Unit 16: End of Life Care Flashcards
A written document stating how you want medical decisions to be made if you lose the ability to make them for yourself.
Advance Directive
Absence of breathing.
Apnea
Atypical pattern of breathing involving deep breaths followed by shallow breaths.
Cheyne-Stokes Respirations
Providing care that supports the self-respect of the person, recognizing their capacities and ambitions, and does nothing to undermine it.
Dignity
Should the person stop breathing or their heart stop beating, there is to be no rescue effort.
DNR (Do not resuscitate)
To pass away.
Expire
The act of correctly acknowledging the emotional state of another.
Empathy
Care that focuses on the quality of life for people who are experiencing an advanced, life-limiting illness and their caregivers. Focuses mainly on comfort.
Hospice
An artificial or natural system that provides all or some of the items necessary for maintaining life or health.
Life Support Systems
A legal document that tells doctors how you want to be treated if you cannot make your own decisions about emergency treatment.
Living Will
Uneven, discolored patches on the skin of humans as a result of lowered blood flow to the surfaces of the skin.
Mottling
Specialized medical care that focuses on providing relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness.
Palliative
Similar to Advance Directive and Living Will. A medical order from a licensed practitioner specifying the treatments the patient does or does not wish.
POLST (Physician orders for life sustaining treatment)
An examination of a dead body to find out the cause of death.
Postmortem
A legal document where you grant another person the authority to make medical decisions for you if you become unable to do so.
Power of Attorney
