{"id":3645,"date":"2015-07-22T10:41:02","date_gmt":"2015-07-22T14:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/52.229.122.34\/en\/?p=3645"},"modified":"2021-02-17T12:00:01","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T17:00:01","slug":"start-the-conversation-planning-for-death-comforts-patients-and-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/uncategorized\/start-the-conversation-planning-for-death-comforts-patients-and-families\/","title":{"rendered":"Start the conversation: Planning for death comforts patients and families"},"content":{"rendered":"

RN Linda Doelman helps patients and their families talk about Advance Care Planning.<\/em><\/p>\n

We plan births, families, weddings and parties and painstakingly map out our education and careers. So, asked Linda Doelman, doesn\u2019t it make sense to plan for death as well?<\/p>\n

Doelman, an RN in The Ottawa Hospital\u2019s hepatopancreatobiliary surgical program, advocates for Advance Care Planning (ACP). The patients she sees want to talk about death \u2013 they want to know how long they have left and what they can expect \u2013 but often, they\u2019re afraid to ask. So, she eases them into the discussion slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a step-by-step process. It doesn\u2019t happen all at once,\u201d she said. \u201cWe encourage the family to be here so they can listen, so that their loved one can make their wishes known while they\u2019re still healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doelman started introducing ACP discussions after taking the LEAP training run by Advanced Practice Nurse Lynn Kachuik. The course helps health-care providers learn how and when to have these conversations. (See related story<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Kachuik has trained nearly 100 nurses and doctors in ACP and has mentored Doelman, who has done an exemplary job of embracing the practice. \u201cThat\u2019s exactly what we want to happen,\u201d said Kachuik.<\/p>\n

\"recommended-reading\"<\/p>\n

In the hospital, ACP conversations often begin with the surgeons, who should have honest and open conversations with patients to lay out treatment options. Doelman ensures people have all the information they need to make their decisions, and then offers support.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they\u2019ve made that decision \u2013 not to have chemo or not to have surgery \u2013 then we start to talk about the resources that exist to help them plan for the future,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about making sure their quality of life is the best it can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many family doctors are able to provide palliative care and help patients manage their symptoms, so Doelman usually calls the family doctor first.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes patients come into Emergency or the ICU and their families don\u2019t know what they would want. Families are anxious and they worry about making the wrong decision,\u201d she said. \u201cIf everyone knows the plan, then the patient goes through their end-of-life journey comforted, knowing their wishes will be upheld, and the family knows what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

When to review an Advance Care Plan:<\/strong><\/p>\n