Because there are risks as well as benefits of care in a hospital, it is important to make the right decision.. The decision depends on a number of factors, and how the nursing home resi
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Deciding About
Going to the Hospital
Older nursing home residents commonly develop new or worsening symptoms When this occurs, a
decision may be needed about whether to continue care in the nursing home or go to a hospital
Because there are risks as well as benefits of care in a hospital, it is important to make the right decision The decision depends on a number of factors, and how the nursing home resident and her or his relatives view the benefits and risks of care in the hospital as opposed to the nursing home
Research has shown that some hospitalizations may be unnecessary Whether hospitalization can be
prevented depends on the resident’s condition, the ability of the staff to provide the care necessary in
the nursing home, and the preferences of the resident and her or his family
Benefits of Hospital Care
There are many symptoms and conditions that usually require treatment in the hospital – for example,
if vital signs are very abnormal (temperature, heart rate, or breathing rate), or if symptoms are severe and can’t be controlled (such as pain or vomiting) Hospital care offers benefits in these situations, including:
• Ready availability of sophisticated lab tests, X-rays, and scans
• Access to doctors and specialists who are in the hospital every day
• Availability of surgery and other procedures if needed
• Intensive care units for people who are critically ill
Risks of Hospital Care
Nursing home residents are prone to many complications of care in a hospital These complications may occur even in the best hospitals, because older age, chronic medical problems, and the condition that
caused the transfer all combine with the hospital environment to put nursing home residents at high risk for complications These complications include:
• New or worsening confusion
• More time spent in bed, which can increase the risk of blood clots, pressure ulcers,
muscle weakness, loss of function, and other complications
• Less sleep and rest due to tests, monitoring, and noise
• Increased risk for:
- Falls with injuries, such as cuts, bruises, and broken bones
- New infections
- Depression due to limited opportunities to socialize with friends and family,
as well as being in an unfamiliar environment
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Deciding About
Benefits of Staying in the Nursing Home
There are benefits of staying in the nursing home when a new symptom or condition occurs – assuming
it is safe to treat the condition in the nursing home and staying in the nursing home is consistent with the preferences of the resident and her or his family Treatment in the nursing home allows residents to:
• Have continuity of care – this means that residents continue to receive care from staff members
who know them, and who are able to respond to their individual preferences and needs
• Remain in a familiar environment with their personal possessions, and keep their individual routines
as much as possible
• Avoid what is often an uncomfortable trip to the hospital and long delays waiting in the
emergency room
• Avoid potential problems due to miscommunication between the hospital and the nursing home
• Avoid other hospital-related complications
What Can Residents and Their Families Do?
There are several things that residents and their relatives can do to make sure the right decisions about
hospital care are made in their best interest, including:
• Participating in care planning (deciding on treatment preferences) with the nursing home staff and
their primary care provider (doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant)
• Discussing the risks and benefits of a hospital transfer vs treatment in the nursing home when
a new symptom or condition is recognized
• Completing an Advance Directive document, such as a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care
that expresses preferences for care in emergencies and at the end of life
• Understanding the resources available in the nursing home to treat the new symptom or condition
(for example, oxygen, lab tests, intravenous (IV) fluids and medications)
• Understanding the financial and other issues, such as bed-hold policies, of treatment in the
hospital vs in the nursing home
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The Problem
Many health problems are so serious that they
cause your heart to stop beating This is called
cardiac arrest When this happens, you also stop
breathing
The heart pumps blood to all organs in your
body to give them oxygen When your heart
stops beating, your body and brain do not get
enough oxygen for you to live
Treatment
There is only one treatment when your
heart stops beating That treatment is cardio-
pulmonary resuscitation or CPR CPR is done
to try to restart the heartbeat and breathing
It is the only treatment that could save your
life when your heart stops beating
