The Crisis of US Hospice Care

The Crisis of US Hospice Care PDF Author: Harold Braswell
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
ISBN: 1421429829
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
Exploring the failure of hospice in America to care for patients and families at the end of life. Hospice is the dominant form of end-of-life care in the United States. But while the US hospice system provides many forms of treatment that are beneficial to dying people and their families, it does not encompass what is commonly referred to as long-term care, which includes help with the activities of daily living: feeding, bathing, general safety, and routine hygienic maintenance. Frequently, such care is carried out by an informal network of unpaid caregivers, such as the person's family or loved ones, who are often ill-prepared to offer this type of support. In The Crisis of US Hospice Care, Harold Braswell argues that the stress of providing long-term care typically overwhelms family members and that overdependence on familial caregiving constitutes a crisis of US hospice care that limits the freedom of dying people. Arguing for the need to focus on the time just before death, Braswell examines how the relationship of hospice to familial caregiving evolved. He traces the history of hospice over the past fifty years and describes the choice that people dying with inadequate familial support face between a neglectful home environment and an impersonal nursing home. A nuanced look at the personal and political dimensions that shape long-term, end-of-life care, this historical and ethnographic study demonstrates that the crisis in US hospice care can be alleviated only by establishing the centrality of hospice to American freedom. Providing a model for the transformative work that is required going forward, The Crisis of US Hospice Care illustrates the potential of hospice for facilitating a new way of living our last days and for having the best death possible.

The Crisis of US Hospice Care

The Crisis of US Hospice Care PDF Author: Harold Braswell
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
ISBN: 1421429829
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 282

Get Book Here

Book Description
Exploring the failure of hospice in America to care for patients and families at the end of life. Hospice is the dominant form of end-of-life care in the United States. But while the US hospice system provides many forms of treatment that are beneficial to dying people and their families, it does not encompass what is commonly referred to as long-term care, which includes help with the activities of daily living: feeding, bathing, general safety, and routine hygienic maintenance. Frequently, such care is carried out by an informal network of unpaid caregivers, such as the person's family or loved ones, who are often ill-prepared to offer this type of support. In The Crisis of US Hospice Care, Harold Braswell argues that the stress of providing long-term care typically overwhelms family members and that overdependence on familial caregiving constitutes a crisis of US hospice care that limits the freedom of dying people. Arguing for the need to focus on the time just before death, Braswell examines how the relationship of hospice to familial caregiving evolved. He traces the history of hospice over the past fifty years and describes the choice that people dying with inadequate familial support face between a neglectful home environment and an impersonal nursing home. A nuanced look at the personal and political dimensions that shape long-term, end-of-life care, this historical and ethnographic study demonstrates that the crisis in US hospice care can be alleviated only by establishing the centrality of hospice to American freedom. Providing a model for the transformative work that is required going forward, The Crisis of US Hospice Care illustrates the potential of hospice for facilitating a new way of living our last days and for having the best death possible.

Dying in America

Dying in America PDF Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309303133
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 470

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Book Description
For patients and their loved ones, no care decisions are more profound than those made near the end of life. Unfortunately, the experience of dying in the United States is often characterized by fragmented care, inadequate treatment of distressing symptoms, frequent transitions among care settings, and enormous care responsibilities for families. According to this report, the current health care system of rendering more intensive services than are necessary and desired by patients, and the lack of coordination among programs increases risks to patients and creates avoidable burdens on them and their families. Dying in America is a study of the current state of health care for persons of all ages who are nearing the end of life. Death is not a strictly medical event. Ideally, health care for those nearing the end of life harmonizes with social, psychological, and spiritual support. All people with advanced illnesses who may be approaching the end of life are entitled to access to high-quality, compassionate, evidence-based care, consistent with their wishes. Dying in America evaluates strategies to integrate care into a person- and family-centered, team-based framework, and makes recommendations to create a system that coordinates care and supports and respects the choices of patients and their families. The findings and recommendations of this report will address the needs of patients and their families and assist policy makers, clinicians and their educational and credentialing bodies, leaders of health care delivery and financing organizations, researchers, public and private funders, religious and community leaders, advocates of better care, journalists, and the public to provide the best care possible for people nearing the end of life.

Living with Grief Since COVID-19

Living with Grief Since COVID-19 PDF Author: Kenneth Doka
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781893349193
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
A comprehensive review of grief and loss issues facing professionals and families due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Approaching Death

Approaching Death PDF Author: Committee on Care at the End of Life
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309518253
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 457

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Book Description
When the end of life makes its inevitable appearance, people should be able to expect reliable, humane, and effective caregiving. Yet too many dying people suffer unnecessarily. While an "overtreated" dying is feared, untreated pain or emotional abandonment are equally frightening. Approaching Death reflects a wide-ranging effort to understand what we know about care at the end of life, what we have yet to learn, and what we know but do not adequately apply. It seeks to build understanding of what constitutes good care for the dying and offers recommendations to decisionmakers that address specific barriers to achieving good care. This volume offers a profile of when, where, and how Americans die. It examines the dimensions of caring at the end of life: Determining diagnosis and prognosis and communicating these to patient and family. Establishing clinical and personal goals. Matching physical, psychological, spiritual, and practical care strategies to the patient's values and circumstances. Approaching Death considers the dying experience in hospitals, nursing homes, and other settings and the role of interdisciplinary teams and managed care. It offers perspectives on quality measurement and improvement, the role of practice guidelines, cost concerns, and legal issues such as assisted suicide. The book proposes how health professionals can become better prepared to care well for those who are dying and to understand that these are not patients for whom "nothing can be done."

