Ethical considerations in the management of poststroke aphasia

From the onset of the first signs of stroke, patients are faced with a chain of events that requires quick decision-making to ensure that lifesaving care is administered. Considering that acute stroke is often associated with altered mental status and changes in cognitive-linguistic abilities, ethical dilemmas may arise when patients are unable to provide input in their own care and must rely on surrogate decision-makers to act on their behalf. Although the most critical, lifesaving decisions are made acutely, for the patients who go on to have residual chronic cognitive-linguistic deficits, loss of language, and/or impaired cognition may mean that a healthcare power of attorney or other proxy is needed to assist with medical decision-making. This chapter discusses ethical concerns surrounding the care of stroke survivors, with a focus on how poststroke cognitive-linguistic deficits can complicate this topic; clinical recommendations are provided.