Employee policies and procedures are descriptions of how all employees, regardless of job description or title, are expected to conduct themselves. Employee policies and procedures are typically developed by a company’s human resources (HR) department and distributed to all employees in the form of a handbook

Policies and procedures provide guidance, standardization and consistency in practices, and failure to comply places the nurse, patient and institution at risk. For example, the patient may be at risk of endangerment, while the nurse and institution may be subject to litigation if poor patient outcomes occur.

Employee Policies- Instructions

1) Prepare a paper on Patients’ Rights based upon the scenario below
2) Furthermore, repare an employee handbook addressing these issues. The handbook can be a separate Word Document.
Your group consists of the corporate leadership of a long-term care organization with operations in 32 states, primarily in the mid-west and deep south.

Case Example

After seven years of being under home-care for progressive Alzheimer’s disease your organization operates, Mrs. Dowd has been admitted to a LTC home, also part of your corporate portfolio. Upon visiting his wife one day, Mr. Dowd finds her walking hand-in-hand with a male resident. Staff report Mrs. Dowd has been observed following this male resident into his room, which is immediately next to hers.

Mr. Dowd becomes angry and states, “Look, it is your job to protect my wife. Get that man out of here right now. I don’t want her involved with any other man. That’s why I admitted her here.”

Firstly, what are some of the ethical issues in this case?

What do you recommend?

Is Mrs. Dowd able to understand and appreciate her actions with the male resident?

Does the staff also have an obligation to intervene to protect Mrs. Dowd?

Or at the request of Mr. Dowd? If Mrs. Dowd was capable (competent), would the responsibility of the LTC home staff remain the same?

Consider the experience of retired US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, described at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1576716/Judge-lost-husband-to-Alzheimers-and-love.html. Does this change your mind?

Additional Files