Term
| What is palliative treatment? |
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Definition
| The intent of treatment is not to cure, but to relieve symptoms. |
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Term
| What are goals of palliative care program? |
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Definition
1. Relieve suffering and enusre the best possible QOL for people facing advanced chronic and life-threatening illness
2. Provide, quality, efficient and cost-effective care focused directly on our sickest and most complex patients.
3. Provided alongside all other appropriate curative treatment. |
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Term
| What are characteristics of Medicare Hospice Benefits? |
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Definition
1. Enacted since 1983
2. Pays for 80% of all hospice care
3. Medical, nursing, counseling, & bereavement services for patient & family
4. Typically at home, but may be at hospital or NH
5. Overall plan to relieve comfort vs. reverse disease
Life expectancy <6 mos. |
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Term
| What are 5 areas of hospice care that are 100% (no co-pay) covered by the Medicare Hospice Benefit? |
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Definition
1. Case overnight by Hospice Medical Director
2. Nursing care
3. Social Work (counseling & planning)
4. Counseling Services (inc. chaplaincy)
5. All meds/supplies related to the terminal illness |
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Term
| What is the definition of terminally ill? |
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Definition
| An active and malignant disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and usually results in the death of the patient. |
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Term
| What is Medical Power of Attorney? |
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Definition
| A Medical Power of Attorney gives someone you trust the legal authority to act on your behalf regarding health care decisions if you ever become incapacitated or unable to communicate. |
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Term
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Definition
| A living will usually covers specific directives as to the course of treatment that is to be taken by caregivers. |
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Term
| What are some needs of persons who are dying? |
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Definition
1. Assurance regarding care & no abandonment
2. Assistance w/ documents regarding terminal care
3. Accurate, timely, and reliable info
4. Open communication
5. Excellence in physical care, comfort, privacy, intimacy, sleep & rest
6. Ongoing pain management
P.S. Not all were mentioned, but the other ones were obvious. Such as, permission to express feelings. |
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Term
| What are some psychological concerns with terminal illness? |
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Definition
1. Anxiety
2. Depression
3. Suffering
4. Suicide
5. Anger |
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Term
| What are some signs of approaching death? |
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Definition
1. Decrease body temp >= 1 deg.
2. Decrease BP gradually
3. Decrease peripheral circulation
4. Change in breathing pattern
5. Change in skin color to duller, darker, grayish hue
6. Change in nail beds to bluish
7. Decrease verbalizations
8. Decrease spontaneous speech/response to questions
9. Coma, minutes to hours before death |
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Term
| What are the stages of consciousness? |
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Definition
1. Illusions - misperceptions of ordinary sensations
2. Delusions - misconception of reality:
2a. Grandeur - exalted sense of self
2b. Persecution - fear that others are trying to inflict injury
3. Hallucinations - 3 major types
3a. Auditory - hearing things (usually voices) that are not present
3b. Visual - seeing things that are not present
3c. Tactile - feeling things that are not there |
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Term
| What are the characteristics of brain death? |
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Definition
1. Irreversible end of all brain activity
2. No clinical evidence of brain function
3. No response to pain or cranial nerve reflexes
4. Fixed pupils, no oculocephalic reflex, no corneal reflex, no response to caloric reflex test, no spontaneous respirations
5. No EEG activity
6. Absent intracranial blood flow |
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Term
| What PT services may terminally ill patients receive? |
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Definition
1. Pain management/relief
2. Positioning to prevent pressure sores/aid breathing
3. Endurance training
4. Energy conservation
5. Gait training
6. Ther Ex
7. Edema management
8. Equipment training
9. Home modification
10. Family education |
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