Living at Risk
Marta is a 73 year-old woman, living in her own apartment. She has early-stage dementia with non-insulin-dependent diabetes (requiring oral medications), mild renal impairment, obesity, and moderate COPD due to previous smoking history. Her son, Ivan, came to visit after a 10-month absence and was shocked by the state of her apartment. He found a charred saucepan on her stove, garbage that had not been taken out for weeks, a foul-smelling cat litter box, and moulding food in the fridge. He took Marta in to her family doctor to express his concerns about her living situation. Her family doctor completed an assessment that revealed, among other things, that Marta has not been taking her medication reliably and that she has deficits in executive functioning. After determining that Marta lacks decision-making capacity in the areas of health care and accommodation, the family doctor activated Marta’s Personal Directive in these domains. In her Personal Directive, Marta has named Ivan as her Agent...