Case Review
Dignity Denied: Systemic Bias and Family Strain in End-of-Life Care
This case presentation explores the complex end-of-life care journey of a 31-year-old woman with alcohol-induced liver failure. It highlights the interplay of systemic bias, complex family dynamics, and moral distress among providers, and how that created barriers to patient-centered decision-making. The discussion will examine the difficulty of aligning aggressive treatment with poor prognosis, the emotional burden on family caregivers, and missed opportunities for earlier integration of palliative care. Emphasis will be placed on ethical dilemmas, interdisciplinary strain, and strategies for fostering trust and communication in high-conflict family systems.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the ethical and clinical challenges in determining appropriate care pathways for young adults with substance use-related end-stage organ failure.
- Analyze how complex family dynamics and mistrust of healthcare providers influence end-of-life decision-making and delay transitions to comfort-focused care.
- Demonstrate effective strategies to engage interdisciplinary teams in initiating values-based care planning when palliative and hospice services are initially declined or resisted.
About The Speaker –
Jenny Adamo serves as Lead Lifespan Navigator at Banister Advisors, where she has worked since Fall 2021. With over 20 years of experience in social work, Jenny brings deep expertise in elder care and planning, end-of-life experiences, complex medical navigation, mental health, trauma, substance use, adoption and foster care, school and early childhood systems, and military life transitions. She is known for her ability to guide individuals and families through high-stakes, emotionally charged situations with clarity, compassion, and a strong systems approach.
Jenny holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California, with a concentration in Mental Health and a sub-concentration in Geriatrics, and a Bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Development with a concentration in Child Development from California State University, Northridge. She is credentialed as an Advanced Care Planner, a Board Certified Patient Advocate, and a certified End-of-Life Doula. Originally from Southern California, Jenny spent 13 years moving across the country with her family and feels deeply connected to communities nationwide.