Speaking to a loved one about end of life decisions is never easy, and in most cases is not discussed until someone has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. When a loved one is faced with a poor prognosis, the family is confronted with important decisions on how to provide end of life care for them. The nurse can be instrumental in helping the patient and family decide whether they want to stay in the hospital, or go home for their final days. Helping the family set up an advanced directives is important so the family is aware of the patient’s wishes in the event that they can no longer make their own decisions. It also reduces any anxiety that the family members may be feeling if the patient has their wishes laid out for them to follow.
Being compassionate is one of the most important traits a CENA must have. In the work place, a CENA may work in many saddening settings which may include working with the terminally ill and the elderly. In order for the aide to give the most effective care to the resident or patient, he or she must want to help. They would treat the patient as if it was their own family in this kind of predicament. They must have the passion to help others to get back to their everyday lives or for some, help them learn to live with their illness.
Sometimes in most cases a particular family member is trained by nurses to provide hands on care, and to supervise the patient around the clock. Many patients in hospice have been discharge to either home or nursing home if the disease goes into remission meaning if the cancer(s) somehow have subsides. Hospice was not designed to end hope for the patient or their family but to make the expected/unexpected death as comfortable and peaceful as possible. Hospice is not only for the elderly and cancer patients but it is for the young, the chronically ill. Hospice has a huge impact on our health care system the life expectancy is increasing tremendously. This is statement released by a group of physicians who did a research study on hospice.
It helps people to live as well as possible while they manage their illness. Palliative care concentrates on maintaining quality of life by controlling physical symptoms, such as pain or sickness. It also looks at the emotional, social or spiritual needs that people may have. It supports both the person who is dying and their carers and family. Nurses provide education that will assist clients to understand, comply with cancer management regimens; and cope with the effects of cancer and related treatment.
Emotional support for Mr. Thomas may help with his depression, and make him feel better about caring for his wife during her illness. Emotional support for their two children may help encourage more time spent with the whole family, and hopefully getting all of the family members more comfortable with the disease process that really effects every member of the family, not just Mrs. Thomas. The second strategy is to provide medication teaching for Mrs. Thomas. With end-of-life medications, there can be a lot, and it can be very confusing and quickly become overwhelming. Each medication needs to be written out, explained what it is for, how it works, how fast it’s going to work, and when to take it.
This is why, most home health programs have standard health protocols, plans of care, interventions and routine evaluation measures to assist people suffering from moderate and severe dementia of late onset. But early onset Alzheimer’s disease affects people who are most likely young, employed, physically robust, sexually active and who have different leisure interests than their elder peers. Chaston D. (2010) suggests that: “numerous barriers continue to prevent younger adults with dementia accessing support and services. Their voices are not heard and their needs overlooked, often because nurses and other health professionals fail to recognise that dementia exists in this age group.” So, to make sure young individuals affected by dementia get the home care they need, “Care for memories initiative’s” focus is to create a comprehensive home care program for families whose first degree relative has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Within this program, where the expertise of various professionals will be required, people suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s disease will be followed up regularly and according to their needs.
With the patient who had the hemorrhagic our personal and societal values toward the quality of life should be considered. Quality of life is not guaranteed for this patient, it is up to the patient’s family to make the decision on the outcome of the patient’s life. Personal values include religious beliefs. Most of the time religious beliefs are the main determinant in end-of-life care. It is about keeping the patient comfortable in end-of-life care.
PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE, for or against it? Physician assisted suicide (PAS) is a physician providing medication or other sorts of treatment/interventions with the knowledge and understanding that the patient intends to use these medications in order to end their life. Arguments for and against physician assisted suicide have shown to be both very strong. Although at times the issues brought up may seem to be old or very similar and even repetitive, new ideas and concerns constantly are emerging. Many states throughout the United States of America have continuously tried to legalize it, and Oregon, Washington and Montana being successful in that endeavor.
Litigations related to hospital falls is growing in both frequency and severity; hospital administrators are in a quandary on how to reduce patient falls. Based on best practices and literature reducing falls in an acute hospital setting benefit from multifactorial fall prevention programs focusing on falls in an acute care setting that result in patient injury or even worse, death. Private and governmental agencies such as The
This document is important because it helps your family members by relieving them of tough decisions about your life and health. It also helps your healthcare provider. "In order to obtain a living will, you must have a certificate from your doctor, that you are not suffering any mental illness, and that you are of sound mind when you make end of life decisions." With that said, what happens when you don't have a terminal illness, but you are unconscious and are not able to make decisions for yourself? What happens then?