Long-Term Care, Death and Dying, Widowhood, and Successful Aging

Flashcards on Long-Term Care, Death and Dying, Widowhood, and Successful Aging.

1987 Nursing Home Reform Act (NHRA)

Requires specific services such as being licensed, having a governing body, physicians on call, and admitting eligible patients without discrimination.

1998 Nursing Home Initiative (NHI)

Proposed steps to improve nursing home quality, including altering inspection timing, more frequent inspections of violators, and imposing immediate sanctions.

Nursing Homes

Medical institutions providing comprehensive care for people needing daily care and support services.

Skilled Nursing Facilities

Provide intensive nursing care.

Intermediate Care Facilities

Provide health-related services for older adults not requiring hospital or skilled nursing facility care.

Residential Care Facilities

Include board and care homes, group homes, assisted living facilities, and adult foster care.

Board and Care Homes

Group living arrangements for older adults needing some nursing services.

Group Homes

Provide independent, private living in a house shared by several older adults.

Assisted Living Facilities

Licensed housing complexes with independent living and optional health services.

Adult Foster Care

A family provides care in their home to an older adult.

Medicare Programs

Federal funding agency providing hospital insurance, benefits for people 65+, coverage through private health plans, and prescription drug benefits.

Medicaid Program

Federal and state program providing medical assistance for low-income individuals and families.

Home Health Services

Alternatives to nursing homes, providing care in the individual's home.

Death Ethos

Prevailing philosophy of death inferred from funeral rituals, treatments of the dying, and beliefs in the afterlife.

Tamed Death

Viewed death as familiar and simple, a transition to eternal life.

Invisible Death

Preference for dying to retreat and spend final days in a hospital setting.

Clinically Dead

Meeting all 8 criteria, including absence of movement, respiration, responsiveness, eye movement, postural activity, reflexes, a flat EEG, and no changes after 24 hours.

Cortical Death

Absence of higher-order cortical activity but persistence of lower brainstem activity.

Social & Psychic Death

Occurs when people are isolated or abandoned by others due to terminal illness.

Death with Dignity

The period of dying should not subject the individual to extreme physical dependency or loss of body control functions.

Hospice Care

Provides medical and supportive services for dying patients with a life expectancy of less than 6 months.

Palliative Care

Easing of pain and discomfort for dying patients.

Patient Self-Determination Act (1990)

Guarantees the right of competent adults to have an active role in decisions about their care.

Advanced Directives

Patient’s wishes for end-of-life treatment (also called living will).

Widowhood Effect

Greater probability of death in those who have become widowed compared to those who are married.

Grieving

Psychological phenomenon that is obligatory and takes a long time.

Dual Process Model of Bereavement

Process of coping with death focusing on loss-oriented and restoration-oriented processes.

Attachment View of Bereavement

Bereaved can continue to benefit from maintaining emotional bonds to the deceased.

Dysfunctional Methods of Coping with Loss

Include avoidance, obliteration, and idolization.

Functional Methods of Coping with Loss

Include being patient, expressing emotions, emphasizing positive memories, sharing feelings, and maintaining well-being.

Successful Aging

Positive health behaviors, psychological aspects, and social interconnectedness.

Rowe & Kahn Definition of Successful Aging

Absence of disease, high cognitive and physical function, and engagement with life.

WHO Model of Successful Aging

Optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security to enhance quality of life as people age.

Subjective Well-being

The individual’s overall sense of happiness.

Life Satisfaction

Overall assessment of an individual’s feelings and attitudes about one’s life at a particular point in time.

Paradox of Well-being

Maintenance of self-image despite physical limitations.

Set Point Perspective

People's personalities influence their level of well-being throughout life.