Benefits Of Advanced Care

A.C. is a 79-year-old man living in a long-term care facility. He has had multiple medical diagnoses, including congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and stroke. He is bedridden and receiving enteral tube feedings. He has chronic diarrhea thought to be related to his tube feedings. He receives digoxin (Lanoxin) and furosemide (Lasix) to manage his CHF.

While substantive, it is the patient who is writing down what they wished the health care provider provided for them. In seeing what the advance directive asks from patients I found it interesting that they do not ask more question. It gives out a nice layout and a step-by-step direction of what to put down and to have clarification so that an individual knows what they are doing. Though I have always thought that it would be a longer process that is why people usually put it off to never write their own advance directive.

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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.

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I, as a Registered Nurse, am bound by duty to protect the patient’s rights. This includes the treatment or withdrawal of medical care. Critical Care Quarterly states “The Advance Directive is a legally binding document written by a competent adult and should be carried out as such in the health care facility.”(Lark & Gatti, 1999, p. 1)

Every person except one did not know what an advanced directive states. The only interview that knew what I was asking was because they had just lost a loved one and their family was going through the situation. There were five children in the family. They had two children as execrator of the will and one child as a healthcare power of attorney. Before the death, the client states to have a full code with no artificial nutrient or ventilation. They only sought out partial interventions which made their status a code C. During this time the patient coded, and the wishes the client states stood strong. Therefore, it is so important to have an advance directive on file or with the next of kin. You never know when this time will happen but you can be proactive, and be prepared for any situation to

House, T., & Lach, H. W. (2014). Advance Directives in Hospitalized Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Journal For Nurse Practitioners, 10(7), 465-471 7p. doi:10.1016/j.nurpra.2014.04.007. Retrieved from

patient to make decision for himself such as stating the amount and type of medical

In a world of advancing healthcare, it is important to keep the patient’s dignity and autonomy as the focus of practice. One way to further patient centered care is the implementation of advance directives. Advance directives are written wishes or instructions relating to an individual’s extent of care when they are unable to communicate themselves. (Galambos, 1998). This written document is recognized under State law and should be recognized and honored by healthcare providers while caring for the patients. Two of the most common forms of advance directives include a living will or durable power of attorney for healthcare. It is common during a hospital admission for a patient to be presented with a living will, or a checklist of medical interventions the individual is willing or unwilling to accept (Mahon, 2011).

Advanced care planning is critical element in the therapeutic alliance between healthcare team and patient in providing adequate patient-centered care, with the patient a more willing collaborator. This process provides patient, family, and caregiver with realistic expectations about result of treatment and prudent preparation for possible outcomes. Effective advance care planning has been shown to increase satisfaction with care, lower moral distress, lead to healthier bereavement after death, provide timely

Since in the mid-seventies the health advance directives has become the central legal document to make sure that one’s health care wishes is known in a formal corrected way and it is much an open question. Medical technology can entity continually the vital functions of some people that are terminally ill or who be living in a determined vegetative state. Legislation has been accomplish in the District of Columbia and all states other than Pennsylvania to admit efficient persons to express decision around their treatment in the development that they become unable incompetent and terminally ill and cannot engage in decisions concerning their care.

This sort of protection pays for immoderate senior watch over individuals with interminable sicknesses, inabilities, or different conditions that need day by day consideration over quite a while outline. While medical coverage covers doctor's facility and specialist bills, it doesn't spread things, for example, nursing homes, helped living, grown-up day care administrations, and home consideration, which are all exceptionally expensive and might be required.

Therefore, acknowledgment of personal values needs to be understood and kept in check when having these discussions. Furthermore, these discussions are better received when one can intelligently speak to each question and apply the language to the discussions with patients and families. Moreover, reflecting on these questions can help the clinician be prepared for sensitive questions that may arise. All of these measures will help guide the advanced directive formulation process.

Access to quality care can mean everything to healthy living for individuals in a community. Veterans living in rural areas are no exception and in particular make up an extraordinary demographic that often have specialized mental and health care needs due to various war traumas. (Rural Health, 2016) states that “there are 22 million Veterans nationwide, with 5.3 million who live in rural communities.” (Rural Health, 2016) continues that “fifty-seven percent of these rural Veterans are enrolled in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system.” (Rural Health, 2016) also asserts that “between fiscal years 2006-2014, there was a seven percent increase in VA-enrolled rural Veterans.” It is important to