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Hospice
In my essay I will explain what hospices are, what they do and how
they do it. I will also cover who do it to and what their response is
to what the hospice have provided them with. This essay will also
explain how the hospice is the alternative to euthanasia, pain and
suffering. The Hospice movement represents one Christian response to
pain and suffering.
What is a Hospice?
A hospice is a home for the care of terminally ill (People who are
dying).
The aim of a hospice is to improve the quality of life of the dying
person and bring relief to the family members. Hospices are different
to hospitals because hospitals cure or treat patients for them to heal
and go back into society until they need treatment again from an
accident or check up etc.
However hospices take care of the people who know their time is near
so they go to this hospice to ease their pain and suffering and living
the rest of their days feeling loved and valued. When they are in the
Hospice they do not necessarily have to stay there and socialise with
the other patients, they can also leave the hospice to go out and
enjoy themselves.
St Christopher's Hospice
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The founder of the modern hospice movement in Britain is Dame Cicerly
Saunders who was born in (1918). She had first trained as a nurse but
had to give up this because of a bad back. At one time of her career
she became very close to a man named David Tasma. Dame Cicerly
Saunders decided to set up the hospice because at the time of this
relationship she realised there should be a place for the care of the
sick people and wondered if she could set...
... middle of paper ...
...because normally people would die with fear of what comes next but the
hospice provides care for the mind so they have "Peace of mind." I
also think that the hospice is good because difficult problems should
be faced.
A man once said "The key to immortality is living a life worth
remembering." This quote actually came from Bruce Lee I'm amazed that
at his age he was able to think of such a philosophy.
The Christians agree with hospices because it is an alternative to
euthanasia. They believe this because if someone went to ask for
euthanasia and another to go to a hospice the person who went chose
euthanasia would leave this world troubled because they don't know
what is coming next. On the other hand the hospice gives them peace of
mind and understanding that don't be afraid of god for he is merciful
and loving.
God tells his children, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation). Death is one of the most frightening and confusing times a person can go through. Watching a loved one pass away is also one of the hardest trials a person can experience. Many people assume that death is a time of pain and the only thing that they can do is mourn and watch their loved one fade away from the earth. This is wrong. There are ways that people can turn a bad situation to good. Dying doesn’t have to be painful and full of suffering. The County Hospice staff makes sure of this. The Hospice staff not only takes care of passing patients physically, but they also take care of the patients emotionally and spiritually. Hospice staff also plays a key role in helping families during the grieving process.
The change which is outlined in this paper relates to how early referral of terminally ill patients into a hospice program results in better patient outcomes, in particular, with regard to pain management. PICO format question will be used , along with a supportive body of evidence regarding the fact that early onset into a hospice program is helpful with providing end of life pain control. Hospice programs available, and options associated with them will be discussed as well as common concerns associated with early admission to hospice. The methods used for payment of hospice, and how one qualifies for entrance into a hospice program will be explored. A literature search will be performed and its results detailed within the body of this paper. Recent publications on the subject matter and associated issues such as moral and ethical questions as well as the change question will be discussed. Planning, implementing and evaluation of the change proposed will be explored within this paper.
Gawande’s book is very pertinent to the present day and has by many accounts sparked a national discussion on end-of-life care and how we treat our elderly. With elderly people accounting for a greater proportion of the American populace and as people start living even longer than they do now, end-of-life care will become and remain a major issue faced by doctors, patients, their families, and the healthcare system. Additionally, with our greater focus on improving patient outcomes while getting the most value for our healthcare dollars, end-of-life care is a major area that healthcare systems and hospitals will focus on, as it accounts for a large portion of their budget. As a response to the need to take care of our aging population, hospice care and palliative medicine are some of the newer specialties in the medical field that have been increasing in popularity and more research needs to be focused in these areas to better understand how to improve patient outcomes.
