Issues Relating to Death & Dying in America Flashcards
(45 cards)
the view of advanced Illness and the care that is involved
- Freq emergency Rm visits
- Increase in In-Patient Admiss
- Futile care (taking care of patient where there is no benefit like a person with cancer)
- Promote suffering
- Increased risk of depression and anxiety
- Promote complicated bereavement for family/caregivers
- Tx continued near death may prevent/delay hospice services
what constitutes good quality care at end of like for healthcare team?
providing symptom management and discussing emotional aspects of the disease
what constitutes good quality care at end of like for patients
achieving a sense of control, attaining spiritual peace, succeeding in having finances in order, strengthening relationships with loved ones, believing their life had meaning
what was the focus of medicine in early 1990’s
comfort
what was the cause of death in the early 1990’s
infectious diseases and communicable diseases
what was the death rate in the early 1990’s
1720 per 100,000
what was the average life expectancy in early 1990’s
50 years old
who was the caregiver in the early 1990’s
Family
what was the disease/dying trajectory in the early 1990’s
relatively short
what is the current focus in medicine
cure
what is the current cause of death
chronic illnesses
what is the current death rate
800.8 per 100,000
what is the current life expectancy
77.8
who are the current care givers
strangers/ healthcare providers
where is the current site of death
institutions
what is the current disease/dying trajectory?
prolonged
what is the Toll of death and dying on patients & family/caregivers
- Pt fears they will be a physical burden
- If nothing more can be done will healthcare providers abandon them
- How do families and caregivers adjust to role changes
- may drain life savings and or go bankrupt to cover medical costs
- older adults may be cared for by an aged spouse who is also ill
- older children caring for a parent may also have acute or chronic illness
how many adults provide unpaid care to sick/disabled adults?
44 million
how many hours do caregivers spend on taking care of pts
average of 21 hours
what makes up most of the caregivers
most are women in their mid 40’s working full time
what is the cost of uncompensated care?
257 billion/year
what percent of veterans die in a non-VA hospital
96%
how many US vertrans are there
23,442,000
how many WWII vets die a day
900
