End Of Life Care
End-of-life care directives are like a living will. Planning in advance on what kind of care a person wants when they become ill helps that person be in control of their life when it comes to death; it also helps because then the family of that person is not in a position where they must make the decisions because that family member might make a decision that does more harm than good. In chapter six, “End-of-life Issues and Decisions,” it says, “Does a person have the “right to die” when suffering outweighs the benefits of continued existence?”. Many people would not want to see their loved one die, but sometimes, there is not a lot more that the doctors could do for that patient, which would just end up making the patient suffer more.
Importance of Directives
So why is it that important to have an end-of-life care directive? Peter Saul, in the TED Talk “Let’s Talk About Dying,” mentions that there were people in that audience who believed they were immortal and that death could not touch them. Besides, from these people, life care is not talked about often. This then leads to the families having to make the decision for the patient, and sometimes, when it is a loved one, the judgment of the family member can be clouded, and they will ask for whatever to be done at any cost, which comes back to the first paragraph on doing more harm than good.
It is also important to have an end-of-life care directive because it gives that person control over death in a way. Peter Saul mentions how he is against euthanasia because he believes most people want to live, but they want some sort of control over their dying process. This gives the person the option of doing all that can possibly be done or the option of a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate). This way, the person’s wishes can be carried out until the end. It also helps the doctors because they can follow the patient’s orders instead of having to find the fine line of whether they are doing more than they should for someone or if it is truly what the patient wants instead of what the family wants. For example, my father told me that when he is old, he does not want to be hooked up to machines and to simply let him pass in peace, but if it was up to my mother, she would make sure he was hooked up to every machine, even if he were brain dead. If my mother oversaw my father’s wishes when he could not speak for himself, his life would turn into something he never wanted.
Persuading a Loved One
One of the main questions is how someone can persuade a loved one to get a directive and talk about death when they are still living. Peter Saul says, “In the event that you became too sick to speak for yourself, who would you like to speak for you?… Have you spoken to that person?”. This then lets the person talk to whoever will be their voice when they are too ill, and the wishes that this person wants, without any confusion because they were physically able to talk to each other. It makes it even better when it is legally written out because now this person will know that legally, the hospital must follow their wishes even if that person can not tell them physically at that moment. Talking about death can help end the fear of dying; it also would not cause any harm to anyone by taking control over how one might want to die.
Works Cited
Saul, P. (n.d.). Let’s talk about dying. Retrieved November 2011, from https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_saul_let_s_talk_about_dying#t-657670
DeSpelder, L. A., & Strickland, A. L. (2015). The last dance: Encountering death and dying. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
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Question 
Mr. Rivera is a 72-year-old patient with end-stage COPD who is in the care of Hospice. He has a history of smoking, hypertension, obesity, and type 2 Diabetes.
End Of Life Care
He is on Oxygen 2L per nasal cannula around the clock. His wife and 2 adult children help with his care. Develop a concept map for Mr. Rivera. Consider the patient’s Ethnic background (he and his family are from Mexico) and family dynamics. Please use the concept map form provided.