„Invisible ethics“ in palliative care for people with dementia
Authors:
Rastislav Ostríž 1; Alžběta Bártová 1; Iva Holmerová 2
Authors‘ workplace:
Studia dlouhověkosti, Fakulta humanitních studií, Univerzita Karlova, Praha
1; Centrum pro studium dlouhověkosti a dlouhodobé péče (CELLO), Fakulta humanitních studií, Univerzita Karlova, Praha
2
Published in:
Geriatrie a Gerontologie 2026, 15, č. 2: 67-70
Category:
Original Article
doi:
https://doi.org/10.61568/geri/50-6739/20260506/143564
Overview
Effective care provision for people with dementia requires staff capable of recognizing ethical challenges during care delivery to preserve the individuality of the person with dementia.
The aim of this article is to identify and structure ethical dilemmas and other emerging practical obstacles that arise during the provision of both general and specialized palliative care for people with dementia. A secondary objective is to provide insight into specific care situations and identify conflicts between ethical principles to facilitate their recognition in practice.
The dominant ethical conflict is the contradiction between the principle of autonomy and the principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence. It is shown that operational and organizational problems possess an inherent ethical dimension that can directly influence the patient’s quality of life in practice.
The analysis confirms that providing palliative care to people with dementia involves complex processes. In practice, these branch into specific situations that encounter the ethical interface of the services provided. The growing number of patients with dementia requires care teams to address ethical issues regularly. Only through open team discussion can care be established that is high-quality and respects the needs of every individual.
Keywords:
dementia – palliative care – ethics – ethical principles
Sources
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Labels
Geriatrics General practitioner for adults Orthopaedic prostheticsArticle was published in
Geriatrics and Gerontology
2026 Issue 2
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