Essays on Hospice Care

Introduction

Laurel Ridge Health Care Organization is a chain of nursing homes and medical facilities that specialize in providing quality health care for their clients. The organization is reputed as a leader in quality health care provision. The facilities that are provided by this health organization aim at maintaining perfection when it comes to health care. The facility has a large panel of qualified medical personnel, who work around the clock to provide the best medical care to their clientele. They have a high staffing rate that is the quest for a provision of quality health care. Currently, they have ...

What is the meaning of life? Throughout history, people have asked themselves this question, coming to answers that vary greatly. In my case, I have seen that helping others is my true calling. In my personal history, there have been many significant events that have led me towards one path; particularly, some have had to do with my African ancestors, including my grandfather’s very impacting death. From my volunteer experiences, I have learnt the value and personal satisfaction that come with lending a helping hand to those in need. Then, after working at a hospital, I saw that ...

Contextual factors that can influence the transformational change project (TPC)

When entrepreneurs attempt to start any business, they have to consider several external factors that can affect the business. Similarly, when organizations take any transformational change project into consideration, they need to determine the factors that can influence the project. Political, social, economic, environmental, legal, company resources and competition in the industry the business is going to transformed are the factors that send significant impact over the transformational change project. Hence the aim of this project is to analyze the impact of these contextual factors on the TCP (transformational change project).

Analysis of contextual factors

Mandates and Regulations: Mandates refer to the codes, ...

The term public health nurse, as was originally intended was to treat social, and economic challenges, not just taking care of the sick individuals. It started in the mid-18th century in England, where Florence Nightingale gave knowledge to the first nurses in the district nursing model. Together with her classmate, Henry Street Settlement House was developed, New York City. Regardless of the social assertions that the poor were responsible for their social status, Wald often emphasized the dignity of a person of even the poorest in the society. Also, it is through her that in 1895, she and her ...

Pain Management in Hospice Care

Pain is one of the sources of discomfort for the patients admitted in hospice care. Motivated by the need to rectify the paucity of information on the characteristics of pain for the patients who have other terminal diseases other than cancer, Romem et al., (2015) performed a retrospective study in which they wanted to compared the characteristics of pain for those patients admitted for dementia treatment and those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with those admitted for cancer. Romem et al., (2015) found that there was a high prevalence of pain as a source of discomfort for patients ...

Members who were interviewed for the environmental assessment as stakeholders include current nurses, ambulance drivers, call center drivers and other additional staff who were hired to assist with the extra work. Members of the TCLT who were interviewed include the CFO and marketing director, the intern consultant, the CEO of Allied Homecare and Premier Transport, the Executive Administrator and the project manager. The stakeholders are well conversant with the hospice care services, and the members of the TCLT are vested in the business, and they are experienced in the health care industry, having worked in other departments. Below are ...

I chose to visit Terrace health and rehabilitation center, a long-term care facility located outside Gainesville off Interstate 75 in Kentucky. However, this was not my first visit to the facility. I had been a very regular visitor of the facility between June and August of 2014 often visiting my grandmother who had been diagnosed with defective heart valves earlier the same year. On all the previous visits, I had been accompanied by other family members. My earlier visits to the facility enabled me to familiarize myself with the staff and the facility's set-up. Consequently, I chose it for ...

Prisoners when in jail fall ill regularly and have to be tended to in the prison. The prisoners cannot be taken out of jail so that they can receive the medical attention required for their illness. However, they may at times get terminal illness when in jail. The terminal illnesses may at times restrict their movement to their cells or in the wards of the prison where they do not get any type of moral support (FAMM 53). Every patient in the world needs some form of moral support in his or her bid to get better and overcome ...

Is this a quantitative or qualitative research article?

Fine, Herr, Titler, Sanders, Cavanaugh, Swegle & Reyes (2010) utilize a qualitative approach that in their bid to make a detailed report of a cancer pain management tool based on collected evidence and expert analysis.

What are the problem and purpose of the research article?

