Programska knjižnica 9. Lošinjskih dana bioetike - Hrvatsko ...

BIOETHICAL ASPECTS OF SENILITY
“When kindness aligns with wrinkles – it is charming.
There is one unspeakable sunrise in the happy aging.”
(William Hazlitt)
Man has always been trying to make himself immortal, or at least he
wondered to what maximum extent his life can be prolonged. Aging is a
complex process which begins at birth and lasts throughout the life, causing
a range of changes in our body. The number of old people is constantly
increasing, especially in the developed countries. Gerontology is the
study of social, psychological and biological aspects of aging, as opposed
to geriatrics, which is the branch of medicine that studies the disease of
the elderly. The characteristic flaw of modern societies – ageism – is actually
incorrect treatment or deprivation of certain rights because of the
years of age, conducted either by the individual or the organization. Basic
components of ageism are prejudices, stereotypes and discrimination. Old
age represents wide spectrum of action of a medical worker, in which the
chosen doctor (family doctor) undertakes the leading role, trying to provide
maximal support to the elderly in preserving their vitality and activity. Basic
ethic values oblige medical worker to develop and improve his ethical
conscience and to adhere to and conduct basic ethic principles, always and
exclusively with the aim of preserving man’s health and life. The illustrated
examples which point out to possible bioethical dilemmas regarding
the old patients (patient who is dying – euthanasia, announcing bad news,
dignity, informed consent, patient’s will and autonomy, geriatric syndrome,
etc.) are shown instead of the conclusion.
96