End-of-life care discussion

End-of-life care becomes an issue at some point for elderly clients. Even with the emergence of palliative care programs and hospice programs, the majority of elderly people do not die in their own home as is their preference. What are the reasons for this trend? Discuss what you can do as a nurse to support your clients in end-of-life care and in supporting their desires. Support your response with evidence-based literature. Benchmark Assignment Individual Client Health History and Examination Details: In this assignment, you will be completing a health assessment on an older adult. To complete this assignment, do the following: Perform a health history on an older adult. Students who do not work in an acute setting may “practice” these skills with a patient, community member, neighbor, friend, colleague, or loved one. (If an older individual is not available, you may choose a younger individual). Complete a physical examination of the client using the “Individual Health History and Examination Assignment” resource. Use the “Functional Health Pattern Assessment” resource as a guideline to assist you in completing the template. Document findings of complete physical examination in Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) format. Refer to the sample SBAR Template located on the National Nurse Leadership Council website athttps://www.ihs.gov/nnlc/includes/themes/newihstheme/display_objects/documents/resources/SBARTEMPLATE.pdf as a guide. Document the findings of the physical examination in the assessment worksheet. Using the “Individual Health History and Examination Assignment” resource, provide the physical examination findings summary with planned interventions for the client. Include any community services in the interventions. 

Example.

The topic of end-of-life care is very sensitive! It is simple to say "yes" and set a limit for the elderly once that limit is reached, they're done. However, how will you feel after making that decision if your grandparents or parents ever reach the point where they require end-of-life care? What is the value of their life? I don't think anyone would want to think about losing a parent, especially given the cuts to medical funding. That seems incredibly unfair to me, and it would be devastating. The society we live in today is a result of the contributions of our elders. They have witnessed events we have only read about or watched on the History Channel. One goes through a lot in their life, and I think that just because you're getting older, you lose your worth as a person! It doesn't seem right or fair to make their life seem less important than mine or yours.