Obtaining informed consent from continuing care residents: Issues and recommendations

As the number of older adults residing in continuing care facilities increa ses, mental health professionals will provide more services and conduct mor e research in this setting. Mental health professionals working with contin uing care residents will find themselves regularly challenged by ethical is sues, particularly obtaining informed consent. Characteristics of the conti nuing care setting and residents make obtaining informed consent especially challenging. Mental health professionals must overcome these challenges in order to fulfill the following three requirements of informed consent: (1) the client is competent, (2) the client is provided with sufficient inform ation, and (3) the client has not been coerced and/or the consent is volunt ary. This article will examine the issues surrounding the fulfillment of th ese requirements in a continuing care facility, and will provide suggestion s and guidelines that mental health professionals can utilize during the in formed consent process.