Pain management for cancer patients is described as one of the priority issues that the clinical team has to explore. Medicare hospice programs recognize the importance of pain management for cancer patients and it is one of the measurable elements on which the quality of life of the patient is measured. For older patients with the pain assessment and management tools are expected to be ...

An investigation into whether polypharmacy in hospice and palliative care patient population can be reduced, thereby affecting quality of life

Introduction Polypharmacy simply refers to the use of several medications by patients. Sometime patients are prescribed several medications than what is clinically allowed or a patient may be given too many pills of drugs despite being clinically indicated. In addition, sometimes the drugs given to patients may not be evidence based but their use is only based on the speculations. Polypharmacy has been described to have a lot adverse effect on patients despite the patients being on medication. Instead of improving the quality of life, polypharmacy may sometimes prove to be adverse on patients. Common consequences of polypharmacy include negative ...

Introduction

Learning conversation Summary Reflection and follow up Abstract

This document outlines a face to face interview with the Team Manager; leader of the Patient Care whose designation allows her to hire a BSN prepared nurse in hospice specialty. The interview culminates in a request for mentorship as well as a reflection and follow up section.

Introduction Besides she performs duties of a resource and mentor for staff as it relates to clinical issues, documentation, team problem solving and appropriate customer service behavior. Evaluating, staff and volunteer schedules, along with sequencing territory assignments is a mjor responsibility. This ensures that ...

Discussion Question One

Patients who are terminally or seriously ill will often prefer hospice and palliative care to being inpatients in hospital wards. Looking at the pros and cons of hospice and palliative care helps vet this option. One of the advantages of hospice and palliative care is that it allows the patients to live the final phase of their life with dignity, purpose, support and grace. When hospice care is provided at the home of the patient, hospice and palliative care enables the patient to spend the final phase of life in a comfortable and familiar environment, in the midst of loved ...

Pet therapy refers to guided dealings between a trained animal and an individual in which the animal trainer is also involved. Animals are used in treatment in hospitals, elder living amenities and educational settings. Pet therapy offers individuals an opportunity to improve their life through human-animal relations. This ideology developed from the conviction in the supernatural spirits and influences of animals. It first appeared in the assemblages of hunters and gatherers people and the initial report of pet therapy took off in the late 18th century at the York Retreat in Britain headed by William Tuke. It is a developing field ...

Evaluation of the Practicum Experience

Practicum experience is a way in which nursing students can appreciate the theory through applying what has been taught in class into a real life situation. It is a period when the student develops practical skills and competencies as a professional. Apart from technical skills, the student can also develop soft skills like problem solving, decision making, interpersonal, leadership, and effective communication capabilities among others.

This paper analyzes and evaluates the practicum experience that was undertaken at the Kaiser Palliative and Hospice Care department. It describes the activities that were carried out and the personal learning objectives that were achieved. I undertook my ...

High Costs of Cancer Medications

In this paper, the plan of action to be followed in addressing the problem of high costs of cancer medications will be outlined and its components described. The following aspects will also be addressed in the paper, my personal role in the plan of action, anticipated barriers and contingency measures for addressing these barriers, and the role of technology in budgeting and nursing management contingent to the plan.

Plan of Action

Based on the findings of the literature review and interviews of two senior hospital administrators, the following measures for addressing the problem of ever-escalating costs of cancer care will be instituted:

Clinical Care Pathways

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Hospice care is a complex issue that needs a multi-disciplinary approach. As a patient’s disease progresses to its final stages, the patient needs increasing emotional, social, psychological, and spiritual support. A community hospice nurse is at the core of the healthcare team.

Quality of Life and Functioning

Perceptions About Quality of Life and Health Promotion and their Effects on Quality of Care

I see health as an active state of being, not just the mere absence of disease. For me, the most important duty of a healthcare giver is to increase a patient’s level of wellbeing, from whatever level the patient may have been at the moment ...

