End Of Life Directives Essay

End of life directives are also considered to be part of the care objectives for those who are reaching the end of their journey with the disease. Besides the Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order that most are familiar with, two directives commonly used in America are the Medical Orders for Sustaining Life Treatment, commonly referred to as MOLST, and Comfort One MOLST refers to medical “…orders based upon the person’s wishes in his/her current medical condition. Any section not completed [by the patient/decision maker] implies full treatment [of the individual].” Both directives consider the wishes of the recipient, and are completed by a registered physician. However, both are not equal, and care must be taken to ensure that the correct directive is selected based on the wishes of the patient. The other point to consider is that the Comfort One measure is only valid if it is physically on the individual’s body, and must be “physically cut
To this end, most healthy living people will probably be touched by the disease either because they may receive a diagnosis or, either through a parent, spouse, relative, friend or through the media as famous people become diagnosed. What we do not realize is that our understanding of the disease, and our culture can significantly impact how we care for and prepare for the loss of a loved one. In the UK, people work tirelessly to care for the person with dementia in the home, only to find that end of life care is not what it seems, in China dementia is widespread yet still not recognized as a disease that requires specialist care, and those living in poverty and with no family, will most likely receive little to no pharmacological or professional care or comfort measures as they near end of life. In America, dementia care is primarily community based, yet is fast becoming an industry of