Hospice Care Plan
Hospice Care Plan
Walden University
Hospice Care Plan
Mrs. Thomas has a history of breast cancer and is status post bilateral mastectomies with subsequent radiation and chemotherapy treatments. She has recently been diagnosed with lung metastasis and further treatment is not recommended by her physician and due to a poor prognosis he is recommending palliative care. Mrs. Thomas has been spending most of her days in her bed crying. She has had very little contact with her sons and their families as they live out of state and she has voiced that she doesn’t want to burden them with her illness. Mr. Thomas is attempting to provide for his wife, yet he suffers from chronic depression and is showing signs of increasing depression and often forgets to take his medications. Mrs. Thomas’s physician has made a referral to the local community health nurse to assist Mrs. Thomas and her family. The community health nurse’s role is unique in that she is knowledgeable of the resources available in the community to assist clients and families. The nurse can serve Mrs. Thomas and her family by assessing the current needs of the family, providing information about available resources that may be of assistance to the family as well as providing referrals as appropriate for any treatment and care that Mrs. Thomas will require now and in the future in dealing with her terminal illness. Personal Perceptions To Caring for Terminal Patients Caring for terminally ill patients and their families can be a challenging but rewarding nursing experience. It is important for a nurse to be able to be comfortable with one’s own beliefs about death and dying as well as believing that the quality of life is more important than the quantity of life in order to be effective in helping those that are terminally ill. It has taken many years of professional clinical experience and education in the field of palliative care that has led this writer to be
Walden University
Hospice Care Plan
Mrs. Thomas has a history of breast cancer and is status post bilateral mastectomies with subsequent radiation and chemotherapy treatments. She has recently been diagnosed with lung metastasis and further treatment is not recommended by her physician and due to a poor prognosis he is recommending palliative care. Mrs. Thomas has been spending most of her days in her bed crying. She has had very little contact with her sons and their families as they live out of state and she has voiced that she doesn’t want to burden them with her illness. Mr. Thomas is attempting to provide for his wife, yet he suffers from chronic depression and is showing signs of increasing depression and often forgets to take his medications. Mrs. Thomas’s physician has made a referral to the local community health nurse to assist Mrs. Thomas and her family. The community health nurse’s role is unique in that she is knowledgeable of the resources available in the community to assist clients and families. The nurse can serve Mrs. Thomas and her family by assessing the current needs of the family, providing information about available resources that may be of assistance to the family as well as providing referrals as appropriate for any treatment and care that Mrs. Thomas will require now and in the future in dealing with her terminal illness. Personal Perceptions To Caring for Terminal Patients Caring for terminally ill patients and their families can be a challenging but rewarding nursing experience. It is important for a nurse to be able to be comfortable with one’s own beliefs about death and dying as well as believing that the quality of life is more important than the quantity of life in order to be effective in helping those that are terminally ill. It has taken many years of professional clinical experience and education in the field of palliative care that has led this writer to be