End of Life Care

Question 1

PAINAD Scale

Answer 1

The PAINAD (Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia) pain scale (0-10) is a tool used to assess pain in individuals with advanced dementia who may have difficulty communicating their pain verbally. This scale is designed to help healthcare providers, caregivers, and family members recognize and assess pain in these patients based on observed behaviors.

Includes:
Breathing
Negative Vocalization
Facial Expression
Body Language
Consolability

Question 2

VDS Pain Scale

Answer 2

The VDS Pain Scale stands for the “Verbal Descriptor Scale” and is a simple pain assessment tool commonly used in healthcare settings. It helps individuals, especially children or those with communication difficulties, describe their pain intensity using verbal descriptors, such as “no pain,” “mild pain,” “moderate pain,” “severe pain,” or other options.

Question 3

POLST form

Answer 3

POLST (Portable Medical Order) gives seriously ill or frail people more specific direction over their health care treatments compared to advance directives and more options than Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders