A Personal Response To End Of Life Care

Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Associate Justice of the U.S Supreme Court, is soon up for a vote to join their rankings. The article proceeds to mention a book that Judge Gorsuch wrote in 2006 and his stand-point on the matter of End-of-Life Care where he is against the idea. The article switches to the perspective of Dan Diaz, the husband of a patient who needed medical aid in dying after being diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. Diaz says that if Gorsuch would have been in his position at the time of his wife’s situation he would have a different outlook towards medical aid in

Advanced care directives are legal documents provided to physicians and health care workers with an outline containing preferences for the treatment at end of life. Patients often do not discuss their wishes regarding end-of-life care with family members or health care providers prior to the event of a serious illness or traumatic event. Educational interventions focus on raising awareness and providing patients with information on advance care planning.

Death is inevitable. It is one of the only certainties in life. Regardless, people are often uncomfortable discussing death. Nyatanga (2016) posits that the idea of no longer existing increases anxiety and emotional distress in relation to one’s mortality. Because of the difficulty in level of care for end-of-life patients, the patient and the family often need professional assistance for physical and emotional care. Many family caregivers are not professionally trained in medicine, and this is where hospice comes into play. Hospice aims to meet the holistic needs of both the patient and the patient’s family through treatment plans, education, and advocacy. There is a duality of care to the treatment provided by hospice staff in that they do not attempt to separate the patient’s care from the family’s care. Leming and Dickinson (2011) support that hospice, unlike other clinical fields, focuses on the patient and the family together instead of seeing the patient independent of the family. Many times in hospitals, the medical team focuses solely on the goal of returning the patient back to health in order for them to return to their normal lives. They do not take into account the psychological and spiritual components of the patient’s journey and the journey that the family must take as well. For treatment of the patient, Leming and Dickinson agree that hospice does not attempt to cure patients, and instead concentrates solely

As we study and learn more about the importance of end-of-life care and we also learn about the positive implications of advanced care planning on patients and families alike. Coping with terminal illness and declining health is difficult but having clear and frank discussions about patient and family desires early on allow health providers to focus on what matters most. This paper presents a real life end-of-life care scenario. It then identifies some of the barriers to family-centered care within the scenario and analyzes strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats present. Finally, scenario outcomes are examined and critiqued.

The beginning of life is celebrated. Books and resources are shared among friends and family in preparation for becoming a new parent. So, what happens as one approaches the end of life? Unfortunately, the same care and sharing rarely occurs in those circumstances and many face the prospect of dying unprepared. Though most people state they would prefer to die at home, this is often not where death occurs. Many Americans spend their last days attached to medical apparatus that keeps the body alive, but it does not allow for communication with family and often requires heavy sedation. Additionally, this level of treatment comes at a high price. As a society, we must become as comfortable in addressing the end of life process as we

The topic of end-of-life care may seem daunting and uncomfortable, and yet most individuals do have unique desires and concerns regarding their provision for the future. Providing the opportunity for that communication, the advance directive and POLST forms allow an individual to explicitly state their wishes before the future. Developed to lessen the apprehensions concerning patients undergoing any extensive and unwanted measures to preserve life at any cost, these medical directives lighten the decision-making burden for physicians and families alike and help comply with the patient’s utmost end-of-life wishes.

An Advance directive is a living will, which allows one to document their wishes concerning medical treatments at the end of life. Even though it’s optional, but all health care facilities are required by law to ask patients if they have one, and offer them the appropriate information, and documents to sign if they want it. There are two basic kinds of advance directives, living wills, and

This film explains the legal role of advance directives in end of life issues. An advance directive is “a written document directing how medical decisions are to be made in the future when the patient lacks decisional capacity and is unable to decide and choose” (Hanlon, End of Life Issues, Slide 28, Bullet 1). All three of the cases demonstrate the importance in filling out some form of directive. When there is nothing to go off of, it makes decisions extremely tough for families and medical providers. Having legal documentation of patient wishes helps understand what treatments they would or would not consent to. In cases like

Planning for end of life care for a loved one can be a very difficult process for some families. Knowing that you are going to lose a loved one and planning for how they will be taken care of can be quite stressful. End of life planning can be used in two different scenarios one of which is for terminally ill patients and the other is for the aging and elderly. Planning for end of life care can be quite expensive with all of the doctor visits and counseling’s. In Obama’s Affordable Care Act there is some hope for the elderly for paying for some of these expenses.

A person’s life can end at any age. They can depart quickly or slowly. End of life care, also known as palliative care, is the care of patients that are not only in their final hours or days but the patients with a terminal illness that has become incurable. End of life care takes into mind what the patient desires so it is recommended that they consider an advanced care plan also known as an advance directive and living will. These documents allow the patient to formulate decisions on the future of their care if, at any point, they cannot vocally express themselves.

It is noted that EOL care leads to different challenges for clinicians, patients, and to their families like pain management and suffering. However, the care of dying patient needs to be considered while the setting of physical, social, and psychological experiences of person’s life. Notably, those who need end-of-life care are old age people who are susceptible to loneliness who regularly underreport pain and those who have a greater understanding of drugs and with drug-drug interactions. Inopportunely, clinicians are liable for treatment of patients at EOL generally with lack of sufficient training, which helps in guiding end-of-life decisions that deliver bad news for families and patients (Almack et al., 2015).

Quality of Life and Functioning for End of Life Care. HAT2 Community Health Nursing. Western Governors University.

I have chosen to write about one of my service users who i was extremely close to and who has a special place in my heart, I had nursed Mrs Mc for 4years before her passing. Mrs Mc was an elderly lady who was 79yrs old when she passed away and sadly she had Korsakoffs which is a brain disorder associated with heavy alcohol consumption, people with this experience short term memory loss it is also knowing as “alcohol related dementia”.

End of life planning is important to avoid unneeded stress, and problems. It’s a way to let someone pass away with dignity. When a person wants to “die with dignity” they don’t want to have to go through invasive, far stretched treatments to prolong their life. Especially if these treatments aren’t guaranteed. Having a plan on what you want will help a person, and their family cope in the end.

End of life planning is of critical importance to everyone at an age that they typically care for themselves. Growing up, we have parents and/or caregivers that take care of us and make important decisions concerning medical intervention and healthcare. As we grow older and begin living independent lives, it is important to make sure that, given situations that we are unable to speak for ourselves, our personal wishes concerning these issues can, and will, be carried out. For me, being forty, it is important that planning is in place that will not only ensure the medical care I may want carried out during a health crisis, but also what financial plans, organ donation and funeral arrangements should be made upon my passing. This not only ensures my wishes, it also relieves any pressure and responsibility my family may feel dealing with the situation and makes it clear what I want done.