...INTRODUCTION “Assisted living facilities—nonmedical, community-based, residential settings that provide housing, food service, one or more personal services, and watchful over sight to frail elders and other persons with physical and mental disabilities”(Ball, Whittington, Perkins, Patterson, Hollingsworth, King & Combs, 200, p. 304) . As the baby boomers age there are more and more Americans living is assisted living environments. There is plenty of research of how the families of the clients like the environment that their families live, but not a great deal on how the actual client feels about the environment. The key factor to this is that many of them no longer have the ability to communicate logically, and coherently with researchers/care...
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...Physician assisted suicide has been a major debate worldwide for many years. Some individuals don’t realize how hard it is to accept assisted suicide on a grand level. The hardest questions around assisted suicide is not whether it is accepted or not, but if accepted, how and who it will be implement for. This paper will not discuss why assisted suicide should or should not be implemented, but will explain political and societal questions that may arise if assisted suicide is accepted. There will also be given real examples of individuals who completed assisted suicide and possible questions that can arise from them. This paper will also explain how assisted suicide has only a minor effect on nursing care. Once the answers to these questions...
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...Proposal Essay Assisted Suicide: A Catholic’s Right To Die The right to choose whether to live or die should reside with the person who is terminally ill and no one else. According to the Catholic Church there are three moral principles on conserving health and life: sanctity of life, God’s dominion and human stewardship, and the prohibition against killing. Promoting the morality of the right to life, compassionate care and the power of divine love, the Catholic Church tries to offer a hopeful perspective. Radically different views than those of the Catholic Church are expressed by both healthy and terminally ill patients when surveyed. Several national organizations have been founded supporting a persons’ choice, to include the Hemlock Society and the Final Exit Network both with Arizona chapters. One of the main reasons terminally ill patients want the right to choose assisted suicide is to be able to die with dignity. The thought of being unable to care for yourself or recognize your family is particularly frightening and unwanted by most people. Mentally competent adults have a basic human right to end their lives when they suffer from a fatal or irreversible illness or excessive pain, when their quality of life is personally unacceptable, and the future holds only hopelessness and misery. Arizona is one of 34 states that have explicitly criminalized assisted suicide; only the states of Oregon and Washington permit physician assisted suicide with the remaining...
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...This paper is intended to provide an overview regarding the Colorado End of Life Options Act. This paper includes information regarding what it is, who qualifies to use it, and what the entirety of the process looks like. The ultimate goal of this paper, however, is to provide enough information regarding the Colorado End of Life Options Act to ensure that a general understanding of the basic requirements/qualifications, processes, individuals involved, and dilemmas surrounding physician assisted suicide is obtained. Keywords: Colorado, End of Life Options, Physician assisted suicide The Colorado End of Life Options Act The concept of physician...
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...Abstract Assisted living is a fairly new and unique part of the long term care continuum of services. The goal of assisted living is to maximize the independence of older adults while living in a homelike environment. This paper will provide an overview of assisted living facilities including the number of facilities and residents, costs, services, and growth expectations. Challenges with oversight and regulations will be discussed as well as solutions to the problem. Challenges and solutions for staffing and training issues will also be discussed. The paper will also highlight “In Loving Hands Assisted Living” which is a local assisted living facility that I called and visited to aid in my research. I will give an overview of the Fort Washington area in terms of older adults and the long term care market. The challenges with this provider are marketing and staffing for which I suggest low cost advertisement and comprehensive staffing patterns. Lastly, a conclusion and summary are provided for the current state and future of assisted living facilities. Overview of Assisted Living While the definition of assisted living facilities vary from state to state, this type of facility is generally defined as “a housing option that involves the delivery of professionally managed, supportive services and depending on state regulations, nursing services in a group setting that is residential in character and appearance” (Evashwick, 2005, p 152). Assisted living...
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...requirements, and maintain the company’s vision and mission. The process commands the role of risk-management to supervise safety functions and quality-management to supervise the stakeholder satisfaction with the services provided in all aspects. Differences and similarities in functionality for each organization or company runs parallel in the goal of safety and satisfaction through monitoring, improving, and communicating to meet regulatory and compliance requirement standards. Similarities and Differences These organizations share many similarities and yet there are differences amongst the five types of organizations chosen; hospitals, emergency services, assisted daily living, home health care, and diagnostics or laboratory facilities. Let us take two, the difference between home health care and assisted daily living are that one may require a higher level of care deemed necessary by the doctors. Home health care has a doctor encouragement to let the patients obtain required medical care; they receive skilled care, which can be provided by nurses or health aides (Elswick, 2011). They...
