BCG Professional Ethics & Standards 5

Question 1

An ethics committee is consulted when a family insists on aggressive life-prolonging treatment for a nursing home resident with advanced dementia who has no advance directive. The committee's role is to:

Accepted Answer

Provide consultation, deliberation, and recommendations to guide decision-makers

Answer

Ethics committees serve an advisory and deliberative function; they do not override the authority of surrogates or clinicians but facilitate ethical analysis.

Question 2

In gerontological practice, 'therapeutic privilege'—withholding information from a patient to prevent psychological harm—is ethically:

Accepted Answer

Generally considered a violation of patient autonomy and truth-telling obligations

Answer

Modern bioethics largely rejects therapeutic privilege as paternalistic and inconsistent with respect for patient autonomy and informed consent.

Question 3

A gerontological social worker develops a close personal friendship with a former client's family member six months after case closure. This situation MOST likely represents:

Accepted Answer

A potential dual relationship that requires careful professional judgment

Answer

Post-termination relationships involve careful consideration of timing, vulnerability, and potential for exploitation—professional judgment is required.

Question 4

Palliative sedation for an older adult with refractory symptoms at end of life is MOST ethically justified using the principle of:

Accepted Answer

The doctrine of double effect combined with patient consent and proportionality

Answer

The doctrine of double effect permits an action with a harmful foreseeable side effect (reduced consciousness) when the intent is relief of suffering, the patient consents, and benefits are proportionate.

Question 5

Which of the following represents a mandatory reporting obligation for gerontological professionals in most U.S. states?

Accepted Answer

Reasonable suspicion of elder abuse in a licensed care facility

Answer

Most states mandate that licensed care facility staff report reasonable suspicion of elder abuse or neglect to Adult Protective Services or a designated agency.

(BCG) Board Certification in Gerontology Practice Test

(BCG) Board Certification in Gerontology Practice Test

BCG Professional Ethics & Standards 5