helping patients and families with end of life decisions

You are the nurse supervisor of several units in a long-term care facility. In the last few months, several family members have been asking you and other staff about end-of-life choices for their loved ones. You want to prepare an inservice for all staff on the benefits and differences in palliative care and hospice programs. Use the Internet to find information about the services offered, costs, reimbursement mechanisms, and patient selection criteria for each of these types of programs.

Step 2 Create the presentation.

Include descriptions of the similarities and differences in the following items between palliative care and hospice:

• Demographic trends and the impact on need for palliative and/or hospice care
• Key services offered and by whom (professional or non-professional)
• Examples of ways in which each type of program avoids unnecessary treatments (including hospitalization) and improves quality-of-life
• Patient selection criteria
• Cost and reimbursement mechanisms
• Slide #1 must be a cover slide that states the presentation title, your name, and the date. The last slide(s) must be a reference list.
• Step 3 Add presenter’s notes.

  Include talking points and details in the notes area for each slide. These notes should document what you would say to an audience about each slide if you were to present in person.