WHAT?
The term “best interest” refers the practice of making decisions aiming to be more objective to the patient rather than being based on individual perception (The British Psychological Society, 2007). During my placement in an a residential home, I was asked to look after Mr Thomas, a 75 year old man who has dementia characterised by short-term memory. Although he had the mental capacity to consent to his stay in the residential home, he was not aware of his dementia.
According to the clinicians, Mr Thomas’ poor short-term memory was most likely the result of excessive alcohol intake. I was asked to assist the patient to the garden and he asked me if I could provide him with a tin of beer. Although the staff at the residential home asked the patient to only drink moderate amount of alcohol, this has proved futile. Moreover, he was allowed to visit a pub within a walking distance from the residential home
SO WHAT? NOW WHAT?
…show more content…
I furthermore explained to him that his community mental nurse confirmed during a best interest meeting that excessive alcohol intake was likely to lead to the deteriorating of his dementia and reduced his life expectancy. The residential home manager considered a new care plan that would prevent Mr Thomas from leaving the home without an escort with the belief that this would be in his best interest. A best interest meeting was requested by the client’s daughter who was concerned that restrictions to his father’s alcohol intake would be tantamount to his deprivation of liberty. However, the Mental Capacity Act (2007) states that one could be deprived of his liberty if it is necessary to prevent the patient’s condition from degenerating. However, due to the demand of his daughter, it was finally agreed that the client would still be able to visit the pub with an escort and drink in