New Views on End of Life

Providing Care in a Changing Environment

Continuing education credits have been applied for nurses and case managers.

About the Webinar

Conversations about end of life care and one's wishes may be difficult to get started, but can be helpful for both the person at the end of life and their loved ones. Health care professionals need to understand when the right time to start the discussion and the importance of using terminology that explains the purpose and value to alternatives of aggressive care. Aggressive care is costly and many times does not meet the needs of the patient. Today, we do not know precisely how much is currently spent on end of life care in the U.S., but estimates put the figure at 10-12 percent of all health care spending. 

Factors like an aging population, increasing diversity and advances in technology are driving the demand for changes in the way care is provided and financed. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 34.8 million Americans are 65 years old or older. This number will more than double by 2030 to about 72.2 million, with a 240 percent increase in the population age 85-plus. Of the 4.3 million Americans who are over age 85, 83 percent are women, 43 percent are women who live alone and 17 percent are women living at or below the poverty level.

In addition to an aging population, there is an increase in the number from ethnic and racial minority groups, of which the Latino population is the fastest growing. From 2000 to 2030, the Latino population is expected to increase by 7 percent, the African American population by 1 percent and the Asian/Pacific Islander population by 6 percent. So taking in the cultural mores of each group also is an important consideration. 

Last, the impact of technology has changed things. Until recently most Americans died soon after the onset of a terminal disease, but today medical developments allow us to die more slowly, from diseases that are often chronic and disabling before death. Considering quality of life is now an consideration that needs to be brought into the discussion. 

Understanding the challenges allows health care professionals to work together to address end of life challenges as we move to a patient-centric health care delivery system. The end result must be that good end of life care is the norm rather than the exception.

Program Objectives

• Improve your ability to facilitate decision-making with patients, family and members of the health care team.
• Enhance communication and conflict-resolution skills for addressing common end-of-life issues with patients, family and health care team.
• Explore validated methods to more fully support patients and families through the end-of-life experience.
• Understand techniques for lowering stress levels.

Our Webinar Will Answer These Questions:

• What is natural death?
• When is the right time to start the discussion on end of life care?
• What is the difference between hospice and palliative care?
• What do case managers have to know about end of life?
• How do medical ethics affect end of life care?
• What is the benefit and burden of care options?
• What is life-sustaining treatment?
• How can one best achieve a quality of life for patients?
• What challenges do we face in end of life care?
• Why is the term “futile care” not quite right?
• What is the latest thinking on do-not-resuscitate orders?
• How does cultural diversity enter into the discussion on end of life?
• What is the impact of technology and life sustaining treatments on quality of life?
  
  

Speakers:

	Rivki Beer, RN, CHPN Director of Operations Compliance, VITAS Innovative Hospice Care
	Diann Uustal, RN, MS, Ed.D. President, Educational Resources in Healthcare, Inc.
	Robin Taft, RN, BS, MS Health Care Consultant, Elder Rights and End of Life Planning