Being in hospice care is a better alternative than being stuck in the hospital to try to avoid the unavoidable. Common misconceptions about Hospice could include that hospice makes life more miserable; however, a physician expressed his findings in Hospice,“You can only fail a patient if you fail to understand and respond to their needs. We may not be able to cure all of our patients, but if we can make them comfortable in the last moments of their lives, we will not have failed them”..Hospice care gradually emerged in the 1970s, when groups like the National Hospice Organization were formed “in response to the unmet needs of dying patients and their families for whom traditional medical care was no longer effective.”Herbert Hendin, an executive director of the American Suicide Foundations illustrates a story of a young man diagnosed with acute myelocytic leukemia and was expected to have only a few months before he died. He persistently asked the doctor to assist him, but he eventually accepted the medical treatment. His doctor told him he can use his time wisely to become close to his family. Two days before he died, Tim talked about what he would have missed without the opportunity for a
The hospice aide’s job duties varies depending on the patient. If the hospice patient is in good condition, the job duties are very similar to that of the nursing home CNA. The hospice aide’s main goal is to maintain the patient’s dignity while providing the most comforting care possible. Many hospice patients are referring to as being on “comfort cares” – meaning if they don’t want to eat, they aren’t forced to. The hospice aide’s job is a hard one, as any CNA’s is, but perhaps more so, as they lose their patients at a higher
Shania twain is a pop and country music sensation. As a young girl she struggled with poverty, hunger, and abuse. Shania watched her dad physically abusing her mother and verbally abusing her. When Shania was 22 years old her parents were killed in a terrible car crash leaving her to raise her siblings. Shania twain loved her step father even though he was abusive and beat her mother. In 1993 Shania twain collaborated with rock music producer 'Mutt' Lange to create her mega hit album ‘The woman in me’ which sold twelve million copies turning Shania into the best selling female country artist of all time. Six months later Shania twain and 'Mutt' Lange fell in love and married. Her career was kicked into high gear with her follow up album ‘Come on over’ which became the best selling album by a female artist. Five time Grammy winner Shania twain was on top of the charts and on top of the world. She seemed to be living a fairytale life with her husband and young son but was actually struggling with the high price of fame and walked away from the spotlight to live a quiet life with Mutt and their young son. Six years later her fourteen year marriage fell apart when she discovered that her husband of fourteen years was having an affair with her closest friend Marie-Anne Thiebaud who she was confiding in about her marriage troubles, her confidence was shattered, and she lost her voice and ability to perform. She then went on a quest to find herself and her voice again and to get to the bottom of what’s going on with her voice physically. It was discovered that she suffers from Dysphonia, an ailment where...
On February 14th I spent a day doing something I never thought I would do in a million years, I went to hospice. I always thought I would hate hospice, but I actually didn’t mind it too much, it isn’t a job I see myself doing in the future but it is a job that I understand why people do it and why they enjoy it. During this observation I was touched by how much these nurses really seem to care for each of the patients that they have.
You might think that a woman with a pedigree and resume as impressive as this would have had a smooth ride all along. Not so. Says Janet, "I went through a great deal of pain from about sixteen to nineteen and a half… Pain that I really wouldn't wish upon anyone." During those years, challenging years for anyone, Janet released two albums, Janet Jackson (1982) and Dream Street (1984). She spent a difficult and lonely year away from her family in New York while appearing in "Fame," and by the time she was nineteen, had been through a divorce after a short-lived marriage to James DeBarge of another somewhat less famous singing family, the DeBarge Family.