Psychology

Introduction Art therapy is a well-known mental health profession that primarily uses creativity process of art making in order to enhance physical, emotional well-being, as well as and mental health of people. Art therapy is mainly based on belief that creative process of art-making helps people to resolve problems and conflicts, to develop interpersonal skills, to reduce stress, to manage behavior, and to increase self-esteem. In general, art therapy incorporates the fields of visual arts, human growth, and the creative process with models of psychotherapy and counseling. The introduction of art therapy influenced significant changes on how people ...

“Hey, Dad. What do you think about hospice care?”

“Why are you asking me that now? Did Dr. Kellman tell you something I don’t know?” “No, I just wondered if it came down to it would you want to be put into a hospice or die at home?”

“Oh, Jerry, isn’t this a little premature? I mean, Dad’s only 56!”

“55!” “Sorry, honey, but I can’t keep it straight either. Are you talking about both me and Alan?” Marge asked with curiosity. “Both of you,” Melanie confirmed. “Jerry and I got into a discussion the other night about what would happen if, heaven help us all, something serious were to happen to you or Dad or both ...

The subject of patient rights is controversial and ties heavily into human rights. Individuals have the right to autonomous choice provided their choices do no harm to others. Individuals also have the right to live their lives as they see fit within legal and moral boundaries. However, how society defines legal and moral is often up for debate. One such debate is centered on the right of an individual to commit legal suicide when they are faced with certain, painful and lingering death. There are many viewpoints on this topic. One viewpoint shared by many is that an individual ...

Discussion Forum Replies

It is evident that there are many pros when it comes to hospice and palliative care. This is due to the numerous positive benefits that are associated with the healthcare provisions under these services. It is evident that the timeline that is present in the hospice care is a hindering factor. Patients and other hospital members need to be educated on the importance of palliative and hospice care (Ferrell & Coyle, 2010). This is evident from your argument where you state that most patients shy away since they are afraid of these healthcare measures. Through your argument and other research, it ...

Hospice is a multidisciplinary approach to family-centered and holistic care for persons nearing the end of life. As such, patients receiving this type of care have terminal illness and are certified to have a life expectancy of six months or less (Crozier & Hancock, 2012). The focus of hospice care is to enhance the patient’s quality of life through symptom management and comfort measures. The patient, caregiver, and family also benefit from psychological and spiritual care, education, coaching, and grief support (Batchelor, 2012). Because of their life stage, pediatric patients have hospice needs unique from adults. Thus, pediatric hospice aims to ...

Introduction

The concept of Medicare indicates the support the US government provides to people above the age of 65, younger people who have certain disabilities, and people who suffer from End-Stage Renal Disease. There are four services that are offered via the Medicare program of the government. Medicare Part A is also known as hospital insurance. Part A of the Medicare program caters for the concerned individual’s hospital stays along with adequate nursing facility, and health care facilities at the patient’s residence. Medicare Part B is the medical insurance that the patient gets. As a result of medical insurance, ...

Hospice and palliative care is a health unit that involves extensive care to patients. Hospice care and palliative care have b had contradictory opinion over the years, however, both focus on providing quality care to patients and relates to nursing worldwide. These type of care focuses on quality care after life, however, palliative care focusing on pain management during the last stages of a patient whereas hospice care ensures that quality care is ensured to the patient and respective families. Ethical issues on palliative/hospice care has been debated over the years, communicating being the greatest difficulty that nurses/ physicians face in ...

Introduction

Vitas Hospice is a leading organization in the United States, specializing in offering nursing care to patients with life-limiting diseases such as cancer and HIV/AIDS (Vitas, 2013). Started in 1978, the leader and pioneer in providing end-of-life care is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and operates over 51 other sister stations spread across the United States (in over 17 states and the District of Columbia) (Vitas, 2013). The well-established hospice care facility employs over 8,000 nursing professionals, who care for terminally ill patients either at residential facilities, nursing homes, inpatient hospice and homes (Anonymous, 2013). After shadowing for six weeks ...