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...contact. Exploitation refers to the illegal misuse, theft, or concealment of an elderly individual’s funds, assets, or property. Neglect is the failure or refusal of a formal or informal caregiver to supply the vulnerable elder in their care with shelter, food, health care, or protection. Abandonment refers to the desertion of the vulnerable elder by either a legal custodian or anyone who has assumed responsibility for their care (Stefanacci & Haimowitz, 2013, p. 68). Residential care facilities (RCFs) have a multitude of different names across the Unites States but are most commonly referred to as assisted living facilities (ALFs), adult congregate living facilities, domiciliary care homes, and shelter care homes. Since the mid 1990’s, RCFs have made up one of the most rapidly expanding areas of senior housing, with an estimated number of 1 million senior residents living in RCFs across the United States (Castle & Beach, 2011, p. 248). Of concern is the fact that many of the residents in RCFs suffer from some degree of cognitive impairment, physical limitation, or behavioral symptomology that makes then more vulnerable victims of elder abuse...
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...always considered herself a loner and she is happy being by herself for several reasons. She likes her freedom, she does not like people telling her what to do, and she does not agree with how some people handle getting old. “They do not like to do stuff.. they just sit on their butts and wait to die.(Appendix B)” These are the people that loneliness takes a hold of and they just want to die, because they feel there is nothing left to do. Developmental loneliness is caused from being in a state of constant despair, and not fully being active in daily affairs. Some people develop loneliness because they do not have anything better to do. As long as the person is doing something they stand a better chance of not getting lonely. In some assisted living housing there are always things to do with the group wanting to go is a big issue with some people. They just seem to sit back and wait for death to come, which causes depression. In an interview (appendix C) Ms. Mina she mentioned that, “ I try to go to some of the activities of the groups they have on site, and if I need help with transportation I let them help me with that.” She is...
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...Where Are Nurses In the Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities? Assisted living facilities, one of the fastest growing housing options for older adults, represents a potentially new employment option for RN’s. When most people think of nursing homes, they think about nurses being responsible for the patients. However, most nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the United States do not have any RN’s employed. Most assisted living facilities have LPN’s, medical technicians, and certified nursing assistants. Why are there no nurses in nursing homes/ assisted living facilities? “Slightly fewer than 1 million people age 65 or older live in an estimated 33,000 assisted living facilities, private or shared units.”(Kovner) All assisted living facilities provide congregated meals, laundry and housekeeping services, and some social activities; all assisted living facilities provide health monitoring and assistance with activities of daily living (ADL’s). “Approximately 60% of residents need assistance with one to three ADLs; 75% need assistance with medications.”(Kovner) “Current estimates suggest that 50% of residents in assisted living have Alzheimer’s or Dementia, and the number is expected to grow.”(Kovner) Many assisted living facilities have a special locked down unit for residents with Alzheimer’s or Dementia. On average a nursing assistant will have 14-30 residents to tend to. This means making sure everyone is checked on every hour, changed, and making sure...
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...Impact of Voluntary/Assisted Euthanasia Luellen Lawler, Soma Philip, Annamma Anto, and Janice Haddock Team Green, Grand Canyon University Ethical Decision Making in Health Care 437 V Dr. Ann Leslie Claesson September 01, 2012 Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma, Impact of Voluntary/Assisted Euthanasia There are several topics in the field of biomedical ethics that are controversial and by nature require careful examination of one’s own values and viewpoints. The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of voluntary or assisted euthanasia and the ethical implications it entails in relation to the profession of nursing. Nurses have the responsibility to act in their patient’s best interests. However, that may become difficult in the event that a patient asks for help in the task of ending his or her own life. There were two case scenarios provided for review concerning the topic of voluntary or assisted euthanasia. The common ethical implication among nurses involved in these particular cases seems to be the ambivalence they experience in relation to their level of involvement. Although nurses worldwide are confronted with euthanasia requests from patients, the views of nurses on their level of involvement in euthanasia remains unclear (Dierkx de Casterle, Verpoort, De Bal, & Gastmans, 2006). It stands to reason that palliative care nurses in particular, would have the highest frequency of experience with patients who are requesting assisted euthanasia. To...
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...Running head: CONTINUUM OF CARE PAPER Continuum of Care Paper Patricia Alexander University of Phoenix Health Care Delivery in the U.S. 310 Michelle Crakes May 25, 2009 Continuum of Care Paper Long-Term Care Before we can discuss the roles of long-term care, we must define the meaning of long-term care. The purpose of this paper is to describe in detail the role long-term care plays in providing services and how long-term care contributes or lacks contribution to the overall management of health care resources. In addition to the above-mentioned topics, the transitioning of patients from one level of care to another level of care in the health care continuum will be discussed. What is Long-Term Care? What is long-term care? Long-term care is a variety of services that includes medical and non-medical care to people who have a chronic illness or disability. Long-term care helps meet health or personal needs. Most long-term care is to assist people with support services such as activities of daily living like dressing, bathing, and using the bathroom. Long-term care can be provided at home, in the community, in assisted living or in nursing homes. It is important to remember that you may need long-term care at any age according to (Medicare, 2009). Description of Services The purpose of long-term is to provide the most appropriate service in the least restrictive setting possible. Long-term care programs offer institutional services...
