NURS 6540 Week 11 Discussion & Assignment
There is a human tendency to postpone uncomfortable or
unpleasant tasks.
—Nancy Kummer, geriatric patient
This human tendency to avoid the unpleasant makes end-of-life
care and hospice decisions difficult for many patients to discuss
with their families. Kummer is a former social worker who used to
counsel patients with terminal illnesses, yet she avoided
discussing her own end-of-life wishes with her children. While
many Americans, like Kummer, agree that these discussions need
to take place, few have actually had these conversations with their
families (Lazar, 2012). Although initiating conversations about endof-life care and hospice might be difficult for patients, as an
advanced practice nurse, facilitating these conversations is an
integral part of your geriatric nursing practice. For this Discussion,
consider how you would facilitate care conversations with the
patients and families in the following case studies:
Discussing End-of-Life Care Case Study 1:
Mrs. Sloan, a 69-year-old widow, is about to enter the hospital for
an elective cholecystectomy; she is being medically cleared by
her primary care provider. During the discussion, she requests to
be placed on a no code status during her hospitalization. Mrs.
Sloan claims that besides her gallbladder problem, her general
health status is good. She wishes to have the surgery to avoid any
further attacks, which have been very painful. She states, however,

Published by
Dissertations
View all posts