This title was first published in 2001. Much discussion takes place concerning the nature of the relationship between nurses and older people in hospital and there have been many concerns expresses in United Kingdom policy documents about the quality of care for older people in hospitals.

1: Introduction; 2: Autonomy - A Health Care Perspective; 3: Philosophical Foundations; 4: 'Seeing' Autonomy in Practice; 5: Communicative Style; 6: Power and Control; 7: 'Speaking for you or Speaking for me?'; 8: Context, Expertise and Identified Principles for Action; 9: Autonomy as Authentic Consciousness; 10: The Nurse as Facilitator of Authentic Consciousness; 11: Limitations, Implications and Aspirations