...Advance Directives are our wishes when we are at end of life stages of life that give specific direction of how, who, and when to treat us in our final days and hours. We can have documents drawn up to say what we want in the event we are in a state where we cannot voice our wishes aloud. These documents have legal and ethical basis, and they should be followed unless the legally or ethically unable to do so. Advance Directives gives a documented guide to the care giver’s or family member’s, so that they all can provide the kind of care that the medically impaired patient wants. This covers a wide variety of medical treatments such as dialisis, ventilators, feeding tubes and organ and or tissue transplants. If a patient has kidney failure they might or might not want to be on dialysis. The advance directive would spell out whether the patient would want such treatment if he or she was not able to convey this to the medical personnel. If the patient was at the end of life and did not want to be kept alive via artificial means such as a ventilator of feeding tube, the advance directive would have the patients wants of this type of treatment also. If the patient passed away and wanted his or her organs donated, then this directed would defanitely give the right to have their organs harvested and donated to someone in need. Even though there might be an advanced directed for a patient that is not able to express their wishes to their family or care givers, there can still...
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...Keeshia Whiteside Advance Directives and Living Wills Health care advance directives are legal documents that communicate a person's wishes about health care decisions in the event the person becomes incapable of making health care decisions. There are two basic kinds of advance directives: living wills and durable powers of attorney for health care. * A living will expresses, in advance, a person's instructions or preferences about future medical treatments, particularly end-of-life care, in the event the person loses capacity to make health care decisions. * A durable power of attorney for health care appoints a person (called a health care agent or proxy, health care representative, or other name depending on the state) to make decisions for the person (the principal) in the event of incapacity to make health care decisions. Normally, people communicate their wishes directly to their doctors. But when a person no longer has the capacity to make or communicate a health care decision, another way to make and communicate a decision is needed. That is the role advance directives play. If no advance directive has been prepared, someone else not of the person's choosing may be called on to make health care decisions. Many states authorize default surrogate decision makers, usually next of kin. When state law does not authorize a default surrogate decision maker, doctors and hospitals still usually turn to next of kin, although the extent of their legal authority becomes...
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...institutions are also required to educate their staff about advance directives and not be discriminative against whether the patient does or does not have an advance directive. Advance directive is a legal document in which patients provide instructions on how they are to be treated in the event of becoming very ill with little to no hope for recovery (Green, M., & Bowie, M., 2005). A patient’s health care directive serves some of the purposes as a living will, but also encompasses others, as well. Since it is impossible to foresee every circumstance regarding a person’s health, a health care medical power of attorney is also needed to place someone in authority to weigh all medical facts and circumstances and carry out the patient’s wishes accordingly (AmericanBar.org). A health care advance directive combines the living will and medical power of attorney into one document, and may include organ donation and other directions such as where and how the patient prefers to be cared for. This document is more comprehensive and flexible, and is the preferred legal tool (AmericanBar.org) References Green M., &. B....
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...what it is, and the reason for it. I will talk about the issues that are currently facing advance directives care and talk about whether it has failed, or not. Finally, I will prove my stand on the issues with evidence. What is Advance Directives? An Advance directive is a living will, which allows one to document their wishes concerning medical treatments at the end of life. Even though it’s optional, but all health care facilities are required by law to ask patients if they have one, and offer them the appropriate information, and documents to sign if they want it. There are two basic kinds of advance directives, living wills, and durable powers of attorney for health care. Advance directives are legally valid throughout the United States, but the laws governing advance directives vary from state, to state. Anyone can have advance directives, no lawyer is required, and it becomes validas soon as you sign it in front of the required witnesses. Anyone can be a witness. Reasons for advance directives Advance directive is designed to empower patients, and to allow them to have a voice in their care. It provides a way for patients to communicate their wishes to family, friends and health care professionals, when they are no longer able to do so. With advance care directives, you can express how much, or how little care you want done for you when you are no longer able to make these decisions for yourself. You can also appoint someone to make decisions about your medical treatments...
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... | Introduction A Living Will is a form of an advance directive that is a “legal document that describes those treatments an individual wishes or does not wish to receive should he or she becomes incapacitated and unable to make medical decisions” (Pazgar, 2007, p. 378). Normally in a Living Will an individual would also indicate another individual as his or her power of attorney in the legal document; however, it is not necessary for a living will to be created with a power of attorney or a power of attorney to be created with a living will though it is highly recommended to do so. This is due to the fact that each has its flaws and each could compensate for one another though in reality it could create more conflicts too. For a physician or any other healthcare provider to go against a patient’s autonomy means that there are many legal problems these physicians may face because they went against the patient’s desires, especially because of such allegations as criminal assault and battery. Advance directives have been created to preserve an individual’s autonomy and protect a physician from having to respond for his or her actions when the individual is no longer able to communicate his or her wishes. It has been presented that physicians and all other healthcare...
