<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com<o:p></o:p>
Long time no post! lol<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Anyway, have just started a new job as a support worker and this is a question that is occasionally floated about and rekindled by watching 'Half Ton Mom' on Channel4 as well;
<o:p></o:p> Where is the line between Free Will and Caring?
<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
For example if somebody you are caring for is morbidly obese yet wishes to carry on eating high fat food and not to exercise. As a carer you have to make sure they are not a danger to themselves or anyone else, which if this behavior is long term certainly could danger them, but that is their choice and don't we have to respect that?
<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Or one that could come up; if someone wishes to self harm - do we have a right to stop them?
<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Just wondering what people's thoughts are :)<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Jen xxx<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Last edited by Jenner : 05-01-2008 at 01:37 AM.
Reason: some werid html stuff at top, sorry!
Don't dare to be different. Dare to be yourself.
If that dosen't make you different. Then something is wrong.
I think its really the persons choice, you cant force someone to do something they dont want to, it has to be their choice, no matter what happens though thier choice, you are not responsible for it.
Sometimes you can force people to get help (depending on what it is) ie if someone has a ed and is getting dangerously underweight then you have a right to force help upon them. In some circumstances it is right to do so, because you care and dont want that person to suffer or destroy themselfs.
Sometimes you cant do this though and have to leave it up to that person to make their own choices.
"Its not how long a star shines, what is remembered is the brightness of the light"
it is only free will if you are doing it to yourself without input from anyone else. with regards to morbidly obese people who are bedridden, the people who are feeding them are not caring for them. they are killing them. if someone cannot get their own food then they have no control over what they eat. if their carer brought them salad and freshveg then they would either eat it or not. there wouldnt be any other option.
i cannot understand how people get so disgustingly obese. i mean, you cant do anything, you stink and have no pleasures in life. so why dont they do anything about it?
^because they get into a cycle of overeating and by the time they realise how serious the problem is they have little/no willpower to change their situation.
There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you.
But there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself.
I aint no abacus but you can count on me.
I watched that half-ton mum thing.And I know she was bed-ridden due to an accident which is sad and all. But I don't think its right to allow herself to eat herself to death. I also dont think its fair on her children either.
It's like would you let a terminal cancer patient smoke in a hospital?
I know people do, but its not right.
Even in America with private healthcare its not right. But if it was Great Britain with the NHS, its downright selfish. I'm all for the morbidly obese and smokers having to pay more for their healthcare.Unless of course the overweight person is formally diagnosed with COE and BED, and maybe the smoker should be offered free support groups to help them stop.
I know people have rights over their own bodies, but at what point do they stop? If I jumped off a bridge, thats suicide, if I drank a litre of bleach the same. Yet if I stuffed myself with food till my insides gave out, how is that different? its just the timescale.
I think you can do your best to make them see sense, but you can't force them to stop.
You can just give them the facts, give them your opinion and the rest is up to them
Tonight I'm alive just to say I love you to death.
it is only free will if you are doing it to yourself without input from anyone else. with regards to morbidly obese people who are bedridden, the people who are feeding them are not caring for them. they are killing them. if someone cannot get their own food then they have no control over what they eat. if their carer brought them salad and freshveg then they would either eat it or not. there wouldnt be any other option.
i cannot understand how people get so disgustingly obese. i mean, you cant do anything, you stink and have no pleasures in life. so why dont they do anything about it?
I can see where you are coming from but as a carer you have to respect your client's autonomy. You are there to help people maintain independence or regain it and you must offer them a choice. The idea is to promote health, give advice etc, but at the end of the day it is one of a clients/patient's etc basic human right's to make their own decisions. So if a carer or any health care proffesional were to force someone to do something then they would be an awful carer and would most likely lose their job.
Put it this way. If you were in hospital or in your own home in my care and I gave you no choice as to what you were going to eat or do you'd be pretty pissed off, esdpecially if it was something you disliked. And I would not be caring for you properly.
The only exception to this in a health care related situation is when your under a section.
Last edited by Lady Lazarus : 19-01-2008 at 06:16 PM.
Reason: adding extra
i don't think there should be any difference between under eating and overeating
someone's not going to be happy if you express your concern for them eating too much
and someone's not going to be happy if you express your concern for them eating too little
if they can't help themselves then you should be there to support them and to help them acknowledge unhealthy behaviours.
to a certain extent you can't force anyone to change but in certain circumstances you really need to step in
You put what i was thinking in to a much better way than i could
It's like would you let a terminal cancer patient smoke in a hospital?
Surely, if it's terminal, they should be able to smoke as they're going to die anyway, so might as well try to enjoy it? Unless you're talking about INSIDE a hospital which wouldn't be allowed, regardless, due to the stupid smoking ban.
