Alzheimer's Visit to the centre

Today's visit to the Alzheimer's centre was of particular significance, because we got to have a lengthy session with one of the patients, Mrs. Sheila.

This was a great opportunity in terms of learning and considering the ethical implications of our actions, because during the interaction it was important to be kind, considerate and take care not to offend or intimidate the patients.

Mrs. Sheila is in a very late stage of the disease; stage 3-4. During our session, the volunteers at the centre told her that we had come for a English class with her, as she was previously a English teacher and teaching is what she loved to do.
The first issue that arises here is however, whether it is okay to lie to old people, just to keep them happy. This is a significant aspect in terms of considering the ethical implications of our actions.

The second thing that most of our group were concerned about was the fact that, when Mrs. Sheila's driver came to pick her up, after only around 10 minutes of interaction with us, the volunteers told her that it was time to go home, and that she'd already finished the class. She seemed quite confused about the fact the class had lasted such a short time, and this is of quite significant concern, since this kind of thing can make someone in a condition such as hers more insecure.

After the visit we discussed this issue during our meeting, and felt that in a situation like this there really wasn't any right answer, because there are 2 sides to the argument. On the one hand, it is important to keep the patient happy, and also to ensure that she goes back home on time, but on the other hand, it is questionable whether lying is the best method to ensure this.

Overall, this was a good learning experience for us, and made us consider global issues in a wider way.