Staff in the social services department act as an advocate for all people who reside at the care center and help residents and family members answer the variety of questions they may have during this time to promote happiness and adjustment to their new environment. Residents are encouraged to be involved in their care planning which includes being informed of their rights. The Bill of Rights is given to residents upon admission and also is posted in the care center.

UNDERSTANDING LEVELS OF CARE

Be sure you understand the different levels of care provided when making decisions about treatments. Care levels are typically broken down into three levels:

Aggressive - This describes the type of care needed in life-threatening situations when the intent is to prolong life. Such measures include:

Conservative - Conservative care consists of routine, non-life-threatening medical procedures like administering medication for chronic diseases like high blood-pressure or diabetes.

Palliative/Comfort Care - Palliative Care is a service for patients with progressive, incurable illness where improving the comfort and quality of life are in focus rather than prolonging life.

Hospice is a form of palliative care that works toward providing care and preserving dignity for the patient in the final stages of illness as well as support for the family or caregivers.

To qualify for Medicare coverage of your hospice expenses, it must be determined by a physician’s assessment that the patient has fewer than six months to live.

ADVANCE DIRECTIVES

Completed by the person with the disease while he or she still has the mental capacity to do so, advance directives come in two common forms:

Living Will - Written instructions about the medical care an individual would or would not like to receive.

Durable Power of Attorney - A document that allows a person to appoint an individual to make decisions about care on his or her behalf. Be sure to use the advance directives forms that are recognized by the state in which care will be provided.

Share copies of the directives with your family, physicians and other person’s providing care for your loved one. Be sure a copy is placed in his or her medical record and that all persons involved understand the directives and are prepared to carry them out.

If no such directive is in place, a family should be prepared to make decisions for a loved one that are consistent with what he or she would have wanted. Having

amily meetings to develop a plan of care and prepare for end-of-life decisions can help prevent conflict and avoid crisis situations. Lakewood Health System also offers support through our Social Work team to assist families in making difficult decisions about the care of their loved one.

For more information