A negative perception of illness brings unhappiness and depression. For example, Clarice and her family’s life will not be the same as planned (“they have carefully planned the trips they would eventually take abroad when they retired”). Perception and acceptance improves when illness is viewed as something that occurs within a setting. Nurses and heath professional can help and encourage patients like Clarice and her family to viewing illness as a part of life allows. Therefore, this will allow patients to live more fully in the present. Thanks to the discovery of dialysis, ESRD patients are not dying within weeks as they did before. “It is one of the few treatments covered by Medicare for patients”. As Nurses, we have to widespread access
Ms. Cetiner has been an RN in the hemodialysis unit for the past 6 years. She provides excellent care to our Veterans, and consistently functions in a professional manner with staff, patients and families. She was part of a unit I CARE award presented by Dr. Mayo-Smith for quality and commitment to our Veterans. She demonstrates competency in the utilization of the nursing process as evidenced by the accurate assessment, plan, implementation, and evaluation of patient care in her daily practice. She developed a unit diabetic foot
Living is a gift. Many people in the world are simply alive, but living is rare. There are people that are too sick to enjoy life, the disease that has manifested in the body slowly takes over the mind and rids the mind of joy and radiance. The glow of life slowly diminishes before our eyes and it is truly heart breaking. This person is not just a disease that happens to be hosted in a human. This is a human that happens to have a disease. This person is someone’s parent, someone’s child, someone’s sibling, and someone’s grandparent. This person has memories, hobbies, and loved ones. This person is your patient. Making a difference in just one person’s life is an incredible feat. Being a physician assistant would be making a difference in many
I realized I wanted to be a nurse in 2010 when I was sitting by my grandfather as he was diagnosed with a stroke. As the physician explained to my family and I that the man we knew and loved would not be able to speak or walk again we were struck with heartache. The compassionate and holistic care that the nurses provided him solidified my determination to become a healer to patients who were not able to care for themselves. Today, I have the joy to work in an Emergency Department caring for acutely ill patients and their families, as they are vulnerable and grieving just as my family was. Nevertheless, I have come to realize that my journey will not end until I become more involved with patient care by earning a degree as a Nurse Practitioner. In this paper, I will discuss my educational and professional goals, short term and long-term goals, and how earning a Nurse
Davita Queens Dialysis is a medical facility that treats patients who have End-Stage Renal Disease. End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) is diagnosed to patients who have permanent kidney failure (NKF, 2012). Patients diagnosed with ESRD are faced with a life-altering chronic illness. Hemodialysis is a life-sustaining treatment that becomes a natural part of their daily lives. However, many patients have difficulty adjusting to this new way of living. Individuals diagnosed with ESRD have a long road ahead of them. Patients’ suffering from this disease has to receive dialysis treatment to clean their blood, three times a week for up to four hours. This is a life-changing and life-sustaining treatment. Davita Queens Dialysis is an outpatient facility that serves the adult population of patients diagnosed with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), these patients have permanent kidney failure. The problem with this change in the life course is high rates of depression. Research into the psychosocial factors of depression in ESRD patients has led to high rates of mortality (White, McDonnell, 2014).
The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate understanding of long term conditions and palliative care. Nursing care in general entails holistic care and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, whether sick or well (Royal College of Nursing, (RCN) 2007). Better management of lifelong conditions has been the priority of the National Health Service since the 1990s. When long term conditions are managed well in the community, patients’ can live a quality life without visiting hospital frequently (RCN, 2011). In Britain, six in ten people are reported to be suffering from long term conditions that currently cannot be cured; and these people are often suffering from more than one condition that makes their care challenging. It is estimated that by 2030 the UK will have double the number of people aged 85 years or over, who are living with one or more long term condition (Department of Health, 2014).
As technology continues to evolve, our understanding of sickness and disease grows as well. Modern day technology is able to tell doctors what caused the disease and in ideal situations how to cure it. Recent scientists have begun to look at the desire to kill as a disease. This theory poses an interesting concept that if it is a disease, then maybe there is a cure that prevents serial killers from killing. In Christer Claus and Lars Lidberg’s article they look at the desire to kill as a disease. The article states that while using Schahriar Syndrome as a model, they are able to explain even the most vicious human behaviours, such as planned and repeated homicide (Claus/Lidberg 428). This disease is broken down into five main characteristics: omnipotence, sadistic fantasies, ritualized performance, dehumanization, and symbiotic merger. These five traits are not only common among people with the disease, but among serial killers as well (428). The article states that after a successful killing, the killer is surprised. When the killer is able to get away with murder, a sense of amazement consumes them. Once the killer has repeatedly killed their victim and escaped the authorities, they begin to feel like they are omnipotent. As time goes on, over fifty percent of serial killers experience sadistic fantasies that make them want to keep committing the crimes. Each killer uses their success and sadistic fantasies to form a certain ritual. They begin to believe that if they are
My nursing philosophy is influenced by ten years as a critical care nurse while caring for patients and their families during vulnerable and difficult points in their lives. In critical care, patients vary on the wellness-illness spectrum. A young trauma victim with no health history, now has a life altering diagnosis of spinal cord injury. A chronically ill patient requires dialysis and limb amputation due to complications from diabetes and hypertension. I try to assess each patient’s situation independently to decide the best approach during my care. Nurses can easily become focused on the mechanics of the Intensive Care Unit and forget a human is connected to the machines and medications.
