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Ethical Standards and Practices in Human Services and Health Care for LGBT Elders

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Handbook of LGBT Elders

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Abstract

Understanding and working with a population as diverse as LGBT elders is not possible without a grounding in ethics and its application to real-world problems faced by the older adults and their families. Principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, fidelity, and veracity are critical for professionals to understand when confronting dilemmas that LGBT elders face. In this chapter, the authors use a case study to illustrate a real-world example of ethical and moral action. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a grounding in ethical principles and frameworks, as well as discuss pertinent codes of ethics, in order to make the case that an understanding of ethics is essential when dealing with the complex dilemmas that LGBT elders face.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Pamela B. Teaster

  2. University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA

    Amanda E. Sokan

Authors
  1. Pamela B. Teaster
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  2. Amanda E. Sokan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pamela B. Teaster .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA

    Debra A. Harley

  2. University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA

    Pamela B. Teaster

Appendices

Learning Activities (Both)

Self-Check Questions

  1. 1.

    What are ethical issues particular to older adults? How does being an LGBT elder increase the complexity of the issues?

  2. 2.

    Explain the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. Provide an example of when one principle contradicts another.

  3. 3.

    What is Tronto’s ethic of care?

  4. 4.

    What are components of the ethical codes described above that are similar in each? Different?

  5. 5.

    Why is understanding ethics important for healthcare and social services professionals?

Experiential Exercises

  1. 1.

    Identify a social worker and discuss with him or her an experience in which he or she worked with an LGBT elder and how the social work code of ethics helped or hindered the work.

  2. 2.

    Explore the ethical principle that you think most important and why.

  3. 3.

    What is your profession’s code of ethics? Explore its implications for how you will conduct your work.

Multiple-Choice Questions

  1. 1.

    Which of the following is not considered a universal ethical principle under principlism?

    1. (a)

      Autonomy

    2. (b)

      Beneficence

    3. (c)

      Confidentiality

    4. (d)

      Nonmaleficence

    5. (e)

      Justice

  2. 2.

    Which of the following statements about professional codes of ethics is not true?

    1. (a)

      Most professions have a code of ethics

    2. (b)

      Codes of ethics set accepted standards for behavior and practice

    3. (c)

      Codes of ethics reflect the core values of the profession

    4. (d)

      Codes of ethics have legal force/force of law

    5. (e)

      Codes of ethics provide an ethical framework for self-regulation

  3. 3.

    Ethics can be defined as ____________

    1. (a)

      Feel good factors people should consider

    2. (b)

      System of moral principles or values that provide rules of conduct

    3. (c)

      System of legal principles or values that provide rules of conduct

    4. (d)

      Universal principles that help regulate and understand individual or group behavior

    5. (e)

      Both b and d

  4. 4.

    The ethical theory that focuses on moral standards of behavior and what is good and right is ____________

    1. (a)

      Communicative ethics

    2. (b)

      Normative ethics

    3. (c)

      Utilitarian ethics

    4. (d)

      Consequential ethics

    5. (e)

      Ethical relativism

  5. 5.

    The ethical theory that focuses on the importance of negotiation in ethical conflict resolution is ____________

    1. (a)

      Communicative ethics

    2. (b)

      Normative ethics

    3. (c)

      Utilitarian ethics

    4. (d)

      Consequential ethics

    5. (e)

      Ethical relativism

  6. 6.

    ____________ is the ethical theory that emphasizes a balance of good than evil and the greater good for all.

    1. (a)

      Communicative ethics

    2. (b)

      Normative ethics

    3. (c)

      Utilitarian ethics

    4. (d)

      Consequential ethics

    5. (e)

      Ethical relativism

  7. 7.

    According to ________________, ethics should consider the impact of different cultures or notions of what is morally right or wrong.

    1. (a)

      Communicative ethics

    2. (b)

      Normative ethics

    3. (c)

      Utilitarian ethics

    4. (d)

      Consequential ethics

    5. (e)

      Ethical relativism

  8. 8.

    Tronto’s “Ethics of care” is an alternative ethical framework which is based on the premise that ____________

    1. (a)

      Caring for others is a human activity based on action and practice and not rules

    2. (b)

      Virtuous character leads to ethical acts

    3. (c)

      Ethics should consider experience and dimensions of meaning in addition to facts

    4. (d)

      Ethics should respect diversity of experience and the relativity of ethical situations

    5. (e)

      Ethics should consider shared meaning from the perspectives of participants themselves

  9. 9.

    Which of the following is not a true statement about the limitations of applying principlism to the field of aging?

    1. (a)

      It emphasizes individuals to the detriment of community

    2. (b)

      It considers the heterogeneity of older adults

    3. (c)

      It neglects such factors as context, circumstance, and agents to whom it is applied

    4. (d)

      It has a tendency to view relationships as adversarial

    5. (e)

      Strict application may result in undesirable results

  10. 10.

    In working with LGBT elders, health and social services professionals can apply ethics to ____________

    1. (a)

      Decision-making

    2. (b)

      Habilitation

    3. (c)

      Resource allocation

    4. (d)

      All of the above

    5. (e)

      a and b only

Key

  1. 1.

    c

  2. 2.

    d

  3. 3.

    e

  4. 4.

    b

  5. 5.

    a

  6. 6.

    c

  7. 7.

    e

  8. 8.

    a

  9. 9.

    b

  10. 10.

    d

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Teaster, P.B., Sokan, A.E. (2016). Ethical Standards and Practices in Human Services and Health Care for LGBT Elders. In: Harley, D., Teaster, P. (eds) Handbook of LGBT Elders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03623-6_34

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03623-6_34

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-03622-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-03623-6

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