I agree with the idea he describes that we all seek to live an independent life, but that when serious illness or infirmities strike as they inevitably do, that we are often ill-prepared to deal with the two big unfixables, namely aging and dying. This made me think of my own family, where my grandparents are declining and my mother grapples with any new remedy or supplement that will help my grandparents live longer by combating problems that exist due to age. Moreover, today’s medical industrial complex is not well equipped to…
“On the Fear of Death,” by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, is an essay that examines the increases in medical technology that may be responsible for a greater fear of death, more emotional problems, and an important need to understand the circumstances involved with death. In my opinion, this is an excellent essay that describes how different cultures and individuals have dealt with death through traditions. Kubler-Ross also describes how people may be affected emotionally with the death of a loved one and different ways children are involved and taught about death. She seems to be a great supporter of people dying at home under care in a comfortable environment. Dying at home can help the survivors be more at ease with the thought of their own death, decrease emotional problems associated with death, and help with the understanding of the required decisions regarding the circumstances of death.…
1). In order for healthcare to truly advance and provide patient-centered care, it is necessary that our clinicians start to have end-of-life discussions with patients and be willing to provide care aimed at improving quality of life. It should all start with education about death and dying and continue with methods to further improve knowledge on options such as palliative care and the importance of discussing the patient’s…
The reality is, we all die. Science might change that someday, but of all the people who were born 150 years ago none of them are still with us today. We take a position that we should apply wisdom to the dying process and allow the dying to have a full range of choices. Nowadays advances in medicine allow doctors to prolong and sustain life although the person will not recover from a persistent vegetative state. Extending life when death is imminent is only extending the suffering and prolonging of the dying process.…
Authors of _Death & Dying, Life & Living_ identify six goals of death education. It is the third goal that will be the focus of my paper. According to Corr et al the third goal of death education is to prepare individuals for their public roles as citizens. In this way, death education helps to clarify important social issues that face society and its representatives, such as advance directives in health care (Corr et al, 2009). We each have the right and responsibility to make healthcare decisions for ourselves. There may be a time, whether from accident or illness, when you are no longer able to make important and necessary medical decisions. This is an opportunity for you to express your wishes and direct your healthcare decisions in advance before they may be needed.…
Even though we have palliative care and assisted living for the frail and old, unpreparedness means that the healthcare professionals and society, in general, have not thought and discussed much about the process of dying and what it entails. Because of this, patients are living in institutions that do not address any goals of the patient, simply because the family is incapacitated to care for them anymore. With industrialization, elderly is at least able to escape from the fate of death and this has brought about fear and resentment towards these homes. They see these homes as odious and they see themselves as someone who was abandoned. I was astonished that someone finally confronted the existent issues of how institutionalized our care have…
Death is an event, dying is a process. Modern medicine today works very hard to help people live longer and avoid that dreaded day when death comes. The healthcare system is prolonging life, but is it always the answer, forcing someone to continue a suffering life. Doctors sometimes unintentionally instill false hope in patients by offering treatment that most likely will not work or benefit the patient. Prolonging life has ethical and moral issues. Death is also a very taboo topic in our culture and should not be discussed or accepted. The doctors and pharmaceutical companies that are prolonging life do not fully understand the damage they are causing to society surrounding death.…
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).…
Nobody wants to die, but death is an inevitable and complex phenomena. To say goodbye to loved one is always difficult. In some cases, it is harder when death comes sooner than later by some serious diagnosis. I think the most important point that a health-care professional needs to consider on the subject of death, dying or grieving is to respect the wishes of patients and families. Health-care professionals should provide training and education about death, dying, and bereavement to the families. Also, healthcare providers should be familiar with the ethics and cultures of the patients and families which they belong to. Death, dying or grieving processes can be culturally or traditionally different among patients. “Some physicians can keep…
End-of-life care becomes an issue at some point for elderly clients. Even with the emergence of palliative care programs and hospice programs, the majority of elderly people do not die in their own home as is their preference. What are the reasons for this trend? Discuss what you can do as a nurse to support your clients in end-of-life care and in supporting their desires. Support your response with evidence-based literature.…
Who are we to say when we should die? Are we trying to play God, or do we just want the right to end the inevitable a little sooner than God’s plan for us? This paper will discuss pros and cons of euthanasia with stories and research. Such as the case of a ninety five year old comma patient, whose family receives the news that she could live for months, years even in a vegetative state on life support; leaving the family questioning whether or not to pull the plug and put an end to what otherwise would be like the “death of a hundred deaths.”…
Aging is the length of time during which a being or thing has existed length of life (Webster dictionary). Growing old and becoming an elderly person can be challenging but, yet it can be very rewarding, it can bring a lot of good and bad. Aging has its rewards, but it presents the challenges of all stages of life. Growing old consist of gradual, ongoing changes in the body, changes such as shrinking in height in which the elderly tends to get shorter as he or she age. Elderly people tends to have less appetite which causes them to lose weight, and a decline in strength and vitality, which can sometimes make them feels very weak at times and needs either a cane or a walker or even someone to help assist them in walking.…
Bradley, J. (1998). Discussions about end of life care in nursing homes. Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 46, 1235-1241.…
Human bodies are technically set up for failure. Aging comes naturally. Aging is experienced by most humanity in their lifetime. Everyone ages at their own time and rate but not everyone has same experience. In my paper one will be informed that aging is a major risk factor. Aging often results in changes and lower functioning in the brain, higher rates of diseases, and decrease mobility.…
One main gap issue is the fact that many Americans are dying in hospitals rather than at home (Razmaria, 2016). Dying in a hospital can be beneficial because it keeps medical professionals nearby at all times but it can also seem distant and cold to others including family and friends who must come to terms with seeing their loved ones pass in a sterile and foreign environment (Hunt, Shlomo, & Addington-Hall, 2014). In addition to this the general approach towards end of life care has been manipulated in the US to demonstrate a resistance to accepting death as an inevitable fate. Even as patients slip into worse and worse conditions, doctors are motivated to continue pushing for treatment and different procedures (Bynum, et.al, 2013). Many individuals who are in these situations may find it more peaceful and less stressful if they worry about addressing their own comfort needs before subjecting themselves to unnecessary and ultimately futile attempts to prolong life by any means…