Scenario
A 70-year-old woman was living with her daughter. The neighbor called E.M.S. and the police because she could hear someone in the basement yelling and crying aloud for help. When the police arrived at the home, they listened to the noise and found no one was home. They attempted to go into the house when the daughter drove up. The police asked the daughter who was in the home; they noticed she was hesitant but finally allowed them to enter the home. When the police entered the house, they looked through the home and found that the yelling was coming from the basement. They obtained the key from the daughter; they found the mother locked in the basement. The daughter fed her food straight from a can, made her watch while others ate, pushed her, called her names, and kicked her. The police immediately contacted Adult Protective Services to meet them at the hospital. When they arrived at the hospital, the patient was severely dehydrated, malnourished, and had multiple bruises and contusions on her body.
Question: Based on this scenario, what are the ethical and legal implications that a nurse must comply with when providing care to a patient? How should this cycle of abuse be stopped?