Choosing End Of Life Nursing

'Death is inevitable--none of us will escape it. Ending life with a terminal illness is a slow and rather lonely process. I am interested in the question of why some nurses choose to work in the field of palliative care. I am one who willingly stepped into the role of being with patients at their most vulnerable time ?when death became inevitable. My nursing history has spanned fifty years, of which the last twenty were in palliative care of terminally ill and dying patients. What was it that influenced me to move from a curing model to comfort caring only? My work is an account of how I discovered palliative care nursing after thirty years in the acute-care setting. I migrated to Australia at the age of seventeen after the violence of World War II and the death of my father in a refugee camp. It seemed that taking on nursing was the best way to settle into a new life. I was happy with general nursing but had a feeling that there was more I could contribute to my patient care. My mother's unexpected death with cancer was responsible for showing the way. She died in the hospice unit of the hospital where I was employed. Sitting by her side showed me another aspect of nursing that attracted me to a career change. I transferred to the Hospice after mother died and remained there for twenty years. Naturally I wondered why this change of direction happened.' - Susan Bardy

Annotation Offering a blend of holistic and humanistic caring coupled with aggressive management of pain and symptoms associated with advanced disease, this resource is organized around 15 competencies in palliative care developed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, with each chapter outlining specific skills needed to achieve each competency.

This title is directed primarily towards health care professionals outside of the United States. Content has been thoroughly revised and updated in line with changes in practice and policy both locally and internationally, particularly the UK NICE guidance on Supportive and palliative care for people with cancer and the Care of the Dying Pathway. It reflects the rapid development of palliative nursing as an emerging specialty. It helps in the process of defining palliative nursing and how it interfaces with other disciplines within the specialty. The text is divided into three sections and comprehensively, yet sensitively, covers all aspects of palliative nursing. Key themes covered include pain control, symptom control, loss and grief, and handling loss. . A strong emphasis is placed on the integration of theory and practice and evidence based care. . Reconciliation of the theory and practice is achieved by the use of case studies. . It addresses malignant and non-malignant palliative care. . Research and extensive literature support each chapter. Content has been thoroughly revised and updated in line with changes in practice and policy both locally and internationally, particularly the UK NICE guidance on Supportive and palliative care for people with cancer and the Care of the Dying Pathway . Three new chapters on: . Sexuality . Care of the Dying Pathway . Changing roles of the nurse in palliative care . New appendix on North American drug names equivalents for the international market

Nursing Care at the End of Life: Palliative Care for Patients and Families explores the deep issues of caring for the dying and suffering. The book is based on the Hospice Family Caregiving Model previously published by the author and focuses on the practice implications of care for the dying. The book is written in a clear and user-friendly style, and is ideal for undergraduate nursing students learning about dying, suffering, and caring for individuals and their families.

This sensitively written book offers a wealth of insight and practical advice for nurses in every specialty and setting providing end-of-life care. Nurses will learn how to address patients' spiritual concerns, ensure that physical needs are met, help patients maintain their dignity, and provide emotional support to grieving families. Nurses will also learn how to cope with their own feelings about dying and end-of-life care. Coverage includes stages of dying, nursing interventions for palliative care, pain control, alternative therapies, physical and psychological signs of grieving, and more. Vignette insights from the well-known end-of-life specialist Joy Ufema offer advice on giving compassionate care.

Praise for the Third Edition: "In this comprehensive textbook on palliative care nursing, editors Marianne Matzo and Deborah Witt Sherman succeed in bringing together the heart of nursing and the true meaning of palliative care with the most current evidence based practice." --GeriPal This fourth edition of a comprehensive text/reference that has been valued by students, educators, and practicing nurses for many years, Palliative Care Nursing continues to reflect the fundamental hospice and palliative care nursing competencies---both basic and advanced--that are essential for effective and empathetic care of patients and families. This new edition reflects the tremendous growth of this vital discipline into the mainstream of health care and focuses on palliative care that is responsive to the demand for health care reform in America and globally. It provides the knowledge, scientific evidence, and skills needed by nurses to address the complex physical, emotional, social, sexual, and spiritual needs of patients and families within the context of a changing health care delivery system. With a focus on inter-professional collaboration, the book emphasizes the value of complementary, holistic models in promoting health and wholeness across the illness trajectory, even as death approaches. The book is edited by Project on Death in America Faculty Scholars, who have worked to develop, implement, and evaluate nursing initiatives in palliative care in the U.S. and internationally. With a focus on both quality of life and economic imperatives, interdisciplinary authors describe the management of specific diseases and related physical and psychological symptoms, and care of patients during the dying process. They cover assessment of key symptoms and pharmacological, non-pharmacological, and complementary interventions. Taking a life-span approach, the book includes age-appropriate nursing considerations. Key points at the beginning of each chapter and callouts containing evidenced-based information highlight best practices. The text also examines relevant legal, ethical, and cultural considerations and offers case studies with conclusions in each clinical chapter. New to the Fourth Edition: Thoroughly revised and expanded Three new chapters addressing palliative care amidst health care reform, rehabilitation in chronic or serious illness, and post-traumatic stress disorder A conceptual framework table in each chapter identifying the National Quality Forum Domains of Palliative Care and Basic and Advanced Palliative Care and Hospice Nursing Competencies Updated evidence-based callouts that review the highest-quality studies

An updated edition of the most respected book on hospice care—for both patients and caregivers. This warm and informative resource on hospice and other end-of-life care options now gets an update. It receives a new preface and revised guidance on elders who need more long-term care and support, recommendations on pain medications, and advice for those living extended lives with treatable, but not curable, diseases. Written by a hospice nurse, Living at the End of Life reassures us that this difficult time also offers an opportunity to explore and rediscover a richer meaning in life. Drawing on her years of experience, Bell has created a comprehensive, insightful guide to every aspect of hospice care and the final stages of life. For people in hospice, as well as their friends and families, this is an indispensable and trustworthy source of comfort and spiritual healing.