CPR involves rapidly pushing on your chest,
and placement of a tube through the mouth
into the lungs to directly help you breathe
Sometimes electric shocks are given using a
device called a defibrillator Once started, CPR
is continued until your heart restarts or it is
clear beyond a doubt that your heart cannot
be restarted
CPR can be started in the nursing home, but
as soon as possible, you will be transferred to
the hospital, often an intensive care unit, for additional treat-ment and monitoring
Your Choice
CPR is a choice – it is not a treatment that every-one must have Some people believe that when their time comes or their heart or breathing stops, nothing more should be done to keep them alive Other people want everything done
to keep them alive Neither of these choices is right or wrong It is your choice
You should understand, however, that if you choose not to have CPR, your choice will not
affect any other aspect of your care
All of your other treatments and care will continue
The only thing that will change is that if you are found without
a pulse or heartbeat
(in cardiac arrest)
CPR will not be done
Education on CPR
for Residents and Families
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Education on CPR
If your heart stops beating, CPR is the only
treatment that could save your life However,
you should also know that the rate of surviving
CPR is low
receive CPR outside of a hospital survive
in people of advanced age, and in people with
serious medical problems such as advanced
forms of cancer and diseases of the heart,
kidneys, and liver
Although in some cases CPR can save your life, CPR itself can cause bodily harm For example:
bones, suffer broken ribs as a result of CPR
you can have severe brain damage or be in a coma for some time or even the rest of your life
Making the Decision: CPR or DNR
Many people make a decision in advance about
whether or not they want CPR You can choose
between having CPR and asking for a ‘Do Not
Resuscitate (DNR)’ order If you choose the DNR
order, CPR will not be done if your heart stops
beating You are unlikely to be able to make this
decision for yourself at the time your heart stops
beating Making the decision in advance will
help make sure that your wishes are carried out
The decision whether or not to have CPR can be
a difficult one You may want to discuss it with your family, doctor, nurse, social worker, or a religious leader
Understanding the benefits and risks of CPR is important when you make your
decision The chart below explains the benefits and risks of CPR
Help in Making Your Decision
There are many resources available to you
in making this decision Organizations
such as the American Association
for Retired Persons, the Coalition
for Compassionate Care, the
Conversation Project, Closure,
and Caring Connections of the
National Hospice and Palliative Care
Organization, as well as many others
have information available in print and on their websites that may be helpful to you
In addition, most states have stan-dard forms for documenting your decisions in advance (‘Advance Directives’), and many are recom-mending completing an order form in advance, such as Physicians Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (‘POLST’) or other similar forms
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Education on Tube Feeding
for Residents and Families
The Problem
Many health problems may cause you to lose
more and more of your mental and physical
abilities The problems may become so serious
that you may no longer be able to eat all the
food your body needs Also, some conditions,
such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s
disease, and other forms of dementia, may
make it difficult to swallow, allowing food to go
into your lungs This can cause pneumonia
Nurses or others can feed you, but you
may still continue to have trouble
eating and swallowing properly,
and you may not be
able to get all the
food and fluids
your body needs to
maintain your health
Treatment
Sometimes a speech therapist may be able
to help you improve your swallowing ability
A change in the consistency of the food you
eat may also be helpful If these do not help,
another treatment for eating and swallowing
problems is to have a feeding tube placed
into your stomach You would be fed liquids
through the tube which provide nutrition and
fluids
A feeding tube can be used temporarily for
a few days if you become suddenly sick and
unable to eat or drink The tube would be put
through your nose and down your throat into
your stomach and you would receive liquid
food several times per day If you regain the
ability to feed yourself, then the tube could be
removed
If a feeding tube is needed for longer than a week, it can be placed into your stomach If you regain the ability to eat on your own, this tube could be removed
In order to have the long-term feeding tube placed in your stomach, you would need a short operation that usually lasts less than an hour You would be given medication to make you comfortable while the doctor makes a small cut in your skin so that the feeding tube can go into your stomach This operation is usually safe and has been done often
