The report “Inquiry into the Options for Dying with Dignity” , discusses the meaning of palliative care for the patient and the family. The report suggests that when death becomes inevitable an approach that emphasises relief, rather than the prolonging of life, palliative care should be taken away . The explanation by Dr Margaret Somerville in her book “The Ethical Canary, Science, Society And The Human Spirit” , conveys the difficulty of people accepting the patient’s decision. Also, the confusion between withholding water and food for a patient whose life depends on it or a terminally ill patient is very different and she believes that many people have mistakenly equated the two…
The Department of Health’s 2008 End of Life Care Strategy, provides a comprehensive framework aimed at promoting high quality care for all adults approaching the end of life in all care settings in England. It sets out what adults reaching the end of their lives, and their carers can expect from the services provided to them and one of the key aims is to ensure as far as possible their needs and preferences for future care are met. The common factors include:…
The Department of Health’s 2008 End of Life Care Strategy, provides a comprehensive framework aimed at promoting high quality care for all adults approaching the end of life in all care settings in England. 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. A legal requirement of end of life care is that the wishes of the individual, including whether CPR should be attempted, as well as their wishes how they are cared for after death are properly documented. This means that their rights and wishes even after death are respected.…
Within the profession of Nursing there are many decisions and clinical vignettes that will play out. This paper will depict an end of life case study, which will be explored. When reviewing each case study there are two nursing actions for how end of life care is viewed and carried out, according to the American Association Code of Nursing Ethics. Throughout the ethics code it explains how a nurse who does not abide by the standards would be handled.…
1.1 Outline legal requirements and agreed ways of working designed to protect the rights of individuals in end of life care.…
1. Understand the requirements of legislation and agreed ways of working to protect the rights of…
It is a necessity that nurses recognize their own feelings regarding death and dying and have a strong ethical framework in order to support the end-of-life wishes of their patients (Butts & Rich, 2013). Even if one is resolute in their own moral standing, cases such as Mr. T.’s may be emotionally exhausting.…
Ruland C, M., Moore S, M. (1998). Theory construction based on standards of care: a proposed theory of the peaceful end of life. Nurse Outlook. (46):169-175 doi: 10.1016/S0029-6554(98)90069-0…
There should be a consideration on several ethical issues in the allocation of resources for health care to the aging population an end of life care. The ethical considerations ensure equitable and proper allocation of resources towards the care of the aging and those near the end of their lives, Craig (2010). The first standard worth consideration in the sanctity of human life, this is because of the tendency some practitioners to hold a low opinion on the lives of the elderly, human live is as paramount in the aging population as it is in the young population, Crippen & Barnato (2011).…
Many things can be done to ensure an improvement of end-of-life services. There is a need to develop a rapid response unit comprising of nurses and specialists for the provision of good end of life care. The care providers should also equip health and social care staff with skills necessary to offer support to people under end-of-life care program. Additionally more palliative care outreach centers are needed to offer services to people under end-of-life care programs. To improve services of these programs, the specialist should help people decide on a place they prefer to die and why it is important. People should not feel death is a taboo subject. The issue of cost needs to be addressed to ensure it is affordable to all the people seeking it to improve end-of-life care. An average end-of-life care program can cost between 186 to 6206 Britain pounds per person as per the survey conducted in 2010. Meeting such costs for many people is expensive, and there is a need for regulation to increase the number of people seeking care. One way the costs can reduce significantly is by taking care of people at home rather than hospitals that are quite expensive. There is a need to address the problems facing end-of-life care to improve the quality of care provided. One way to achieve this is by regulating the costs to ensure every person in need of care can assess it. There is also need to…
Palliative care should support the person to achieve a quality of life until death. The person’s independence should be maintained for as long as possible to promote their self-esteem and they should be treated with dignity and respect at all times. Good communication is essential when providing palliative care. It is important that carers and other team members listen to the person and learn about any concerns, fears or anxieties they may have. Fears people have can include suffering a painful death, dying alone, not getting to say goodbye, leaving the family without a provider and fear of losing their independence. Family members, friends and carers can often feel frustrated if the person refuses treatment and feel helpless when all treatment…
Palliative care for a dying patient needs to be well planned and managed to ensure that all aspects of care giving are taken care of. The plan provides a reference for nurses and other practitioners who are involved in giving care to the patient. This is so as to ensure that they all know what needs to be done and does not. The plan also includes the relatives or family of the patient who need to be involved in the process not only to give emotional support but also physical support to the patient. However, this is just a plan and the nurse’s actions are independent and governed by the scope of practice of the state and specific country as well as the comfort levels of the nurse. The common management needs for a dying patient are comfort,…
Death is a touchy subject. People pretend it is something that does not happen and refuse to talk about or address it. I am an ICU nurse. I have been for six years. I have dealt with plenty of death, in my own way. Death is a part of life. Whether it is something that is expected or not, it is our destiny. Having dealt with the suicide of my son’s father at a young age, death is something most of us avoid or do not expect. One is never prepared for it. Some refuse to accept it and move forward.Whether it is a loved one battling cancer for multiple years or a sudden suicide/death, it is never acceptable. Working in the ICU, I have seen many a prolonged death. Family members are never prepared for the death of a loved one. Whether or not my patient is ready to move on, family will do everything possible to prolong the death in hopes that the patient’s condition will improve or a “new” cure will save their lives. I have gone through spending an hour resuscitating a 20 year old with severe congestive heart failure to taking my time resuscitating a 98 year old riddled with cancer. Regardless of my beliefs, it is never easy for family members to accept their loved ones are no longer among us. I have mixed views about death regarding a person battling cancer. Many a times I have had a patient who is a “full code,” all life saving efforts to be attempted, that has metastasis of cancer to their liver, brain, and bones requesting all life saving efforts. In the medical community, we know life saving efforts are futile. The patient is in so much pain they can hardly stand it. They have no quality of life. Family members are hopeful that some medication will take effect and the cancer will disappear. But, by law, we are to make every effort possible at resuscitation. If a person has a good prognosis in surviving cancer, every effort should be made to prolong the person’s life. If the cancer has metastized and is now affecting other organs, brain, bone…
Throughout the course, it has become increasingly clearer how healthcare professionals play in to the role of end-of-life care for patients. Although I have not chosen a path in hospice or palliative care, it has become evident that end-of-life cares will be part of my nursing career regardless. As a nursing professional, it is important to remain a patient advocate throughout the end-of-life care process by ensuring ethical decision-making, continuing effective communication, and providing best practice and advice for pain and symptom management.…
End of life care is one of the most taboo topics in American society as it requires those involved to acknowledge that their lives will eventually come to an end. Planning for such an outcome can be difficult but ultimately it is necessary in order to save others from dealing with the burden of end of life care while unprepared. As a nurse it is especially important to have a firm grasp of the many different factors that weigh in decisions related to end of life care and be ready to assist both the patient and his or her family in any way needed when that time may come. A careful examination of the resources available in a community to assist with this care, the gaps in care prevalent in American society today, the cultural…