End-of-life care becomes an issue at some point for elderly clients
End-of-life care is an inevitable part of the life of elderly clients and should be treated with a particular attention from the nurse's perspective. Observing the recent trends in the end-of-life care one can not but mention the fact that elderly people decide to die not in their own home, but prefer to move to specialized institutions (BBC News, 2016). In this pepper we will highlight the main reasons of this trend and, furthermore, focus on the ways nurses can support the client during end-of-life care.
The possible reasons for people preferring not to die at home can be divided into two main groups influenced by physical and psychological factors. Physical facts imply that people simply do not have all needed instruments and equipment to maintain their health condition and to help them live the last days. Such equipment either costs a lot or can not be bought at all. Secondly, they need someone to take care of them, and if the client is single and has no family and children, it may become a problem. Psychological reasons include the unwillingness of the client to be a ballast for the family, uncomfortable feelings because of making someone take care of the client and so on.
Consequently, the job of nurse and the level of care and service he/she provides plays an important role in end-of-life care. In order for the nurse to perform on the highest possible level, he/she should create most comfortable conditions for the client according to his will. The nurse should always be attentive and show respect, listen to the desires of the client attentively and fulfill them to the highest possible extend.
Summing up, end-of-life care is a very special field of care, and, therefore, nurses who decide to help elderly clients with it should consider all factors and go for it only if they really have a desire to help the client.
References
BBC News,. (2016). People 'denied' die at home wish - BBC News. Retrieved 25 January 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/health-11742166