Living With Grief

Living With Grief PDF Author: Kenneth J. Doka
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131775848X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 327

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Book Description
Produced as a companion to the Hospice Foundation of America's fifth annual National Bereavement Teleconference, this volume examines how key aspects of identity affect how individuals grieve. Variables explored include culture, spirituality, age and development level, class and gender.

The Five Invitations

The Five Invitations PDF Author: Frank Ostaseski
Publisher: Flatiron Books
ISBN: 1250074665
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
The cofounder of the Zen Hospice Project and pioneer behind the compassionate care movement shares an inspiring exploration of the lessons dying has to offer about living a fulfilling life. Death is not waiting for us at the end of a long road. Death is always with us, in the marrow of every passing moment. She is the secret teacher hiding in plain sight, helping us to discover what matters most. Life and death are a package deal. They cannot be pulled apart and we cannot truly live unless we are aware of death. The Five Invitations is an exhilarating meditation on the meaning of life and how maintaining an ever-present consciousness of death can bring us closer to our truest selves. As a renowned teacher of compassionate caregiving and the cofounder of the Zen Hospice Project, Frank Ostaseski has sat on the precipice of death with more than a thousand people. In The Five Invitations, he distills the lessons gleaned over the course of his career, offering an evocative and stirring guide that points to a radical path to transformation. The Five Invitations: -Don’t Wait -Welcome Everything, Push Away Nothing -Bring Your Whole Self to the Experience -Find a Place of Rest in the Middle of Things -Cultivate Don’t Know Mind These Five Invitations show us how to wake up fully to our lives. They can be understood as best practices for anyone coping with loss or navigating any sort of transition or crisis; they guide us toward appreciating life’s preciousness. Awareness of death can be a valuable companion on the road to living well, forging a rich and meaningful life, and letting go of regret. The Five Invitations is a powerful and inspiring exploration of the essential wisdom dying has to impart to all of us.

Becoming Dead Right

Becoming Dead Right PDF Author: Frances Shani Parker
Publisher: Loving Healing Press
ISBN: 1932690352
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
"Becoming Dead Right" guides readers through the general and "how to" information maze that prepares them for dealing with death. This book is filled with poetry, stories, wisdom, and common sense that can help baby boomers, students, caregivers, and policy makers understand that society can make important changes that can ensure safe, dignified, individualized care at the end of ones life.

Hospice Palliative Home Care and Bereavement Support

Hospice Palliative Home Care and Bereavement Support PDF Author: Lorraine Holtslander
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 303019535X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
This book provides an unique resource for registered nurses working in hospice palliative care at home and for the community, outside of acute care settings and also incorporates literature related to palliative care in acute health care settings, as part of the overall services and supports required. Very few resources exist which specifically address hospice palliative care in the home setting, despite the fact that most palliative care occurs outside acute care settings and is primarily supported by unpaid family caregivers. An overview of the concerns for individuals and families, as well as specific nursing interventions, from all ages would be an excellent support for nursing students and practicing registered nurses alike. The book structure begins with a description of the goals and objectives of hospice palliative care and the nursing role in providing excellent supportive care. Chapters include research findings and specifically research completed by the authors in the areas of pediatric palliative care, palliative care for those with dementia, and the needs of family caregivers in bereavement. Interventions developed by the editors are provided in this book, such as the “Finding Balance Intervention” for bereaved caregivers; the “Reclaiming Yourself” tool for bereaved spouses of partners with dementia; and The Keeping Hope Possible Toolkit for families of children with life threatening and life limiting illnesses. The development and application of these theory-based interventions are also highlighted. Videos and vignettes written by family caregivers about what was helpful for them, provide a patient-and family-centered approach./div The book will benefit nursing students, educators and practicing registered nurses by providing information, theory, and evidence from research.

The Good Death

The Good Death PDF Author: Ann Neumann
Publisher: Beacon Press
ISBN: 0807076996
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
Following the death of her father, journalist and hospice volunteer Ann Neumann sets out to examine what it means to die well in the United States. When Ann Neumann’s father was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, she left her job and moved back to her hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She became his full-time caregiver—cooking, cleaning, and administering medications. When her father died, she was undone by the experience, by grief and the visceral quality of dying. Neumann struggled to put her life back in order and found herself haunted by a question: Was her father’s death a good death? The way we talk about dying and the way we actually die are two very different things, she discovered, and many of us are shielded from what death actually looks like. To gain a better understanding, Neumann became a hospice volunteer and set out to discover what a good death is today. She attended conferences, academic lectures, and grief sessions in church basements. She went to Montana to talk with the attorney who successfully argued for the legalization of aid in dying, and to Scranton, Pennsylvania, to listen to “pro-life” groups who believe the removal of feeding tubes from some patients is tantamount to murder. Above all, she listened to the stories of those who were close to death. What Neumann found is that death in contemporary America is much more complicated than we think. Medical technologies and increased life expectancies have changed the very definition of medical death. And although death is our common fate, it is also a divisive issue that we all experience differently. What constitutes a good death is unique to each of us, depending on our age, race, economic status, culture, and beliefs. What’s more, differing concepts of choice, autonomy, and consent make death a contested landscape, governed by social, medical, legal, and religious systems. In these pages, Neumann brings us intimate portraits of the nurses, patients, bishops, bioethicists, and activists who are shaping the way we die. The Good Death presents a fearless examination of how we approach death, and how those of us close to dying loved ones live in death’s wake.

Medicare Hospice Benefits

Medicare Hospice Benefits PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Hospice care
Languages : en
Pages : 6

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Book Description