The concepts of palliative care began with the hospice. Originally the hospice was a resting place for wary travelers in the 4th century. In fact the latin term for hospice means to conceal or alleviate symptoms without curing”. However, by the 19th century hospice’s religious areas established hospices as places for the dying in London and in Ireland (News Medical). End of life care is a “modern” idea that began in the 1950’s and was first written about by Dr. Cicely Saunders (Loscalzo, 2008). She described her feelings and ideas based on the feelings of dying patients. Dr. Saunders ...

An issue that was already decades old in a 1994 ethics article (Emanuel and Emanuel), the cost of end-of-life care is an issue that provides both an economic and actual definition of the limitations of medicine. Eventually, all patients die, but the question becomes what treatment and care should be administered to patients in their end-of-life stage. Therefore, this issue defines both limitations in medicine in that there are conditions that modern medicine have no treatment for, as well as limitations from the point of view of the inherent waste in spending limited medical dollars on treatment of patients so ...

Proposal for a Course of Action

Introduction The patient, described as a ninety year old, depressed professor, was selected for the long-term care assistance analysis is evaluated for palliative care in a hospice environment (Cohen, 2006, 235). Benefits identified in recommendation of a hospice care setting include: 1) patient request for placement outside of home; due to 2) and inability to maintain the property. The latter issue relates to both financial distress and to everyday upkeep. The patient suffers from age related fatigue and blindness, and requires pharmaceutical administration, daily. Social factors considered in the recommendation were defined by the patient. The patient has no children, ...

Hospice Business Plan

Organizational Summary The nursing home cares for residents mostly drawn from the local community. It offers no hospice care currently. The nursing home has a nurse to staff ratio of 1:8. It charges $80 per day for nursing and assisted care services. Most of the clients are covered by Medicare although a few have private insurance.

Service Description

The nursing home offers two forms of services currently: assisted living and skilled nursing care. Elderly assistants provide and assist the residents in carrying out activities of daily living. The residents are allowed to socialize with other residents and to plan their own schedules. ...

Type of Activity: (check)

- Seminar/workshop - Distance Learning via Computer - Conference - Distance Learning via Tele/Audio Conference - Independent Study - Other: Describe:

A. Human Resources

- Person Administratively Responsible: Provide the following information for the person responsible for administering this activity. - Planning Committee: Must include 1 RN with a minimum of baccalaureate in Nursing and at least one other member. They must have relevant content expertise, represent the target audience and/or have knowledge of the CE process. For each person on the planning committee, please list name, degrees and credentials here and attach a biographical data form with ...

Issues for Healthcare Organizations

Lesson 3:1- Antitrust Lesson 3:2 - Health Information Management Lesson 3:3 - Fraud, Abuse, and Corporate Compliance Abstract This document contains answers to lessons 3 units 1, 2, 3 pertaining to Issues for Healthcare Organizations. Unit 1 explores antitrust management; unit 2 - Health Information Management and unit 3 Fraud, Abuse, and Corporate Compliance. Issues for Healthcare Organizations Lesson 3:1- Antitrust

Question 1: Antitrust regulations - Sherman and Clayton Acts

- Mergers, consolidations and acquisition components of Sherman and Clayton antitrust acts like any other corporate legal intervention endorses regulations regarding purchasing; selling, dividing and combining with other companies that offer different ...

Death often comes after advanced age or serious illness. End of life is defined as ‘the time period during which the healthcare providers would not be surprised if death occurred within about 6 months (APA, 1). Most deaths are of the older age group (above 65 years) or those who are terminally ill (APA, 1). End of life care issues can be simple or complex and may range from legal, ethical, psychosocial, practical, spiritual, and medical aspects and even personal issues of the dying person (APA, 2). In literature, broadly discussed are the ethical and legal issues. In this ...

Abstract

Dealing with a critical health condition is one of the social issues that required well collaborated and efficient multidiscipline personnel who have to dedicate their utmost effort in providing medical care, moral support as well as ensure the necessary remedies are enacted. Such cases where different personnel from various interdisciplinary background come together to solve a critical problem at hand will require a sense of trust, understanding different personalities and at the same time tolerate each other both professionally and socially so as to find a solution to the problem involved. The process may however involve challenges of social problems such as conflicts ...