Hospice

Thesis Palliative/Hospice Care: Necessity or Extension of Healthcare: a topic chosen to obtain clarity of services, while questioning who is benefiting, patients or the healthcare system. I. Introduction: The Historical Roots of Hospice In Homeric times (8th century B.C.), all Greeks without exception were regarded as being under the protection of Zeus Xenios, the god of strangers and supplicants. A wanderer would be treated as a guest and offered food, shelter, clothing, and gifts. Violation of the duties of hospitality were likely to provoke the wrath of the gods. (Forman and Kitzes, et. 2003). Patients who were not cured by an itinerant physician, the iatros, could be cared for at a temple to Aesculepius, the god…

In 2011, approximately 44.6 percent of all deaths in the United States. were under the care of a hospice program (National Hospice and Palliative Care Organizatoin, 2012, p. 4) Obermeyer, Powers, Makar, Keating, and Cutler assert that evidence suggests that hospice care is able to acknowledge and implement patients' needs and preferences at the end of life, decrease the cost of health care, and improve quality of life and care experiences for families and patients (Obermeyer, Powers, Makar,…

Hospice is type of palliative care where the goal is to comfort those who have a certain amount of time left, Hospice was first introduced to the United States in the 1970s. The goal is to make sure the person’s quality of life is at the best it can while managing the symptoms of their condition. (Hospicevallley 2016). During the 1970s hospice care was mostly for adult cancer patients, but now it is available to other illnesses and various ages. Such illnesses are, for example, lung disease,…

Pain management is an integral aspect of health care, especially in the case of end-of-life patients. For many of these patients Hospice care is provided to ease their passing. “Hospice focuses on caring, not curing and in most cases care is provided in the patient's home. Hospice care also is provided in freestanding hospice centers, hospitals, and nursing homes and other long-term care facilities” (Hospice Care. (2015, July 23)). When it comes to treating these patients for pain, it comes from…

Before watching the Hospice Organization of America video, “Hospice, Something More”, my initial ideas about hospice was that it is a place where people go to die. A place for people who are deteriorating and were given a limited life expectancy. I initially also thought that hospice was a particular place where terminally ill people go to spend their last days. In addition, I thought that once a person enters hospice, there was no going back. Just to sit back and wait until the final hour.…

I really enjoyed Hospice, and I haven’t been anywhere else but I have sense that it’ll be my favorite. Main reason being that Judy was amazing. She really showed me what Hospice is about and never treated her patients like they were a number. She took time to hear their complaints, or what was going on in their life which is definitely a sign of a great nurse. 1. Identify the purpose and functions of the agency. The hospice philosophy of care means providing comfort measures to…

indicated under each standard. I want to build on my pre-existing knowledge from past classes to develop my own principles of hospice palliative care that correlate with me to incorporate it in my practice. Measurable Outcome (s): (How will you and others know when you have reached your goal?) This is measurable by creating my own principles of hospice palliative care by completing the strategies I have listed. I will seek for feedback from my peers, and instructor through class discussions and…

There are many ethical issues that are unique to providing Hospice care. Recent health care efforts aimed at supporting individuals facing advanced illness are marked by debate over the right to die and assisted suicide. Palliative Sedation therapy to unconsciousness is considered to be controversial as unconsciousness is the intended goal of sedation rather than a side effect. Medications are increased rapidly over minutes and hours to achieve unconsciousness and left at that level until death…

Take Heart – At Hospice This April John Smith, a volunteer with Hospice was chosen to receive the June Callwood Award. This award was established by Hospice Palliative Care Ontario to acknowledge and thank outstanding hospice volunteers throughout Ontario. The award was named in honour of Ms. Callwood, a Canadian journalist, author and social activist who was a long-time advocate of hospice. John Smith joined the Hastings team of volunteers in 2012, her interest stemming from the desire that…

Palliative medicine and Hospice care have become increasingly important in the age of modern medicine. That said the transition to hospice care could be a confusing, emotional, experience for both the patient and the caregiver. There has become increasing awareness of this issue, which is evident in the amount of hospital readmissions of hospice patients. Researchers addressed this issue with an article titled “Rehospitalization of Older Adults Discharged to Home Hospice Care,” (Goldenheim et…