Professional Standards Guiding Ethical Practice with the Elderly

In addition to the Code of Ethics for Nurses (ANA, 2001) and the ethical principles discussed above, other guides to ethical decision-making in the care of elderly patients include the American Nurses Association's position papers related to end-of-life care.

Additionally, there are standards of practice specifically designed to guide gerontological practice. "Standards reflect the level and expectations of care that are desired and serve as a model against which practice can be judged" (Eliopolis, 2001, p. 8). Standards of practice provide basic guides to practice. The ANA (2001) publication, Scope and Standards of Gerontological Practice (2nd Ed.), provides guidelines specific to gerontologic nursing care. To practice ethically, which includes advocacy responsibilities, the gerontology nurse needs to be familiar with the standards of practice, ethical principles, and the ethical code for nursing practice. Nurses practicing in other countries have recourse to their own codes of ethics, and in most cases, standards of practice provided by their nursing associations or government.