Lily had only recently began dialysis treatment, and her unwillingness to proceed with treatment would have resulted in her care becoming palliative, something the healthcare professional did not think was suitable at this point in her illness trajectory. Tait (2012) points out that a critically ill patient experiences not only physiological trauma, but also psychological trauma. This psychological trauma that can be experienced after critical care has been addressed by the National Outreach Forum (2003) who suggested that services should be developed to address the implications of critical illness. Samuelson (2011) suggests that any negative emotions associated with critical care can be counterbalanced with memories that reinforce safety, control and trust. This is a useful point to consider in Lily case, who fortunately had the time to talk through her worries concerning continual dialysis treatment with the staff on the ward, who were able to convince her she was in the safest possible hands and that continuing her dialysis treatment would be the best option.
In 1961 Thomas Szasz penned a book by the title The Myth of Mental Illness that would go on to cause quite the stir in the world of psychiatry. In the book, Szasz stated his belief that what most psychiatrists would label as mental illnesses are in fact not illnesses at all, but instead what he would go on to call “problems in living.” This article will take a critical approach at Szasz reasons for his belief in these “problems in living” including an objective outline of his argument, a discussion on the validity of the argument and its’ premises, and finally the strongest objections to the argument. Szasz is an important figure in modern psychiatry and his opinions are very divisive but certainly worth discussing.
When someone is suffering or living with a chronic illness it can have a huge impact on them psychologically and socially. Chronic Illness is a condition that is prolonged in duration, usually more than 3 months and is rarely cured (DoH, 2012). Having to cope with a chronic condition might lead to life changes, such as dependency on others, loss of income, which can cause feelings of loss and reduced self-esteem. They can also report feelings of social rejection, poor healthcare and workplace termination due to their presenting condition (Earnshaw, Quinn, & Park, 2011).
Although the largest profession in the health care industry is nursing, a larger number of people are getting older and living longer. This means that more people will need nursing care, whether it’s in a hospital, a long-term care facility or at home. It is projected that long-term care facilities will need 66% more RNs by 2020 (Addressing the Nursing). The increase in life expectancy has amplified the complexity of health care because more people are living with chronic conditions. The American Nurses Association reported that “a large cross-sectional study of over 1,000,000 adults revealed that 82% had one or more chronic conditions” and we are seeing an increase of those age 65 and older living with multiple chronic conditions (Mion). Now, more than ever, there is a high demand for the best delivery of medical care.
The seen environment present when reading The Death of Ivan Ilych story is the way Ivan’s family lived and the way Ivan treated everyone with coldness. The unseen was depicted by the atmosphere present in Ivan’s’ room, making friends and family members uncomfortable to be there. The storied environment is when Ivan realizes that his life has been a mistake and he converts religiously, he finds God and Ivan repents from all his sins, it is not until then that he found peace in his mind.
Since I completed this form my conditions have become worse. My new present illnesses, consists of obstructive sleep apnea (CPAP), heart condition (PTCA STENT), cardiac catheterization, hypertension, and cholesterol/dyslipidemia. With all of this and including my other illnesses, this could cause serious problems in the workplace, and have limited my ability to work. Because of my sleep apnea, (it effects my mental abilities like memory, concentration) I reacted slow when it comes to time, have vision problems, sleep problems, (causes me to fall asleep during the day) and my fatigue, (tired, sleepy, and can only walk 10 to 15 minutes) all affects and limit my ability to work and I have another impairment such as heart condition that limit my ability to exert myself physically. Without adequate sleep, I have more difficulty concentrating, learning, and communicating. Memory lapses have increase; my problem-solving ability and social functioning) have decline. I Can be moody and less tolerance of people, differing opinion, making me more prone to outburst. According to my doctor my driving ability I have to be caution. Also I have hypertension, the doctor limit me to lifting only a few pound.
First of all, I recognized that I was dealing with humans, and not just dealing with a disease process and application of the nursing process in the aspect of restoring patient health. I was dealing with emotions, and families, and cultural beliefs that influenced individual’s aspects of care. I started to see that health did not just incorporate healing the disease, but also recognized the importance of making sure patient’s felt that their
There are two different options evident concerning Mrs. Boswell’s treatment options. While considering both options, it is important to teach the family in depth the effects of the dialysis treatments along with her other chronic illnesses. The first option is to discontinue dialysis treatments and place her in a hospice facility. In hospice care, the goal is of focusing on minimizing pain and suffering, rather than to cure. Going to hospice care would allow Mrs. Boswell to forgo her stringent dialysis treatment and provide her comfort measures allowing her to endure her illnesses with optimal pain reduction. Along with treating the sole patient, hospice care allows for family to be there throughout the whole process while being provided bereavement support. The book p. 234 says that nurses play a pivotal role when tending to patients with notable poor outcomes, bringing attention to caring and not curing.