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...Health care advance directives are documents that communicate a person's wishes about health care decisions in the event the person becomes incapable of making health care decisions. There are two basic kinds of advance directives: living wills and durable powers of attorney for health care. Durable powers of attorney are the legal basis during advance directives. Legal basis began when the Patient Self-Determination Act, a federal law was passed during 1991. This act requires that the patients are informed about their right to participate in health care decisions, including their right to have an advance directive.(Tonelli, 2008) Advance directives fall into two broad categories: instructive and proxy. Instructive directives allow for preferences regarding the provision of particular therapies or classes of therapies. Living wills are the most common examples of instructive directives, but other types of instructive directives, such as no transfusion and no CPR directives are also employed. The proxy directive, generally a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (DPAHC), allows for the designation of a surrogate medical decision maker of the patient's choosing. This surrogate decision maker makes medical care decisions for the patient in the event she is incapacitated. (Tonelli, 2008) The ethical basis for advance directives is pretty much dealing with living wills. A living will expresses a person's preferences for medical care it is called a “living" will because it...
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...most part fall into three classes: living will, health care proxy and power of attorney (Fremgen, 113). Living will This is a composed report that determines what sorts of medicinal treatment are craved. A living will can be certain or extremely broad. More particular living wills may incorporate data in regards to a singular's longing for such administrations, for example, absence of pain (agony alleviation), anti-infection agents, hydration, bolstering, and the utilization of ventilators or cardiopulmonary revival (Fremgen, 114). Health care proxy This is an authoritative report in which an individual assigns someone else to settle on health care sets in the occurrence that he or else she is rendered unequipped for making their wishes known. The health care proxy has, generally, the same rights to demand or decline treatment that the individual would have if equipped for settling on and conveying choices (www.nlm.nih.gov). Strong power of attorney This is the third sort of advance directives. People may draft authoritative reports giving power of attorney to others on account of weakening therapeutic condition. The sturdy power of attorney permits a person to make bank exchanges, sign Social Security checks, apply for handicap, or just compose checks to pay the service bill while an individual is medicinally debilitated. (medicinenet). Health Care Situations Varieties of advance directives disagree based on formal rule and different likings within the positions’...
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...For such an undertaking, it is critical that the patient and the family prepare for this transition. This preparation involves physical preparation including the medical or hospice team, advanced directives, and knowing how to recognize the final stages of physical death. Another aspect of the preparation is assessing the financial means available for the care of the patient. And still another area involves emotional preparation. All areas should be considered prior to coming home. “As awkward and anxiety provoking as it may be to contemplate illness and dying, preparing is essential” (Feldman & Lasher, 2007,...
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...Words of Comfort: What to Say When Someone is Dying Candace Rotolo Being diagnosed with a terminal illness is traumatic. But sometimes, what people say in an effort to offer comfort is equally distressing. The truth is, many of us just don't know what to say to a loved one who is facing their mortality. "Most of the time I really liked when people said nothing," notes Michelle Colon-Johnson, who has been diagnosed with stage four cancer five times and survived. "If I wanted to talk about the cancer, it felt good to know I could talk to others, but I never wanted to be treated differently." Experts who assist patients in their final days say the best thing to do for someone who has recently been diagnosed is to allow them to guide your conversations and actions. "They might not want to talk," explains social worker Edie McCaddin-Bower, vice president of support services at Beacon Hospice. McCaddin-Bower says it's important to respect the patient's wishes, but let them know you're willing to lend an ear to hear their thoughts, wishes and fears whenever they are ready. Fellow social worker Meredith Cinman, ancillary services coordinator at Amedisys Hospice in Valenica, CA, adds that loved ones should try not to worry about saying the "right thing" but spend more time listening to the patient. What NOT to Say to Someone Who Is Dying "Avoid platitudes," adds psychiatrist, Huffington Post blogger and author Marcia Sirota M.D. "Saying things like, ‘Everything happens for...
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...born. The prevalence of catastrophic diseases that once killed swiftly such as pneumonia, cholera, and massive heart attacks, have been replaced by chronic and, often, degenerative diseases such as advanced cancers, diabetes, lung disease, and Alzheimer’s, leading to a slow death for most (Gardner, 2012). This places a great financial burden on the Medicare system as well as patient’s families. Atul Gawande (2010) reports that twenty five percent of all Medicare spending is for the five percent of patients who are in their final year of life, and most of that money goes for care in their last couple of months, which is of little apparent benefit (p. 3). Even more concerning is the suffering that many patients are forced to endure due to the lack of other options. Patients must have the right to make autonomous decisions regarding the end of their lives. They need to be confident that those decisions will be upheld, even if they conflict with the wishes of their families or physicians. However, patient confidence in knowing that their final wishes will be met is complicated by a lack of education and empowerment for those who face these difficult decisions (Frank & Anselmi, 2011). The purpose of this essay is to discuss the benefits to patient autonomy and the Medicare budget, by the legalization of physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia. Legalizing Euthanasia: A Practical Approach Imagine that your beloved pet suffered a stroke and could no longer eat, drink...
