Quality of life during palliative care
End of life care pertains to the regulation of an individual’s immediate environment by implementing measures that would augment the level of care to individual as he approaches death (Singer and Bowman, 2002) End of life care may not be defined by a specific duration but through the kind of care that is provided to an individual. Although the time of death of a patient may not be clearly identified, there are some key features that could help pinpoint whether end of life care should be given. Other terms that pertain to end of life care include palliative care and hospice care and these terms may also be used to signify that same concept. Although there is a need to create a precise definition for end of life care, there are three key features that pertain to this concept. Firstly, the occurrence of a chronic medical disease or condition is a primary evidence that end of life care needs to be provided to a patient. Secondly, a patient who presents symptoms that are constantly present in a patient and of which impairs the patients from his normal functions is in need of end of life care. Thirdly, end of life care should be provided to an individual when his medical disorder is known to eventually lead to his demise.
Social support
Mary’s end of life process also affects her immediate environment. Caregivers come into the picture as they provide professional care to the patient in need of caring and monitoring. Mary will also need other forms of social support, especially from his family members. At the same time, the members of the patient’s family will also go through the same end of life process because their roles in the family will change, as the patient’s role in the family gradually diminishes due to his illness. The family members may also sense some form of stress because of the major change that is happening to their loved one and the impending arrival of death. Ultimately, the family members will also go through the stage of bereavement once their loved one passes away and at end of the entire journey.
Spiritual needs
In the case of Mary, her end of life process also involves an emotional aspect because she will feel unique sentiments with regards to his ailment and consequences to his life. The spiritual condition of a patient in an end of life process is also affected because he now realizes the importance and need to reassess his beliefs and will call on spiritual healing to make him feel better. Appropriate end of life care is also associated with stable spiritual beliefs in the dying patient and he does not show any confusion that his philosophical standpoint is being tested by his current grave illness. In addition, a dying patient received quality end of life care often shows his hopes that he will eventually get better, and if not, that he is heading towards to better place where he can find peace and rest.
Psychological support
The psychological condition of a dying patient also reflects the kind of end of life care that is given to the patient (Teno et al., 2001). A patient who is calm and ready to face his death is often equated to high quality end of life care. On the other hand, a patient who presents with a condition filled with fear and angry at his current ailment is not receiving quality end of life care. It is thus important that an explanation of the current condition of patient be presented to the patient himself so that he will understand what is going on and where his condition is heading towards so that he will not feel misled by his caregivers and immediate family members.
References
Singer PA and Bowman KW (2002): Quality care at the end of life. BMJ, 324:1291-1292.
Teno JM, Casey VA, Welch L, Edgman-Levitan S (2001): Patient-focused, family-centered end-of-life medical care: Views of the guidelines and bereaved family members. J. Pain Symptom Manage. 22:738-751.