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Author ORCID Identifier

0009-0009-1751-0334

Supervisors

Dr Martin Power, School of Health Sciences, University of Galway, Ireland

Abstract

Problem statement

Although therapeutic lying is used extensively as an intervention in dementia care, its use is ethically controversial, firstly, because lying is usually viewed negatively, and secondly, because people with dementia are an especially vulnerable cohort. It is claimed that therapeutic lying improves wellbeing and supports a person-centred approach to dementia care.

Research Question

Is lying to people with dementia ethically justifiable if it leads to improved care?

Aim

To investigate whether care can be improved using therapeutic lies, to explore the ongoing ethical debate around its justification and to examine whether therapeutic lies support person-centred interventions.

Method

This research is a narrative literature review that examined the use of therapeutic lies in dementia care and the ethical dilemmas. It investigated whether using therapeutic lies could improve delivery of person-centred interventions. The databases searched included JSTOR, ProQuest, EBSCO and Wiley. It included peer reviewed journal articles, books and information from websites supporting people with dementia.

Results

Many caregivers believe that therapeutic lying is justifiable if it is in the best interest of people with dementia. However, there are potential negative consequences as well as beneficial outcomes. Ethical debate is ongoing and unlikely to be resolved, resulting in a reluctance from management and professional bodies to support caregivers and provide guidance on the use of therapeutic lies. The practice has potential to be person-centred, but implementation is inhibited by reluctance to document interventions using therapeutic lies, lack of time and inconsistent team-based care.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21427/ehdg-r144

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