounds a bit like social engineering -- which makes me wonder: have other Soylentils been in a position where they've taken care of an elderly parent, and what psychological principles did you apply to moderate/shape behaviour?
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(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @01:00PM
> would you subject them to living with dementia?
This is what a health care proxy is for -- you write your own (perhaps with legal help) to tell your family what to do if you are unable to care for yourself. The more detail the easier it will be for your family to follow your wishes.
Two siblings I know were terribly distraught because their mother was too thoughtless to create a health care proxy. Through some rare fluke, the mother (in her 70s) went quickly from being healthy to being in a non-responsive coma. They went along with the health care system keeping her alive for ~6 weeks, but eventually made the heart rending decision to pull the plug on life support. The siblings may still feel some guilt for "killing their mother"...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 22 2016, @04:38PM
Just a minor correction, a health care proxy or HP-POA, allows people to make decisions for you, it does not make it so your actual wishes are carried out. In order to do that, you need a separate document called an "Advanced Directive," "Advanced Healthcare Directive," or "Living Will," depending on the particular state you are in.