Recommendation-hospice to evaluate. Palliative care will continue to
Hospice is a term for a special program of care for terminally dying patients and their family. Home Care is a health care services that can be given in
At today’s visit, she is accompanied by her husband. She is awake, alert and pleasantly confused. She denies pain, shortness of breath and chest pain. The husband reports that the patient memory has worsened. He states that she forgets how to perform her ADLS, now he has to assist her with her ADLS.
Palliative care is a form of care for people with serious illnesses that is primarily focused on giving relief to ill patients and to improve quality of life and well-being. Hospice care is similar to palliative care because it helps patients to improve their quality of life through caring for them, not curing them. In contrast, palliative care can be implemented at any point after a patient is diagnosed with an illness, however hospice care has specific qualifications and is used when a patient only has 6 months to live. Palliative and hospice care location can both be administered at a patient’s home. Although palliative care is usually taken place in a hospital or facility of care and hospice care usually doesn’t narrow down to a specific
It is vital to encourage all members of the team to change their current perspectives in order to move towards a more effective mode of operation (Kaminski, 2011). Empower the palliative care team through education. “Organizational members need to feel worthy and psychologically safe, that is, to have no fear of retribution or punishment for embracing the change” (Burke, 2011). In-service training will be provided to all members of the palliative care team. First, reinforcement of thorough assessment skills is mandatory.
The topic of hospice nursing is not a popular topic, and to be fair, the subject of death is uncomfortable and even anxiety-producing for many across professions. As a whole, the nursing profession seeks to intervene with treatments and diagnoses and seeks to make the patient better. In hospice, the focus shifts from those traditional concepts to one that focuses almost entirely on quality of life with the understanding that death is imminent. Nurses are a vital part of end-of-life care, and while it's not a flashy specialty depicted in media, nor is it one of the top-paying specialties, it is one that is growing in demand alongside the aging baby-boomer generations. So, what is the hospice nursing specialty about?
It brought to my awareness both the limitation and the capacity of medicine. Although there was no medical intervention that could cure the diseases of those terminal patients, their quality of life was improved by an outstanding team of doctors, nurses and volunteers. This awareness helped reconcile myself to the fact that certain things, such as death and terminal illness, can not be avoided or changed. By viewing death as a natural part of life, I will be able to offer my dying patients the best care possible while also understanding my limitation as a physician and a human being.
Hospice care is a subject that should be talked about more. Some people could be on hospice for a day, week, month or year(s). Death is very scary to think about. People who are healthy do not think of death or the dying process. When someone is dying they must be in the worst pin they have ever felt.
First of all we have the Amedisys hospice physician, which treat the patients for their chronic illnesses when in need. We have the Registered Nurses, which give the medications and manages it to control the pain that are needed for the patients; also we have a 24/7 on call services for Hospice. We have social workers who documents the patients evaluation that determines if the patient is still eligible for hospice or not; and also we have the chaplains that’s there for their “Bereavement”. And last but not least is the Hospice Aide, which is my Job Title. I am the one that does most of the work, but the last in order; I document the patients daily routines, meaning their wounds, their skin tears, their personal care and promoting compassionate dignity and affirms quality of life for the patient, family members, and their loved
Working with both the patient and families concerning end of life issues is one of the major challenges I foresee in a career in
Health Care givers should be aware of the issues on what to say and how to act,give emotional support,and when to use hospice care. An article stated,”Several scholars listed the implications of spirituality,including preserving the patient’s hope,helping the patient find meaning in life and death,and helping the patient find spirit.. ”(Qiaohong Guo and Cynthia S Jacelon,An integrative review of dignity in end-of-life care.)What this means is it is there to help the patient have hope,remember the good moments in life,and find the feeling of completeness so they can pass on from the physical world with no regrets. Healthcare givers can encourage their patients without giving false hope.
The difference between hospitalization and Hospice is the administration of treatment. Hospice care only treats symptoms and focuses on pain management instead of seeking a cure to a terminal illness. A person that is put on Hospice care is usually given only six months to live. It seems like cruel punishment to prolong the miserable suffering life of a person that is past the point of no return and simply wants to die in peace. Although licensed personnel can give higher doses of pain medication to lessen the suffering, they can be prosecuted in Alabama if the doses are lethal, and patients may not be able to communicate their pain to the appropriate authoritative
A hospice provides a more suitable environment for those at the final stages of their lives compared to a hospital for a multitude of reasons. Hospice care is designed to care for all aspects of the person life; they provide physical, mental, and religious services, as well as caring for the patient’s family. Since hospice care is also available at home, the patient has the opportunity to die in familiar surroundings. On the contrary, hospital care provides primarily physical services to the patient and is focused on the patient’s disease. Also, dying in a hospital can be less pleasant because a connotation of hospitals is illness which is a negative quality compared to that of a home, where a person is surrounded by their memories and belongings.
Palliative care is “whole person” care that involves focus on quality of life, or living well, for all family members when they are dealing with a life-limiting illness. It can start long before the end-of-life period, as early as at the diagnosis of a life-limiting illness, and extend beyond death to bereavement. End-of-Life care is a very broad topic and possibly more angles could have been addressed within the chapter. For example Advance Healthcare Directives and its impact on the patient and their quality of life for families who can’t let go of a love one of
After the sudden loss of my oldest brother in 2011, my life changed in the blink of an eye. While trying to overcome this heartbreaking experience was one of the most challenging things ever faced with, his death soon turned into a true inspiration to me. Not only do I cherish all the memories I was able to share with him over the years, I soon came to realization that tomorrow is not a promise to anyone and to live life to the fullest. With this being said, having the opportunity to have an impact on someone everyday whether through communication, actions and/or attitude to help heal is something very powerful to me. Nursing is a profession that allows individuals to open new doors to learn something new and making the best of everyday for each
