Caring For Your Loved One Who Is Ill At Home

"Nurses play a vital role in improving the safety and quality of patient car -- not only in the hospital or ambulatory treatment facility, but also of community-based care and the care performed by family members. Nurses need know what proven techniques and interventions they can use to enhance patient outcomes. To address this need, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with additional funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has prepared this comprehensive, 1,400-page, handbook for nurses on patient safety and quality -- Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0043)." - online AHRQ blurb, http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/

Family caregiving affects millions of Americans every day, in all walks of life. At least 17.7 million individuals in the United States are caregivers of an older adult with a health or functional limitation. The nation's family caregivers provide the lion's share of long-term care for our older adult population. They are also central to older adults' access to and receipt of health care and community-based social services. Yet the need to recognize and support caregivers is among the least appreciated challenges facing the aging U.S. population. Families Caring for an Aging America examines the prevalence and nature of family caregiving of older adults and the available evidence on the effectiveness of programs, supports, and other interventions designed to support family caregivers. This report also assesses and recommends policies to address the needs of family caregivers and to minimize the barriers that they encounter in trying to meet the needs of older adults.

Medical Decisions for a Loved One with a Life-Threatening Illness: Palliative Care for the Community By: Dr. Gannel Jean-Pierre Medical Decisions for a Loved One with a Life-Threatening Illness: Palliative Care for the Community by Dr. Gannel Jean-Pierre is a wonderful resource for people dealing with a life-threatening illness or who have a loved one in such a situation. Dr. Jean-Pierre blends real experience with sensitive, effective, and gentle advice to cater to most any situation within the palliative care spectrum. With examples from Jean-Pierre’s vast expanse of clinical experience, this book is invaluable to those in this situation. Dr. Jean-Pierre masterfully uses reputable sources for great information and resources to help as much as possible during end-of-life care. This book is highly recommended to anybody who needs help understanding how to help loved ones in this situation, or what to expect if they themselves are going through terminal illness.

This “comforting…thoughtful” (The Washington Post) guide to maintaining a high quality of life—from resilient old age to the first inklings of a serious illness to the final breath—by the New York Times bestselling author of Knocking on Heaven’s Door is a “roadmap to the end that combines medical, practical, and spiritual guidance” (The Boston Globe). “A common sense path to define what a ‘good’ death looks like” (USA TODAY), The Art of Dying Well is about living as well as possible for as long as possible and adapting successfully to change. Packed with extraordinarily helpful insights and inspiring true stories, award-winning journalist Katy Butler shows how to thrive in later life (even when coping with a chronic medical condition), how to get the best from our health system, and how to make your own “good death” more likely. Butler explains how to successfully age in place, why to pick a younger doctor and how to have an honest conversation with them, when not to call 911, and how to make your death a sacred rite of passage rather than a medical event. This handbook of preparations—practical, communal, physical, and spiritual—will help you make the most of your remaining time, be it decades, years, or months. Based on Butler’s experience caring for aging parents, and hundreds of interviews with people who have successfully navigated our fragmented health system and helped their loved ones have good deaths, The Art of Dying Well also draws on the expertise of national leaders in family medicine, palliative care, geriatrics, oncology, and hospice. This “empowering guide clearly outlines the steps necessary to prepare for a beautiful death without fear” (Shelf Awareness).

In eight innovative sessions, Henderson, Hanson, and Reynolds provide sage advice, numerous case studies, a wide variety of assessment tools, intructional guidelines, and practical exercises to educate nursing home staff about care of the dying. A Multidisciplinary focus outlines important roles for all staff members in providing competent and compassionate end-of-life care.

"A guide for carers caring for a person who has a life limiting illness at home"--Provided by publisher.