loran

thanks for getting me started :-) much appreciated

i have a senario and if anyone could help me i'd be glad to hear from you!!!! Mrs Smith believed that she wanted everything to be done to keep her alive and her children supported this. When she developed advanced dementia from multiple strokes she became unable to walk, talk or feed due to diminished swallowing. She was being nourished through a percutaneous gastric feeding tube (PEG) which she had pulled out numerous times which was then replaced by a nasogratric tube which she had also pulled out on many occasions. The family felt compelled to respect their mother's wishes for treatment to keep her alive and requested that the nursing staff restrain their mother by tying her hands so that she couldn't pull out the PEG/nasogastric tube. The restraints caused Mrs Smith great emotional distress but without them she would not get enough nutrition. The nurses felt that restraint violated their obligation to threat their patient with respect and dignity. Outline the ethical issues in this scenario from both the patient's and the nurses' perspectives. thanks :-)