Elva, a 370-lb, 62-year-old woman, is in a nursing home after complications of diabetes and several small strokes. Although she has been overweight all her life, she now is at a weight where it is...

Elva, a 370-lb, 62-year-old woman, is in a nursing home after complications of diabetes and several small strokes. Although she has been overweight all her life, she now is at a weight where it is impossible to move her without a bariatric lift. Elva, however, refuses to be moved by it, claiming, “I’m not a piece of meat.” It is possible to transfer her to a chair using four or five of the staff. The administration, however, is worried that the staff could be injured while moving her physically. Her daughter insists that it is a violation of Elva’s dignity and an unnecessary compromise of her autonomy to submit her to “the indignity of the mechanical lift.” You are the supervisor of the unit. What ethical principles presented in this chapter can help you to assess what to do in this situation? What should you do?