Living Wills
All too often, living wills are something "swept under the rug" by patients who need them and by those who could help patients set them up and get them in place. When a patient goes to the hospital, either to be admitted or to use emergency services, he or she is often asked if there is a living will in place. Often, the answer is "no," and when asked whether he or she would like to create one, the answer is still "no." There is too much stress in a situation like that, and the person wants to be treated for his or her immediate problem, not be taught about other documentation. Because of that, there must be a better way for a person who is elderly and/or who has a chronic condition. The proposed intervention would involve the elderly and those who live with chronic issues such as COPD. The intervention could take place at one of several locations. The hospital is the most logical choice for a discussion of living wills, but nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and doctors' offices are also good choices for discussing living wills. Another important place to discuss these documents is in a home setting, especially when the services of a visiting nurse are required.
While many people do not think of living wills, they are highly important documents for those who want their wishes followed. The intervention may need to take place more than once, however, for people to understand the importance of this kind of document. With an...
Logically, and budgetary issues notwithstanding, it would be a better choice for a specific, designated person to discuss the living will, as opposed to asking nurses to handle the issue. Many nurses are already overburdened with the work they do, and adding living will discussions onto their workload would not benefit them or their patients.
A direct intervention with a visiting nurse or other medical professional is necessary because living wills, or advance directives, are not being completed upon admission to hospitals, doctors' offices, and other medical arenas This is especially true for the elderly and chronic or terminally ill patients. From the focus group that was organized to address the issue, it was learned that the elderly, patients and their families, and doctors, nurses, secretaries, case management or admissions clerks, ER triage nurses, and others in a medical setting do not take the time to complete or teach about the importance of living wills. Nurses do not have the time to address the needs of patients when it comes to living wills. Hospitals and other medical care facilities must appoint someone other than the nurse to speak with patients who do not have living wills during their hospital stay.
This intervention must be evaluated with qualitative and…
