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End of Life Self Reflection
After my experience in the RD unit, I learned that not all those who receive end-of-life care are comatose or in the final days of their lives. Since the Clinical 1 rotation, my perceptions have stayed relatively the same. I was always open-minded when it came to people’s decisions in regard to end-of-life care. I am still open-minded but now I have a better understanding of why people choose certain plans for the end of life care. I learned many things from the Respiratory therapists that opened my eyes to a new reality of a greater quality of life for those who don’t have much time left. It also showed me the importance of having an advanced directive.
The respiratory therapist I worked with was excited to show me the ‘ropes.’ She told me that even though I won’t be doing any of the care she was performing unless I was an RN, it was good for me to know in case of an emergency or in the future. She showed me how her patient could use a machine to assist him in coughing up sputum. While performing care for her patient, she also showed me how being direct and yet gentle can greatly reduce a patient’s anxiety. I honestly thought that respiratory therapists provided suctioning and monitoring but they are a great asset to the multidisciplinary team.
Advance Healthcare Directives should be a required form that every person should complete. I think they are crucial to ensuring your own future will be in your control even if your life gets out of control. There are many positives compared negative aspects of creating your own Advance Healthcare Directive. The most enticing aspect in favor of Advanced Directives is their cost-effectiveness. Having a plan for the worst protects families from having to worry about who is in charge of finances, how to spend those finances, and where the money is coming from. The downfall to this is potential legal fees if you decide to use a lawyer to prepare your directive. However, by creating a directive, you are also assuring that the care you want and do not want is planned out. The person you want in charge of you when you are unable to make decisions is already chosen. However, it is important to keep in mind that in emergency situations the directive might not be followed. Another drawback is that there may be a situation where the facility or caregiver overrides the directive if it creates a conflict with their care or beliefs (Merill, 2019).
In order to obtain an Advance Healthcare Directive, you can go onto your home state website to download the forms needed to create a directive. Another option is to talk to your lawyer and primary care provider if you don’t have computer access. Once the Advance directive is complete, notarized in front of a witness, give a copy to your lawyer and primary care provider.
Resources
- American Cancer Society. (2019, May 10). What Is an Advance Directive? Retrieved from https://www.cancer.org/treatment/finding-and-paying-for-treatment/understanding-financial-and-legal-matters/advance-directives/what-is-an-advance-health-care-directive.html.
- Merrill Bank of America. (2019). Planning Ahead for Your Own Care. Retrieved from https://www.merrilledge.com/article/advance-directives-planning-ahead-for-your-own-care.
- National Cancer Institute. (2019, August 20). Advance Directives. Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/advancedirectives.html.
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