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...ETHICAL ISSUES RELATED TO REPRODUCTION Oghenebrume Pela Grand Canyon University: HLT 305 11/22/2014 Assisted reproductive technology otherwise known as fertility treatment uses various methods to achieve pregnancy. According to the CDC, the use of these methods has doubled in the last ten years. There has also been an increase in the number of successes based on the most recently collected data as at 2012. The current percentage of people born through ART (assisted reproductive technology) living in the United States is at 1% which, quite frankly, is a lot of people (Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), 2014). In the case of surrogate parenting, an agreement is reached typically between an infertile couple and a woman who is to carry a baby for this couple. There are two main types which are gestational surrogacy and traditional surrogacy. In gestational surrogacy, conception takes place by means of IVF (in vitro fertilization) which would mean that the surrogate mother will have no genetic relationship with the resultant child. In traditional surrogacy, conception will take place either naturally or artificially which would mean that there will be a genetic relationship between the surrogate mother and the pregnancy. Sperm and egg donation as the name implies is a practice in which sperm and eggs or embryos have been donated by a third party to enable the infertile individual or couple to conceive. The donors are usually screened before they can donate and are...
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...Bonnie, 2010; p19). All those are companies are bound by the same code of ethics, they are not all bound by the same laws. Depending on the type of business, they will either be governed by Federal, State, Local, or a combination of the three law governing bodies. This paper will discuss an example of issue and demonstrate where the law, ethics, or both was violated by a company or its employee(s). First, is to discuss a bit about Ethics. Resisting Acts to Perform Unethically It is of the utmost importance that not only managers, but all employees, act and perform ethically while carrying out their duties. A manager or employee should try to recognize unethical acts, and also bosses. Although, an employee may not always be able to recognize unethical requests or bosses; therefore it is best to thoroughly consider what is being asked of them. It is possible that a boss may ask an employee to perform the unethical task for them in hopes that the employee does not realize or is just a “team player”. If this occurs, the employee should take action. An employee may “buy time” in order to fully understand what is being asked of them and if it is ethical or not. During which time the employee may research to find out what is expected of them and what the best outcome would be for all involved. This time also provides the employee with an opportunity to gain all of the facts so they do not make a bad decision. There are severe consequences that may occur if one is to perform...
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...THE CHURCH, EUTHANASIA and ASSISTED SUICIDE Euthanasia also known as “mercy killing” and assisted suicide are worldwide controversial issues. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the word euthanasia comes from Greek, meaning easy death (eu: easy, thanatos: death). Euthanasia means to end the life of a person who is terminally ill or suffering from severe pain, in a deliberate way. At the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) webpage, in the section Ethics guides, under the title of Forms of Euthanasia, Religions and Death? (2009), different types of euthanasia are described, such as indirect, active, passive, voluntary, involuntary and non voluntary. On the other hand, assisted suicide is usually performed with the help of a health professional; that is why; it is usually called Physician Assisted Suicide (or PAS). The main controversy is over the different opinions on whether it is the sick patient’s decision or if it is a legal, ethical or religious issue to be considered by a third party. In order to practice assisted suicide in a country where it is legal, many factors should be present, such as the moral and religious beliefs of the patient and the physician or the patient’s family and the physician, as well as the legislation of the country where it is going to be carried out. At present, in countries where euthanasia is not legalized yet, it is very difficult to obtain legal permission to practice it. As regards the ethical...
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...This outline research paper’s final draft was prepared as part of a research project for English 1020, taught by Professor Neel. Abstract Euthanasia is commonly known as physician-assisted suicide. This is the act of a physician providing a terminally ill patient with lethal drugs and administers the drugs in a safe environment. Assisted suicide on the other hand is when the physician or pharmacist prescribes the lethal drugs for the terminally ill patient to take at a time of his or her own choosing. Assisted suicide is legal in 3 states in the United States, while euthanasia is illegal in every state. There are many arguments for and against this debate. The objections are mainly moral or ethical. There are many benefits to allowing assisted suicide in the United States, a couple of them are: less suffering for the patients, keeping the patients’ debts low, and keeping medical resources available for those with hope for more than 6 months to live. Oregon has provided the United States a good example of a state providing an opportunity for a terminally ill patient to control his or her own future. Hopefully with the first 3 states leading the way, the rest of the country will follow. Euthanasia: Quality Above Quantity in Life and Death “A dying man needs to die, as a sleepy man needs to sleep, and there comes a time when it is wrong, as well as useless, to resist.” This quote by Stewart Alsop sums up what this paper is about in...
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