The average patient is in hospice 59 days. Hospice is for those who are terminally ill, who can no longer take care of themselves and their families are unable to help, and it is also for the cancer patients when chemotherapy and other drugs are at its end and are enable to fight the disease. The decision of hospice is decided by the patient, family and physician. Hospice services are provided by a group of professionals who works as a team to develop the best care plan for the patients as well as their families; those professionals include: Nursing services, physician participation, medical social services, counseling, Pastoral or spiritual bereavement counseling (for family up to one year after patients death), dietary, home health aide services, medications, medical equipment, other medical supplies, laboratory and other diagnostic studies related to terminal illness. Therapy (physical, speech,
To optimize patient and family outcomes during resuscitation, nurses who are confident of their abilities in managing family presence can be assigned to code teams, rapid response teams, and family care during resuscitations. In the same way, nurses who favor family presence and are confident of their ability to manage the practice may act as role models for novice nurses, mentor experienced nurses, teach family presence at the bedside, serve on code teams, and lead change in units that do not practice family presence during resuscitation. (p. 109) Ultimately, much more work is needed in regards to family presence during resuscitation efforts. As the study showed, nurses are all doing something different based on the level of self confidence they demonstrate. Research, with the institution of policies and procedures will be key factors in the advancement of family presence during resuscitation efforts.
The palliative team may consist of the doctors, nurses, councilors, social workers, dieticians, clergy, therapist and trained volunteers. “Palliative care addresses the emotional, physical, practical, and spiritual issues of cancer” (Arthur Unknown, 2010). However, considering that the breast cancer has metastasized to the lungs, and no further treatment options are viable, a hospice evaluation appears to be warranted. Hospice, like palliative care includes the same interdisciplinary team members. “Hospice care is a form of palliative care that is given to a person when cancer therapies are no longer controlling the disease.
Hospice care provides medical services, emotional support, and spiritual resources for people who are in the last stages of a serious illness, such as cancer or heart failure. Hospice care also helps family members manage the practical details and emotional challenges of caring for a dying loved one. The goal is to keep you comfortable and improve your quality of life. Hospice services usually include: Basic medical care with a focus on pain and symptom control. Access to a member of your hospice team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
End of Life Care Krissy Torkelson OKWU End of Life Care As a person grows older the thought of death and dying begins to be more realistic. Everyone wants to be cared for properly when they are nearing the end of their life. Same for family members, they want their loved ones to be cared for with no suffering. By recognizing certain behaviors and being intuitive to the patient’s spiritual beliefs healthcare providers can help a family and a patient deal with the end of life. When someone is dying there are legal concerns that a nurse must keep in mind when caring for the patient.
Most people wonder how they’re going to die; peacefully of natural causes, or by something outside of their control. Hospice care and assisted suicide both deal with matters of dying, and your own personal choice in how you want to die. Deciding on how you want to die is a very personal decision that many people have to make at some point. Hospice care provides medical care, emotional support, and spiritual resources for people who are in the last stages of a serious illness like cancer or heart failure and are about to die. Hospice care also aids the family of the person dying by helping them come to emotional terms of a family member dying.
Skills in how to communicate effectively with both the pediatric patient and their parents are important for a nurse to foster to maintain good therapeutic relationships. Person centred care becomes family centred care when babies and children are the patients. The dependent nature of the patient increases the need for parental responsibility and advocacy for the child. It is important for all members of the family to be taken into account when nursing a pediatric patient, especially the primary caregivers and siblings. Chochinov, 2007 (cited in Cornwell & Goodrich, 2009), states simply that compassion is ‘a deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it.’ Pediatric patients and their families are highly sensitive to the compassionate nature of health care professionals and a successful therapeutic relationship with them depends on the sensitive, compassionate care offered by the nurse.
Quality of Life and Functioning The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics states several behaviors that are expected in the provision of healthcare, including allowing patients the right to autonomy and treating all patients equally and with respect. Along those same lines, nurses are expected to be aware of their own values and morals, and exhibit moral self-respect. Additionally, nurses must uphold their responsibility to act as patient advocates, be committed to the care of their patients, and must work with the interdisciplinary team to ensure that patients are receiving the most efficient and effective care possible (“Code of Ethics,” 2010). A. Personal Perceptions Caring for terminally ill patients can be a daunting task for all involved, whether it is for the patient, friends or family, or the nurse or other clinicians.
Facility administrators need to establish a balance between providing a safe environment, while at the same time providing each resident with opportunities for choice, control, and individuality (Kane & Kane, 2001). The staffing levels of professional nurses in a nursing home are not as high as that of a hospital; however, nursing homes have registered nurses on duty that perform assessments, administer medications, perform treatments, and interact with families and physicians, to name some of their many responsibilities. Nursing home residents often become ill. In 1997, there were 1,465,000 nursing home residents and 2.1 million elderly nursing home discharges due to hospitalization and death in the United States (Gabrel, 2000). When a resident is observed to have a condition change, the nurse performs an assessment and makes a decision whether or not to notify the physician and the resident’s family or guardian.
(2010). Determinants of complicated grief in caregivers who cared for terminal cancer patients. Supportive care in cancer, 18(10), 1321-1327. Eppler, C. (2008). Exploring themes of resiliency in children after the death of a parent.