Hospice focuses on end of life care. When patients are facing terminal illness and have an expected life sentence of days to six months or less of life. Care can take place in different milieu including at home, hospice care center, hospital, and skilled nursing facility. Hospice provides patients and family the tool and resources of how to come to the acceptance of death. The goal of care is to help people who are dying have peace, comfort, and dignity. A team of health care providers and volunteers are responsible for providing care. A primary care doctor and a hospice doctor or medical director will patients care. The patient is allowed to decide who their primary doctor will be while receiving hospice care. It may be a primary care physician or a hospice physician. Nurses provide care at home by vising patient at home or in a hospital setting facility. Nurses are responsible for coordination of the hospice care team. Home health aides provide support for daily and routine care ( dressing, bathing, eating and etc). Spiritual counselors, Chaplains, priests, lay ministers or other spiritual counselors can provide spiritual care and guidance for the entire family. Social workers provide counseling and support. They can also provide referrals to other support systems. Pharmacists provide medication oversight and suggestions regarding the most effective
The end-of-life nurse’s primary objective is to provide comfort and compassion to patients and their families during an extremely difficult time. They must satisfy all “physical, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual needs” of the patient and their family. (Wu & Volker, 2012) The nurse involves their patient in care planning, as well as educating them about the options available. They must follow the wishes of the patient and their family, as provided in the patient’s advance directive if there is one available. It is i...
as they like. They are put into place to perform a service and it is
The care of patients at the end of their live should be as humane and respectful to help them cope with the accompanying prognosis of the end of their lives. The reality of this situation is that all too often, the care a patient receives at the end of their life is quite different and generally not performed well. The healthcare system of the United States does not perform well within the scope of providing the patient with by all means a distress and pain free palliative or hospice care plan. To often patients do not have a specific plan implemented on how they wish to have their end of life care carried out for them. End of life decisions are frequently left to the decision of family member's or physicians who may not know what the patient needs are beforehand or is not acting in the patient's best wishes. This places the unenviable task of choosing care for the patient instead of the patient having a carefully written out plan on how to carry out their final days. A strategy that can improve the rate of care that patients receive and improve the healthcare system in general would be to have the patient create a end of life care plan with their primary care physician one to two years prior to when the physician feels that the patient is near the end of their life. This would put the decision making power on the patient and it would improve the quality of care the patient receives when they are at the end of their life. By developing a specific care plan, the patient would be in control of their wishes on how they would like their care to be handled when the time of death nears. We can identify strengths and weakness with this strategy and implement changes to the strategy to improve the overall system of care with...
Death is a universal truth. Hospice reduces the suffering associated with death. Hospice is considered the philosophy and model for quality, compassionate care to terminally ill patients. Patients accepted into a hospice program usually have a prognosis of less than six months to live (Potter, Perry, Stockert & Hall, 2017, p. 761). Hospice provides skilled medical care, pain management, emotional, and spiritual support tailored to the patient’s needs and wishes. The goal of hospice is to focus on the quality of life during the end of life. It gives patients a sense of dignity, provides patients and families with support, and it is cost effective. Today, seven out of ten Americans die from chronic disease. By 2020, the number of people living with a chronic illness will increase to 157 million (Hogan 2012). As the elderly population in the U.S. continues to increase, the importance of hospice will only continue to grow.
The purpose of this essay is to analyse various theories on ageing, death, dying, and end of life issues from different perspectives such as: biophysiological theories, psychosocial theories; and taking in consideration the cultural, historical, and religious implications around the aforementioned life stages. One will also discuss important issues relevant to social work practice such as dignity, autonomy, and their relationship with the concept of a successful ageing and a good death. One considers these areas important since they upheld anti-discriminatory practice and may perhaps promote the development of personalised care pathways, as well as fair and justifiable social policies.
Palliative care involves the holistic care to maintain and improve the quality of life of the patient and family during hospitalisation until the terminal stage. Palliation of care refers to the multidisciplinary approach of providing comfort and support for the terminally ill patient and family, thus has an important role in maintaining and improving the quality of life of the whole family. Chronic illness such as cancer gives a physiologic and emotional burden for the patient and family. Education and counselling of the possible options as well as treatments for pain and other symptoms that could help alleviate anxiety, suffering and discomfort. Palliative care provides assistance for the family as a channel for communication between the