Geriatric Palliative Care—Part II: Communication and Goals of Care
- Thu, 1/17/08 - 4:18am
- 0 Comments
- 4035 reads
Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life for patients and families living with serious illnesses. In addition to expert pain and symptom management, palliative care requires advanced communication skills.1,2 The first part of this series (Clinical Geriatrics 2007;15[1]:25-32) discussed pain and symptom management for the geriatric patient. This article will focus on the essential skills for effective communication.
The Problem of Poor Communication
Good communication skills are essential when caring for ill patients, yet several studies have shown th
Geriatric Palliative Care—Part I: Pain and Symptom Management
- Thu, 1/17/08 - 4:18am
- 0 Comments
- 4859 reads
Case Presentation
Mr. HD was an 86-year old man with a history of diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and moderate dementia. He was admitted to the hospital from a subacute rehabilitation facility with three gangrenous toes on his right foot. Work-up at that time revealed a large arterial thrombus in the internal iliac artery extending to the femoral artery. At the time of hospitalization, the patient was delirious with episodes of lethargy and agitation. Mr. HD was evaluated by a vascular surgeon, who recommended an iliofemoral bypass procedure. A
