Master of Science in Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Projects
Date Degree Awarded
8-2013
Document Type
Project
Degree Name
Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.)
School
Nursing
Committee Chair
Sharon Christman, Ph.D., RN, FAHA
Second Committee Member
Elizabeth A. Delaney MS, RN, CNS, FNP-BC, ACHPN
Keywords
palliative care; end-of-life; concurrent palliative care; chronic illness; nursing home; Advance Practice Nurse
Abstract
Today, 51% of all Nursing Home (NH) residents are 85 years old and above, 6 years older than the life expectancy for both men and women in the United States (US). Most NH facilities provide care using a medical model of care focused on cure and acute illness, yet many older adults experience dying as a gradual process from chronic disease and/or serious illness. In the US, the need to consider innovative approaches to gradual death and chronic illness is necessary. For those who are actively dying, hospice provides a framework of care focusing on pain relief and comfort. However, neither the current medical model of “cure” nor hospice are adequate to provide care to those of advanced age who are nearing the end of life, but for whom death is not imminent. In contrast, concurrent palliative care (PC), as opposed to palliative care synonymous with hospice (hospice), does provide a framework of comfort, caring, and quality for older adults with chronic disease or serious illness. The purpose of this project is to introduce an evidence-based recommendation for concurrent palliative care (PC) to be used by the Advanced Practice Nurse in the nursing home.
Recommended Citation
Towler, Melissa A., "Palliative Care for Chronic Illness – A Different Paradigm for the Advance Practice Nurse in the Nursing Home" (2013). Master of Science in Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Projects. 3.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/nursing_evidence_based_projects/3
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
