TL;DR
End-of-Life Care: Providing comfort, dignity, and emotional support during the dying process.
End-of-Life Care
Definition
Providing comfort, dignity, and emotional support during the dying process.
Equipment & Tools
Providing comfort, dignity, and emotional support during the dying process. End-of-life care principles tested on CNA exam.
Resident care connections: Right to communicate freely with phone access, mail unopened, visitors at reasonable hours. Right to participate in care planning and be informed about condition and treatment changes.
Calculation Methods
Understanding the numbers behind end-of-life care is important for accurate assessment. Vital signs provide objective data: temperature (97.8-99.1 F oral), pulse (60-100 bpm), respirations (12-20/min), and blood pressure (under 120/80 normal). Report any values outside a resident's established baseline to the nurse immediately.
Patient Communication
When communicating with residents about end-of-life care:
- Report behavioral changes to the nurse: withdrawal, aggression, crying, confusion
- Cultural sensitivity: respect food preferences, spiritual practices, family dynamics
- Active listening: face the resident, maintain eye contact, nod, paraphrase
- For cognitively impaired: use simple sentences, one instruction at a time, consistent routine
- Therapeutic silence: allow time for the resident to process and respond
Workplace Applications
Applying end-of-life care in daily practice as a nursing assistant:
- Right to privacy for personal care, mail, phone conversations, medical information
- Right to communicate freely with phone access, mail unopened, visitors at reasonable hours
- Right to participate in care planning and be informed about condition and treatment changes
- Use open-ended questions to encourage residents to share feelings
- Therapeutic silence: allow time for the resident to process and respond
- For cognitively impaired: use simple sentences, one instruction at a time, consistent routine
Overview
Providing comfort, dignity, and emotional support during the dying process. End-of-life care principles tested on CNA exam.
Resident care connections: Right to participate in care planning and be informed about condition and treatment changes. Right to be free from restraints (physical and chemical) except for documented medical necessity.
Why It Matters
End-of-life care principles tested on CNA exam.
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