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Ling, eighty-six, is a bed-bound resident in a nursing home. Although she has numerous physical difficulties, she has maintained strong mental faculties. She enjoys the company of her two daughters who visit regularly. Ling’s physician has just discovered that Ling has developed a lethal form of intestinal cancer and has only weeks, possibly a few months to live. Ling’s daughters beg the nursing home social worker not to tell Ling of her condition. They plan to visit Ling daily and want her to enjoy her time as best as she can. They feel that informing Ling about her cancer would only ruin her last days.
What should the social worker do? Should she inform Ling of her condition? What are the pros and cons of informing or not?