Vera is a woman with Alzheimer's disease who is quite confused and who lives in a private hostel. She wants to spend the day at the races, as this has always been her favourite past time. She asks Karen, who works at the hostel, to help her call a taxi. Karen is not confident that Vera can cope with this outing safely and is afraid that Vera will get confused and disorientated at the races. She discusses her concerns with Vera who becomes quite annoyed with Karen, saying that it is her life, she is not a child and she has the right to make her own decisions and take her own risks. Karen accepts what Vera has said and calls a taxi.

1. Should Karen have called the taxi?
2. How could Karen balance Vera's rights to make her own decisions and take her own risks (by attending the races) with the need to protect her from disorientation and confusion (and free of harm)?