None of us will ever live forever. We will all come to the end of our lives one day. Some will die suddenly in accidents, or of catastrophic health events like heart attacks or strokes. Some of us will die in our sleep of things like sudden heart failure. The rest of us will age and perhaps fall victim to chronic ailments like cancer, MS, heart disease or lung disorders. There are many conditions that are eventually fatal. When there are not any more chances for a cure, and the end of life is near, there are hospice and palliative care options to improve these last days. The key to the best experience with hospice and palliative care is a good nurse with special training in this area.
The Palliative Care Nurse helps terminally ill patients live their last days in their homes with the best quality of life possible under the conditions. A good nurse will help the patient by relieving suffering and pain, controlling symptoms, and restoring the functional capacity to the extent possible. All of this is done with respect for the person’s cultural and religious beliefs and personal wishes. The Palliative Care Nurse work in cooperation with physicians, chaplains and social workers for the benefit of the terminally ill patient and their families.
These nurses specialize in end of life care and the special needs of each patient and their families. They must make the effort to understand what each individual patient needs and wants. This involves pain management, often 24 hour nursing availability, understanding listening and counseling and culturally sensitive nursing care. Hospice nurses work with patients who typically die within a month or so, while palliative care nurses work with patients who have a longer prognoses. Hospice and palliative care nurses work in the home, in hospitals, in nursing homes and hospice units, foster care and rehabilitation centers. Palliative care and hospice nurses undergo special training. In addition to becoming registered nurses, they earn additional degrees which can be an associate degree, a baccalaureate degree, and /or a masters degree level. Some even choose to hold a doctoral degree. It takes a lot of training to give the specialized care end of life patients require. For more details Click Here.
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