Illness and Possible Declining Health Essay

Submitted By mattybenj
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Pages: 3
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Compression of morbidity – maintain an individual’s health for as long as possible
Declining health later into life (instead of declining health for decades leading up to death), to reduce demand on health care system
This is largely influenced by how healthy we are when we are young
Objective is to ensure the patients are able to maintain function, instead of treating disease (may not improve quality of life)
Frailty = individuals may have a number of problems when they age that cause them to become frail and lose ability to maintain function
Complex signs of infection which vary between youth and aged
Symptoms of infection among youth are short term and treatable, while ageing individuals suffer from changes in cognition – sings that aged person is suffering from some sort of stress (causing immobility, instability, incontinence, impaired memory)

Ethics
Autonomy – right of an individual to make their own decision regarding treatment
Justice – right of all people to be treated equally
Non-maleficence – first do no harm (treatment shouldn’t cause harm)
Beneficence – obligation to provide benefits to patients and contribute to their welfare
Provision of quality information is important for aged patients to be able to be involved in their aged care planning
Codes of practice in NSW
1. No operation, procedure or treatment may be undertaken without the consent of the patient, if the patient is a competent adult
2. All patients have a choice as to whether or not to undergo a proposed procedure, operation or treatment
3. Consent is not required where immediate treatment is necessary to save an adult person’s life, subject to there being no unequivocal written direction by the patient to the contrary
4. Patient consent can be express, either orally or in writing, or it can be implied from a person’s conduct
5. For a consent to be valid
a. The person must have the capacity to give consent
b. The consent must be freely given
c. The consent must be specific
d. The patient must be informed in broad terms of the procedure which is intended, in a way the patient can understand
6. For a competent patient, the right to refuse treatment exists
7. Health practitioners should not provide treatment or perform a procedure where there is unequivocal written direction, such as an Advance Care Directive
8. A person is incapable of giving consent if they are not competent
9. Where the patient is capable of giving consent, there is no specific requirement to obtain the consent of any family member
Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families
Palliative care:
Provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms
Affirms life and regards dying as a normal process
Intends neither to hasten or
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