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...along with thousands of job cuts, has left many American Airlines’ employees bitter. In recent months, flight attendants have engaged in very inappropriate public rants and rude behavior consequently causing delays among flights and irate customers. In addition to the behavioral issues, several planes have had to make emergency landings due to loose seats and other incidents of insufficient inspection. In July, five AA passengers had to be hospitalized after encountering turbulence during a flight. American Airlines’ fleet of aircrafts has an average age of 15 years. These aged carriers are inefficient energy consumers and multiply costs. American Airlines has openly declared their opposition to a merger with US Airways, although, the final decision rests with AMR and negotiations are still in progress. A merger between American Airlines and US Airways would decrease competition among the market and contribute to a rise in flight prices. However, with the existing mergers already controlling the market, it seems that the merger is inevitable if American Airlines wishes to stay afloat. A merger with US Airways would mean a new network not previously accessible. Also, successful pilot...
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...[pic] NORTHERN HOME FOR CHILDREN 5301 Ridge Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19128 POLICY To ensure that the rights of consumers of Northern Home for Children are safeguarded and that disputes concerning our consumers are resolved promptly and fairly, consumers or their guardians have the right to lodge grievances and appeals when informal methods of resolving disputes are unsuccessful. The following grievance and appeal system is in effect at Northern Home for Children. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE Northern Home for Children strives to promote consumer satisfaction by ensuring consumer rights are safeguarded and disputes concerning your rights are resolved in an expeditious manner. On occasion, there may be differences of opinion in the execution of services resulting in disputes, complaints, issues and concerns. The agency strongly encourages direct communication with Program Managers/ Directors to discuss and resolve concerns in a mutually satisfactory manner. Consumer’s who are in disagreement with the resolution implemented by the supervisory staff may contact the Director of Compliance & Performance Improvement for additional support in the resolution process. If a Northern Home for Children consumer has a concern, unanswered question, or complaint regarding his/her treatment or quality of care, the consumer may exercise his/her right to file a grievance by following the steps listed here: STEP 1: The consumer should first address his/her question, concern...
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...Associate Level Material Appendix A Final Project Overview and Timeline Final Project Overview As Happy Health Medical Clinic’s records manager, create a presentation outlining standard records management procedures for the employees who work in your facility. Note that the purpose of this presentation is not to define what the aspects of records management mean, but to illustrate the practical procedures employees must follow to handle patient records effectively. Review the Final Project description in Week Nine of the syllabus for important details about this assignment. Final Project Timeline You should budget your time wisely and work on your project throughout the course. As outlined below, some assignments in the course are designed to assist you in creating your final project. If you complete your course activities and use the feedback provided by the instructor, you will be on the right track to successfully complete your project. □ Suggested in Week Two: As you conduct your interviews for Appendix B, take note of how a medium-sized facility differs from small and large facilities. Consider how particular types of health care settings necessarily incur different types of records management issues. □ Suggested in Week Three: Choose the type of record format you think is most suitable for Happy Health—your guidelines will need to inform staff how to create new records and how to use the manual effectively. Also, describe Happy Health’s record retention...
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...every stage, employees will have the opportunity to state their case and be represented or accompanied, if they wish, by a work colleague. c) An employee has the right to appeal against any disciplinary penalty. 3. The Procedure Stage one - first warning If conduct or performance is unsatisfactory, the employee will be given a written warning or performance note. Such warnings will be recorded, but disregarded after ... months of satisfactory service. The employee will also be informed that a final written warning may be considered if there is no sustained satisfactory improvement or change. (Where the first offence is sufficiently serious, for example because it is having, or is likely to have, a serious harmful effect on the organization, it may be justifiable to move directly to a final written warning.) Stage two - final written warning If the offence is serious, or there is no improvement in standards, or if a further offence of a similar kind occurs, a final written warning will be given which will include the reason for the warning and a note that if no improvement results within ... months, action at Stage 3 will be taken. Stage three - dismissal or action short of dismissal If the conduct or performance has failed to improve, the employee may suffer demotion, disciplinary transfer, loss or seniority (as allowed in the contract) or dismissal. Statutory discipline and dismissal...
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...taken from this life. The reader may wonder why the narrator has such hostility towards death and will discover by the end of the poem that the poem is actually a plea from a dying man’s son to gather what strength and mentality he has left to stand up against death and say not today, for his sake as well as the narrator’s. The narrator begins by presenting his father with an example of wise men that fight their impending death with vigor, despite knowing that defeat is inevitable. “Because their words had forked no lightning they/do not go gentle into that good night” (Thomas 5-6); lines five and six tell us that these intelligent people who fight the losing cause against death do so because they haven’t yet made their mark on the world and not even death shall get in their way of doing so. By showing his father his admiration for these wise men, the narrator indicates that he wishes his father to heed their example; to strive toward anything that may give him some purpose besides waiting complacently for death to collect him. Also noticeable in this stanza, is the continuation of the metaphor of night indicating death from the first stanza, “Rage, rage against the dying of the light” (Thomas 3) and into “Do not go gentle into that good night.” (Thomas 6). You also can make certain comparisons about Dylan Thomas with this stanza as he is speaking of “wise men”. These wise men can fall under many categories but the most likely is artists...
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