Week 3 Flashcards
Define Palliative Care.
Helps the person to live out final days comfortably and in a dignified way. Curative treatment to increase quality of life
What is Palliative daycare?
Patient gets out, engages in activities and socializes with others, but also gets nursing care, bathing, occupational therapy, massages, etc. Person receiving it can still live at home but gets palliative treatment typically in hospital
What are the 5 aims of palliative care?
Control pain and physical distress
Provide care for physical, psychological, spiritual, and existential needs
Continuity and coordination of competent care
Accessible care
Help people live as fully as possible until the end of their lives
Define Hospice care. What re the primary goals?
Primary goals: Promote patient-family autonomy, help patients with pain control and obtain quality of life before they die, enable families to receive supportive help during the dying process and bereavement period.
Emphasis goes from cure to comfort.
What are Essential Components to hospice care?
Patient and family are the unit of care
Care provided in home or inpatient
Symptom management is the focus of treatment
Treatment directed toward “whole person.”, also emotional and spiritual needs as they die
Care is interdisciplinary, acupuncteur, massage, spiritual
Services available 24 hours a day, seven days a week
Which country is #1 in palliative medicine? What is the purpose of In-patient hospice?
U.K. is the leader of palliative medicine.
Can be freestanding (like St Christopher’s) or within a hospital.
Usually necessary to bring pain and symptoms under control. Home care might be inappropriate given the stage of illness or home situation. Plan is for home care to resume.
Designed to be a home away from home, unlike a hospital. No visiting restrictions.
How much do Hospital-based palliative care reduce the cost of end-of-life care?
by 50% or more, primarily by reducing the number of ICU admissions, diagnostic testing, interventional procedures and overall hospital length of stay
What are 6 myths about hospice?
Hospice is a place
Hospice is only for people with no hope
Hospice is only for people with cancer
Hospice is only for people with a few days to live
Hospice requires family members and friends to provide care
Hospice can’t talk to or assist someone without a referral from a physician.
What is Home Care?
Home care nursing is a specialized area of nursing practice in which a nurse provides care in the client’s home, school or workplace or other community settings.
Can be arrange for people who are dying, also appreciate for those with dementia
What is secondary morbidity?
Difficulties in the physical, cognitive, emotional, or social spheres of functioning that the caregiver experiences. Can affect professional or volunteer caregivers as well as family members and friends. Respite care is important!
What re some major key points about long-term care and COVID-19
COVID-19 has severely affected residents, healthcare workers and staff at LTCs: Psychological, physical, cognitive, lack of social support, loneliness
Burnout is a major factor: Over 20% of healthcare workers in LTC facilities report wanting to leave their job in the next three years
Most care (60%) is provided by personal support workers. Absence of paid sick leave, understaffing, need to work multiple jobs, underpaid
Negative impact on families: Uncertainty, anxiety, guilt, distrust of the system, greater caregiver burden
Who are nursing homes for?
Nursing home is a place for individuals who do not need to be in a hospital, but cannot be cared for at home
Define : Home sharing, Personal care homes, Assisted living facilities and Continuing care retirement communities.
Home sharing: Traditional roommates; faith-based or community group sponsored houses, board and care homes that provide minimal assistance to elders.
Personal care homes: Provide care to those who need minimal assistance
Assisted living facilities: Provide care for adults who can’t live independently, but don’t need skilled nursing care.
Continuing care retirement communities: Graduated steps from regular retirement apartments, assisted living units, then a skilled nursing facility (medical, nursing services, and dietary supervision).
What are the key points to presenting a diagnosis?
Present information that will serve the best interest of the patient
Consider patient’s personality, emotional constitution, and capacity for continued function under stress
Consider familial and sociocultural environment
Give details simply, in segments
Advise about course of treatment
Provide ample time to explore patient’s questions and concerns. May ahem to discuss terminally again
What is the End of Life Study show about communication and terminality?
Couples given life-threatening news. To be apart of the study someone in the couple had to have had cancer and expected to live less than 18 months. Many patient did not know they had 18 months to live. Couple upset to learn of the timeline from the therapist running the study. Oncologists dont alway provide the timeline, rather “palliative stage” “terminal” incurable”