Your Choice
Feeding tubes are not used for everyone
You have a choice about whether or not you want this treatment Feeding tubes may be used for a short time or for the rest of your life, and can be removed at your request or by the request of your health care decision maker
You should understand, however, that if you choose not to have a feeding tube, your choice will not affect any other aspect of your care
All of your other treatments and care will continue
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Help in Making Your Decision
There are many resources available to you
in making this decision Organizations
such as the American Association
for Retired Persons, the Coalition
for Compassionate Care, the
Conversation Project, Closure,
and Caring Connections of the
National Hospice and Palliative Care
Organization, as well as many others
have information available in print and on their websites that may be helpful to you
In addition, most states have standard forms for documenting your
decisions in advance (‘Advance Directives’), and many are recom-mending completing an order form in advance, such as Physicians Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (‘POLST’) or other similar forms
Education on Tube Feeding
Benefits of Tube Feeding Risks of Tube Feeding
Tube feeding can provide you with nutrition and
fluids on a temporary or long-term basis when you
are unable to eat or drink, or have difficulty
swallowing However:
feeding does not prolong life, or improve
function or quality of life
feeding does not prevent episodes of pneumonia
due to swallowing trouble, or the development
or healing of skin wounds (pressure sores) that
can be caused by not moving around and not
having enough nutrition or fluid
Although tube feeding can provide you with nutrition and fluids, there are several risks of having tube feeding For example:
tube in your stomach, such as bleeding, infection, and pain can occur, but they are infrequent
painful, or infected
requiring trips to the hospital to have it replaced
Making the Decision about
Tube Feeding
Many people make a decision in advance about
whether or not they want tube feeding You
can choose between having tube feeding and
asking for a ‘No Tube Feeding’ order You may
not be able to make this decision for yourself at
the time you are unable to eat or drink Making
the decision in advance will help make sure that
your wishes are carried out
The decision whether or not to have tube feeding can be a difficult one You may want to discuss it with your family, doctor, nurse, social worker, or a religious leader
Understanding the benefits and risks of tube feeding is important when you make your decision The chart below explains the benefits and risks of tube feeding
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Stop and Watch
Early Warning Tool
If you have identified a change while caring for or observing a
resident, please circle the change and notify a nurse Either give the
nurse a copy of this tool or review it with her/him as soon as you can.
Seems different than usual
Talks or communicates less
Overall needs more help
Pain – new or worsening; Participated less in activities Ate less
No bowel movement in 3 days; or diarrhea
Drank less
Weight change
Agitated or nervous more than usual
Tired, weak, confused, or drowsy
Change in skin color or condition
Help with walking, transferring, toileting more than usual
Patient / Resident
Your Name
Reported to Date and Time (am/pm) Nurse Response Date and Time (am/pm)
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Check here if no change noted while monitoring high risk patient
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Deténgase y Observe
Herramienta de Alerta Temprana
Si usted ha identificado un cambio en uno de los residentes, mientras lo/a estaba cuidando u observando, por favor marque el cambio con un círculo y notifíquelo a la/el enfermera/o Tan pronto como le sea posible, entregue una copia de esta herramienta
a la enfermera/o o revísela con ella/el.
Se lo/la nota diferente
Te parece que habla o que se comunica menos
Observas que en general el residente necesita mas ayuda Presenta un nuevo dolor, o su dolor habitual ha empeorado Participa en menos actividades
Ha estado comiendo menos
No ha podido defecar/obrar en los últimos 3 días; o tiene diarrea Deshidratado/a; o ha estado tomando menos líquidos
Ha perdido o ganado peso
Agitado o nervioso, mas de lo usual
Te parece cansado, débil, confundido o somnoliento
Cambios en la condición o el color de la piel
Ha estado necesitando mas ayuda que de costumbre para caminar, movilizarse, o ir al baño
Nombre del residente
Tu nombre
Nombre del/la enfermero/a que recibió este reporte Fecha y Hora (am/pm) Respuesta del/la enfermero/a que recibió este reporte Fecha y Hora (am/pm) Nombre del/la enfermero/a
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Marque aquí si no se ha notado cambio mientras
es monitoreado el paciente de alto riesgo