End Of Life Care Planning Essay

Q1: Complete the following table, describing the needs you would have to consider when planning the different aspects of end of life care for an individual

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.

This is why treating the person with dignity and respect is vital in end of life care in case of an individual with dementia.

.“As medical technology continues to advance and health care choices become more complicated, the preservation of end-of-life autonomy is an increasingly important issue faced by various client populations.” (Galambos, 1998).

Key people could be family, doctors, carers, religious leaders etc. Each may own distinctive role to play in order for the choices and preferences of the individual to be respected and carried out. [ Every person’s end-of-life trajectory is different and needs differ in intensity and quality over time. End-of-life care must adapt to the varying and changing needs of the individual over time and that it cannot be limited to certain settings or services. The provision of good

Caring for patients at the end of life is a challenging task that requires not only the consideration of the patient as a whole but also an understanding of the family, social, legal, economic, and institutional circumstances that surround patient care.

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.

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.

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

The current health situation should be explained in a non-technical way so the patient (if possible) family, and or valid surrogate can understand every aspect. The physician should also help them understand when there is no hope for recovery. Most often the organs are no longer functioning, or there is little to no brain activity; at this point suffering potentially outweighs the probability of recovery. Medical teams most often realize that the focus should be on comfort, rather than extending a dying life. This decision comes with a great deal of uncertainty, and will always be hard, no matter what age of the patient, or the circumstances. Kathryn Kosh, MD explains that, “Ready access to advanced modern technology has changed death from an event to a process… Defying death requires payment [in the form of] pain and discomfort or in an unacceptable decline in the quality of life.” Often times physicians will not prescribe treatment in the first place knowing that this option will not benefit the patient, prolong suffering; and will likely end in termination anyway. Therefore, allowing the nature of the illness or injury to take its own course of action. Another point of interest regarding this topic is that medical teams realize in most cases, that providing an ethical and dignified death can be just as rewarding as administering aggressive measures to save a

In today’s world the cost for medical attention and health insurance has increased to the point that it may cause a significant amount of strain to a family of a terminally ill patient. The health insurance issues have become large enough to attract the attention of the political world. We are now witnessing how difficult it has been for Health Care

With an increasing aging population and growing numbers of individuals with chronic conditions, it is important for individuals to prepare for end-of-life care. An Advance Directive is a defined as a “legal document that provides data to critical care staff about patients’ wishes, especially when critical illness decreases decision-making ability” (McAdam, Stotts, Padilla, and Puntillo, 2005). An Advance Directive also allows for better communication between the patient and doctor, and preserves the autonomy of patients. It may also alleviate one’s family from any possible burden of uncertainty of one’s wishes. It provides guidance, which may avert arguments with family members concerning treatment choices (Cedars Sinai, 2015). The Patient

The total number of people with a long-term condition in England is projected to be

This includes social factors, cultural differences, financial issues, legal considerations, institutional policies, family preferences, and the burdens of care upon the care providers. These factors, specifically finances and burdens of care on caregivers, will affect what setting and the type of care that can be provided. End of life care can result in large medical bills and if patients have not properly prepared for the financial burden they may refuse costly treatments. It is important to respect the financial burdens of patients and their families and the stress this can

With major advancement in medical treatments, it is now possible to keep a patient alive, which would not have been possible in former times. This has made end of life issue one of the most controversial issues in healthcare. Medical improvements have set the stage for ethical and legal controversies about not only the patient’s rights but also the family’s rights and the medical profession’s proper role. It is critical that any decision made in such situation is ethical and legal to preserve the rights of the patient and also protect the healthcare institution involved. It is very important when making decisions to discontinue treatments to make sure all other alternatives have been explored.