Argumentative Essay On Hospice

The aim of a hospice is to improve the quality of life of the dying

Nurses in specialty care continue to change the health care system to meet the needs of patients regardless of the setting. Hospice and palliative care is an area of nursing specialty care that has grown since the 1970s when it began (Cowen and Moorhead, 2011). Leaders in nursing identify change that is needed and discover ways to make the changes possible. The leadership in nursing brought forth attention for patients with terminal illness. Nurses defined hospice and palliative care, developed core principles, practices, provided education and then pushed for the care to be available in multiple settings (Cowen and Moorhead, 2011). The continued growth in this specialty area of nursing is related to the positive outcomes of patients that have

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

Brittany Maynard, a young newlywed, was diagnosed with aggressive and fatal brain cancer. She moved to Oregon with her husband so she could have control at the end of her life under Oregon’s death with dignity law.

The asserted 'right' to assistance in committing suicide is not a fundamental liberty interest protected by the Due Process Clause

Physician assisted suicide does not lead to abuses or down the hypothetical slope. Peter Rogatz, a physician, states that requesting someone to be taken off a ventilator is socially acceptable. What is the difference between assisted suicide and ending a ventilator? Does one have to be in coma or brain dead to allow him to die with dignity? These are the questions that patients and society are asking today. Rogatz asks these questions from a physician’s point of view and explains the pain that he has seen through suffering patient’s eyes. These questions alone are one factor that Rogatz is sickened by because he does not understand what in the world the difference should be between these two tragic events. The next point Rogatz explains is that people should see assisted suicide as a merciful end rather than killing. The word killing has such a strong meaning and that does not have any place in the right to die debate because killing is intentional without consent (134). Rogatz believes that the physicians who understand the plea for assisted suicide are doing good not harm. More often than not, the physicians responding to assisted suicide will handle the situation correctly. Rogatz does accept that there will be someone who will abuse this power, but that will not happen with everything physicians have as guidelines. According to Rogatz, physicians also have a strict criterion to even think about mentioning assisted suicide. The patients must qualify for assisted suicide. This factor alone also helps to eliminate abuses because physicians only can administer to a select number of terminally ill patients (134). Assisted suicide is not an act of murder and does not lead down a hypothetical slope.

How would one finish one’s life if he or she were only given six months to live? Brittany Maynard and Kara Tippetts answered this question in two very different ways. Both were too young to face death, but they could not escape their realities. Plagued by terminal cancer, they would suffer in a considerable amount of pain, ultimately ending in death. Maynard tried to lighten her experience by ending her life with medication to escape the full reality. News broadcasts and magazines highly publicized Maynard’s decision. On the other hand, Tippetts chose to live until her life naturally ended. However, her story was documented on the radio; in a book, The Hardest Peace; and her blog, “Mundane Faithfulness.” Although Maynard and Tippetts both suffered terminal cancer, they dealt with their circumstances, convictions, and choices differently.

Brittany Maynard, a young woman who shocked the world by announce her assisted death. This is the case many years ago and reported by all media that reopened the debate in the United States on assisted death. This issue is very controversial by religious people who oppose and preach that only God has the power to decide on the life and death of the human being, however, in modern and present life, there are states that support people who determine under much evidence to end their life if there are no other alternatives to continue living.

When diagnosed with cancer, a multitude of emotional side effects are almost guaranteed to follow. According to the American Cancer Society, some of those side effects affecting both the patient and his or her family include distress, anxiety, fear, and depression, coping with the sickness or loss of a loved one, and a worsening attitude towards cancer itself (American Cancer Society, 2016). As cancer moves to its advanced stages, a patient will need constant care. At this point, it is up to the immediate caregiver to take a course of action. Thankfully, there are many different settings one can choose. The wisest choice would be a facility in which music therapy sessions are conducted. Often times, assisted living facilities and hospice care settings are the best places to turn because, “the chief mission of hospice care is to assist patients in living out their remaining days in as much comfort as possible and with the highest quality of life possible” (Belgrave, 61). Numerous studies have proven that music therapy helps improve quality of life among terminally ill hospice cancer patients.

Brittany Maynard brought up a good argument when she said, “I would not tell anyone else that he or she should choose death with dignity. My question is: Who has the right to tell me that I don’t deserve this choice?” (Slotnik). Brittany Maynard was a young woman who found out she had a terminal brain cancer and ended up becoming the public face for the right to die act. Many people believe that this act should not be in place, but in taking this act away people lose their right to choose when they want to die. People may argue the fact that doctors have access the drug with assisted suicide is very unsettling; however, the doctors are professionals who are trusted with this drug. This act is important because it gives the terminally ill one last independent decision before they lose themselves. Taking away the act means taking their free will away from them.

A physician must understand that when it comes to deciding to withhold or withdraw life sustaining treatment it is ultimately the patient’s decision unless the patient is not competent enough to make this choice. I believe that a person can lose their life at any point. Death is certain and no one can run from it. In my opinion, a patient’s autonomy is of utmost importance anytime during healthcare however the physician can name some recommendations of what would be the best option for the patient. When it comes to patients they deserve to be treated with respect and ultimately be treated as an end not as a means to an end.

Many terminally-ill patients give up hope when treatments are no longer available to help them and hospice care is given to them as an option. However, hospice care has proven itself to provide the best quality care for the last six months of the dying. The purpose of hospice is to provide the best care for terminally-ill patients at the end stage of their lives. Hospice offer services to support too many aspects a patient’s life such as medical, legal, spiritual care. Hospice includes art therapists, music therapists, and certified chaplains on the palliative team.

According to Ullmann-Margalit (51) while dealing with the subject the agony of doubt deliberates that it is among the most confusing issues to deal with. Most people do not want to die, at least not now, and the debate of holding on to the inevitable and that of letting go heats up. Questions arise concerning the social, religious and ethical factors that have to be taken into play while considering end-of-life or right-to-die and thus bringing complexity to an otherwise easy decision. But the most crucial question to ask is: are those in support of the right-to-die justified in their movement? This will be the question that will be addressed in this argumentative essay.

For many people, the process of dying is a prolonged, painful, and emotionally devastating experience. Dying often leaves an individual filled with fear, confusion, and feelings of loneliness and isolation. Fortunately, there are palliative care options that seek to mitigate not only the physical pains and symptoms of death, but also actively work to address the emotional turmoil countless people experience as they begin to descend towards death. On the other hand, far too many Americans still die in intensive-care-units and emergency rooms, where doctors aggressively work to save the lives of all patients, without regarding the actual status or well-being of the person’s life before them. Dying in a hospital room is not peaceful; it is often

    America’s founding fathers declared that every person had certain inalienable rights they are born with and cannot be separated from. They listed citizens’ rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Today's government must decide if a right to life equates to a right to death.