End-of-Life Care for Kidney Disease Patients

This assignment discusses the complexities of providing end-of-life care to a patient named Betty who suffers from kidney disease and several comorbidities, including PVD, Type 2 Diabetes, STEMI, and IHD. It analyzes the impact of these conditions on Betty's physical and psychological well-being, her relationships with family, and her overall quality of life. The assignment outlines strategies for providing supportive care, managing symptoms like edema, administering therapeutics as directed by her GP, and engaging in open communication with Betty and her family about end-of-life care options. It emphasizes the importance of respecting patient choices, ensuring dignity, and providing comfort during this challenging time.

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Student’s Name
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The kidney disease affects nearly all aspects of the patient ranging from the medications
to the nature and composition of the foods to be eaten. For instance, taking Betty's case, she
stands other risks because she has comorbidities of other diseases like PVD, Type 2 Diabetes,
STEMI and IHD. This means that although she has been managing to hear kidney disease well
with the help of her GP, she still stands other risk factors to her health. When Betty notes that she
has developed other symptoms, she is so much concerned. This is because this could affect her
relationship with her family, that is her husband Alan and her daughters' family. I believe that
this could also negatively affect her sexual relationship with her husband considering that she is
becoming weak as other disease symptoms develop on top of the existing kidney disease. For
instance, considering some of the symptoms like edema, Betty must be concerned about the
sudden change in the appearance of her body. Living with a life-limiting disease like the kidney
disease, alongside comorbidities of another disease like type 2 diabetes is very risky to a patient
(Brinkman-Stoppelenburg et al., 2014).
At this point, Betty needs to be offered end of life care because her condition is
progressing in a bad manner. Since the kidney disease and the related comorbidities are lifelong,
there is a need of offering her the end of life care. This is to ensure that her health is supported
and that at her end of life, she will die with dignity. As a caregiver, I will administer the
necessary therapeutics on the basis of her diagnosis as directed by her GP. Apart from that, I will
offer her and her family supportive care to enable them to accept the situation as it is, though
painful. As a nurse, I will also offer supportive care so that Betty is as comfortable as possible
and that her symptoms are properly managed (Gillan et al., 2014). For instance, Betty's
medication can be managed so that side effects are as minimal as possible especially bearing in
mind that her kidney disease is linked to the build-up of toxins. Moreover, I will put Betty on
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fluid restriction so as to lower the possible retention of fluids, bearing in mind that she is already
suffering from symptoms of edema. It will also be important that I explain to Betty's family
concerning the nature and benefits of the end of life care will be important.
As a graduate health professional, there are some strategies that I will plan to incorporate
these include giving focus to physical as well as the psychological need of the patient and
respecting of the patients' care choices during the end of life care. This will help in ensuring that
the patient and their families are in agreement to all forms of supportive care that may be needed
at this point. Finally, I will incorporate an assessment to find out whether the end of life care
given to Betty or any other patients is really helpful or not, in terms of their individual
satisfaction.
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Reference List
Brinkman-Stoppelenburg, A., Rietjens, J. A., & van der Heide, A. (2014). The effects of advance
care planning on end-of-life care: a systematic review. Palliative medicine, 28(8), 1000-
1025.
Gillan, P. C., van der Riet, P. J., & Jeong, S. (2014). End of life care education, past and present:
A review of the literature. Nurse Education Today, 34(3), 331-342.
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