Community Outreach COPD and the Elderly Population

Although discussions about death and dying can be uncomfortable for patients, family members, and healthcare providers, the subject is important - especially for people with severe chronic illnesses (Covinsky, et al., 1994; Schiff, et al., 2000). The issue of a living will is particularly important for people with COPD, who are at risk for being placed on a ventilator (breathing machine) when they are very ill (Schiff, et al., 2000). As a home health nurse, it is easy to discover that many COPD patients do not have living wills and have not made final decisions and arrangements with their families. While it is natural to want to put off the inevitable decline and demise...

For purposes of this flyer, the target audience will be the elderly in the community who have COPD, along with the families of those individuals. The location was chosen because it is a good community area, and there is easy transportation available. Being able to easily get to the location is vital, because people with COPD may not be able to travel as well as others who are healthy. That is also true of elderly people in general, so it is very important to take them into consideration. The flyer will be distributed to the clients of the home health nurses in the area, and…