Palliative And End Of Life Care Research Paper

Hospice is where I will stay once I get my nursing degree. I will be the first out of my parents and mothers side of the family to graduate from a four year college. I have so many people depending on me and looking up to me to finish school and to become successful. My family is my motivation. They give me the strength to push myself for the better. I am an only child so I feel like I have to be the best at everything. I push myself harder than anyone else. I really am my worst critic, but I take that as something positive because there’s always room for improvement. I will strive to do my very best through school even though I know it’s going to be hard. Lastly, I’ve always wanted to be a nurse. Never in a million years had I thought I would enjoy this job so much. From the moment I became a CNA I knew I wanted to be a nurse. I enjoy helping others. Also, working side by side with the amazing nurses I’ve had the pleasure to work with has made me want this that much more. I love to talk with them and hear their journey to becoming a nurse. It’s not the easiest job but defiantly worth all the hard work. There are so many opportunities available with a BSN

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

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

I excelled at Carolina and quickly earned the respect of my professors, primarily due to my conviction that no amount of life experience or ability should curb an endless appetite for learning and a submissive, humble, and teachable spirit. Upon completion of my degree I spent 4 years working in various clinical settings, primarily in intensive care units as well as hospice. I began the FNP program at the Catholic University of America, where I have performed well and gained an incredible amount of knowledge. However, my passion and direction has been shifted towards palliative care, and I do not believe CUA’s program is the most appropriate to prepare me for this goal. I believe advanced practice nursing is poised to take a leading role in many areas of practice, and that palliative care should be at the forefront of focus in advancing nursing practice. The compassion, dedication, clinical expertise, and commitment to evidence which improves outcomes and treats holistically, are universally recognized and respected traits of the nursing profession, and advanced practice nursing should approach palliative care with the same explosive tenacity with which it has embraced primary care of the underserved, recognizing a new population of those in need who lack the appropriate providers necessary to enhance

The purpose of this paper is to examine communication strategies related to palliative and end-of-life care with a focus on Aboriginal clients. Firstly, I will explain the role of cultural competence in the nursing care of an Aboriginal client. Secondly, I will argue the cultural challenges a nurse may face when caring and communicating with Aboriginal clients receiving palliative end-of-life care. Thirdly, I will present solutions to the aforementioned communicative challenges. Lastly, I will discuss the impact I believe this experience may have on my future practice.

Over the past five weeks, I have learned what palliative care really is all about. I found that there were areas that really changed my perspective as well, about what palliative care is. Some of these include, but are not limited to, when palliative care is used, how difficult is can be to get patients the pain management they need, as well as how many different complimentary therapies are available to patients.

According to Allen et al. (2012), “millions of people with chronic illnesses endure unrelieved pain, uncontrolled physical symptoms and unresolved psychosocial or spiritual problems.” This issue occurs because palliative care is often considered a form of end-of-life care. Palliative care is a treatment that can be used for patients who suffer from chronic illnesses and diseases while receiving curative treatment. (Horowitz, Grambling & Quill, 2014) purposely states the misconceptions of palliative care and advocated for seriously ill patients that education must bring under control the misconceptions. Some patients do not receive appropriate symptom management because the palliative care treatment needed is often confused with end-of-life care. However, end-of-life care attempts to relieve pain and suffering when a disease is no longer responsive to curative treatment. Pain and suffering could ultimately be controlled or even eliminated through the proper utilization of palliative care. Patients who are not referred to palliative care in a timely manner is more likely to have poor quality of life, uncontrolled symptom management and increased amounts of visits to the emergency room during the disease process. Patients with life limiting illnesses bear the burden of increased discomfort and increased suffering. Nurses experience clinical practice issues and difficulties in the clinical setting during the delivery of comfort and symptom management. These issues

In reviewing the two studies I found, it is very clear there is a difference in quantitative and qualitative studies. To start, Lee et al. (2017) conducted a qualitative study in which the problem statement recognizes that end of life care (EOLC) in dementia patients is less than optimal when compared to cancer patients. The researchers aimed to determine what service managers and frontline staff at different facilities felt were the key aspects in improving EOLC in dementia patients (Lee et al., 2017). As a result, the researchers purpose was to contribute to the current evidence base on good EOLC and interventions to increase quality of care of end of life dementia patients.

Hospice is compassionate care provided to patients facing terminal illness or illness for which there is no cure. These patients are diagnosed with an illness from which they will never recover and usually have a life prognosis of six months or less (Hospice Foundation of America, 2014). The goal of hospice care is improving quality of life and managing the symptoms of disease and the dying process. The care hospice offers is focused on pain management and emotional and spiritual support for both the patient and family (National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, 2012). Hospice care can be provided in many different settings, often the patient’s own home. Hospice care can also be provided in hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care facilities and free-standing hospice centers and is available to patients of all ages (NHPCO, 2012). A patient receiving care in a hospice program has a team of healthcare individuals that can consist of the patients own physician, nurses, home health aides, clergy, social workers, and speech and physical therapists (NHPCO, 2012). Usually, a care plan is developed by the hospice team and care of the patient is provided by family members with the support of the hospice staff (NHPCO, 2012). Nurses make regular visits to the patient and family and are on call 24/7. Once enrolled in a hospice program hospice covers everything that will be needed to care for you, from medications to manage pain to

There is a time to be born, and a time to die. As frightening as it is, we will all die someday. Some will die at birth, some in a tragic accident, and others from a natural cause. The average person will live a full life, and die in old age. Cancers and other deadly diseases are becoming more prominent in our culture, the demand for end of life care is becoming substantial. Hospice nurses provide near death care, and attend to the emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual needs of the terminally ill patient. Hospice nursing would not be the perfect job for all nurses, it takes a nurse with a special heart, and calling to specialize in the hospice field.

Palliative care is care given to terminally-ill patients and their families in order to improve the overall quality of living through physical, emotional and spiritual support. It aims to shift the focus from Euthanasia and death, to preserving and improving the sanity of life to the greatest extent possible.

In any healthcare profession there is a need for compassion, perseverance and continuous education. Eventually, my goal is to pursue a career in nursing at hospice facility. Thus far, I have gained a lot of experience in the healthcare field as a surgical technician. This experience will be very imperative to my nursing career path.

All the symptoms that are associated with end of life care are of great concern. They all in one way or another affect the quality of life of the patient undergoing that journey. I would have to say that to me dyspnea would be of the most bothersome. I think of the instances where perhaps you may be choking on food, having an asthma attack, or any other situation which can lead you to be short of breath for a short period of time and reflect back on how uncomfortable and anxious you feel at that moment and apply it to attempt to form a picture of how the patient may feel undergoing this problem for an extended amount of time. Not only does being short of breath increase anxiety, but it also affects so many other aspects, such as not being able

I have been a registered nurse at UCLA for 18 months. One particular issue that has captured my attention is the utilization of palliative care in health care. Because nurses are generally at the bedside all the time, they have an important role to play in voicing the importance of its utilization and implementation in the patient’s care.

Care team members need to be aware of this tendency to overestimate survival, to reduce residents’ and families’ potential distress.