The first study guide for the CHPN (R) certification exam! This must-have study guide for nurses seeking to obtain Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN (R)) status provides state-of-the-art information about all aspects of this specialty. It features 300 carefully selected Q&As that offer a detailed rationale for each question, along with tips and strategies to promote exam mastery and frequently asked questions about the exam. Additional questions are arranged in chapters mirroring the exam blueprint and the number of questions for each category correlates with the exam matrix. Case-based scenarios embodied within the questions facilitate the application of knowledge in a problem-solving format. A complete practice exam is included as well. Brief topical reviews address hospice and palliative care nursing practice in all of its dimensions, including physical, spiritual, and psychosocial. The resource highlights information that forms the basis of end-of-life care, such as communication and family-centered care. Additionally, high-level skills used by hospice and palliative care nurses, such as drug and dosage conversion and the use of infusion therapy, are covered as well. Key Features: Delivers the first study guide for hospice and palliative nurses seeking CHPN (R) certification Provides concise, up-to-date knowledge on all aspects of the specialty Includes information about the exam, answers to commonly asked questions, and tips and strategies for exam mastery Includes practice questions and answers following each chapter Provides a final comprehensive practice exam that offers 300 Q&As with detailed answer rationales that mirror the exam format Presents case-based scenarios within the questions that facilitate the application of knowledge

This is a comprehensive account of the psychology of death and bereavement, which places the subject within the contexts of the major world religions and their associated mourning and funeral customs. Clearly written, well referenced and carefully organized, the book examines the thinking of Freud and Jung and of modern psychiatrists, and also discusses those aspects of death - bereavement visions, euthanasia, grief for a pet and suicide - which are not covered elsewhere.The second edition has enabled the contents to be updated and enlarged. There are five new chapters, including one dealing with the scientific assessment of death: another looks at the psychological insights provided by Shakespeare, whilst a third deals with the beliefs and customs of minority groups - the Bahais, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Quakers, Spiritualists and Seventh-day Adventists. The text is highly accessible and uses case histories to bridge the gap between theory and experience in an novel and creative way.

"Case Studies in Palliative and End-of-Life Care" uses a case-based approach to provide students and practitioners with an important learning tool to improve critical thinking skills and encourage discussion toward improving experiences for patients and their families.

The book is organized into three sections covering subjects related to communication, symptom management, and family care. Each case is presented in a consistent, logical format for ease of use, highlighting key evidence-based concepts including the case history, care setting, diagnosis and prognosis, assessment, treatment considerations, and family support.A key reference, "Case Studies in Palliative and End-of-Life Care "is an invaluable resource for clinicians who provide palliative care to patients with life-limiting illnesses and those at the end of life along with their families.

When a patient has an advanced disease, considerable demands are placed on the whole family. Whilst coping with their own profound emotions, close relatives commonly have to support their loved ones through a range of treatments as the disease progresses through stages of remission and recurrence, until finally, a shift to a palliative mode of treatment must be faced. In such situations, family roles and relationships are likely to be disrupted and family members? coping resources can be stretched to the limit. It is clear from this that by the time the terminal stage of the patient's illness is reached, the family may have travelled a long and difficult road, and close relatives are likely to be emotionally vulnerable and in need of support.This study explores the needs of relatives of terminally ill patients and the concerns of nurses who provide care in the hospital. The research data is used to design, implement and evaluate clinical standards for improved family support.

Oxford Case Histories in Oncology contains 30 well-structured cases from clinical practice, giving a comprehensive coverage of the diagnostic and management dilemmas in oncology. The cases cover a wide spectrum of oncology including rare presentations and clinical problems of common cancers. Each case comprises a brief clinical history with relevant clinical examination findings. Questions are based on clinical investigations and aspects of management. Detailed answers are based on the best available evidence from the latest research, systematic reviews, meta-analysis and guidelines from national and international academic bodies. The text is complimented by over 50 illustrations, including radiographic images and radiotherapy treatment plans. The format of this book is thought provoking, and it helps to improve critical thinking and interpretative skills. It is a perfect self-assessment tool for oncology and palliative medicine trainees and consultants, and will be useful for those preparing for exit examinations in oncology. It will also be of interest to non-specialist readers who wish to improve their skills in the diagnosis and management of a broad range of cancers.

How do people face life-limiting illness and death? This challenging question is discussed in-depth in Life to be Lived by looking at the feelings, hopes, fears and stresses associated with life-threatening illnesses, often experienced by patients and their carers. Drawn from research, clinical, and pastoral experiences, the authors examine the process of adjustment that patients and their families go through in major illnesses and when approaching the end of life. Life to be Lived is written in an accessible style using many stories shared by counsellors, chaplains, patients and relatives. Describing the messiness, uncertainties, and paradoxes that are part and parcel of living through an advanced illness, dying, and bereavement, but also what helps and heals, it reviews a range of responses to the challenges to patients and carers and the support, both personal and organisational. Life to be Lived is essential reading for professionals and trained volunteers who work as a part of multidisciplinary teams in palliative and end-of-life care to improve their understanding of the attitudes and behaviour of patients and carers. Families and friends will also benefit from this book as they try to come to terms with their own situations and how they can cope better with them.

The Textbook of Palliative Care Communication is the authoritative text on communication in palliative care, providing a compilation of international and interdisciplinary perspectives. This volume was uniquely developed by an interdisciplinary editorial team to address an array of providers including physicians, nurses, social workers, and chaplains, and it unites clinicians with academic researchers interested in the study of communication. By featuring practical conversation and curriculum tools stemming from research, this text integrates scholarship and inquiry into translatable content that others can use to improve their practice, teach skills to others, and engage in patient-centered communication. The volume begins by defining communication, explicating debatable issues in research, and highlighting specific approaches to studying communication in a palliative care context. Chapters focus on health literacy and cultural communication, patient and family communication, barriers and approaches to discussing palliative care with specific patient populations, pain, life support, advance care planning, and quality of life topics such as sexuality, spirituality, hope, and grief. Team communication in various care settings is outlined, and current research and education for healthcare professionals are summarized. Unique to this volume are chapters on conducting communication research, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to promote further research in palliative care.

Teamwork is a complex but essential component of palliative care. The needs of people diagnosed with life threatening disease will vary greatly over time, and it is rarely possible for just one professional to be able to provide adequate care. In order to ensure an holistic approach, the whole multi-disciplinary team must be involved. Inevitable questions arise from such an approach, and this book seeks to address these. How does a team come into being? What different formats are there? How might the patient contribute to the effectiveness of their care and the way in which the team operates? What are the difficulties and frustrations encountered in developing and maintaining such teams? What models of working and styles of leadership have developed? How are power and authority handled within the team setting? The importance of team building, training, support, attention to group process, and stress management to protect the mental health of the team are explored. The ethical issues inherent in palliative care such as consent, autonomy, confidentiality, decision making within teams, and the legal implications of such are also discussed. The book concludes with one important question - do we know if teams are the most effective way of providing care? This book addresses key issues surrounding the role of the team in palliative care, and is an essential guide to reappraising the importance of collaborative teamwork, and enhancing understanding of existing team structures.

Over recent decades, tremendous advances in the prevention, medical treatment, and quality of life issues in children and adolescents surviving cancer have spawned a host of research on pediatric psychosocial oncology. This important volume fulfills the clear need for an up-to-date, comprehensive handbook for practitioners that delineates the most recent research in the field--the first of its kind in over a decade. Over 60 renowned authors have been assembled to provide a thorough presentation of the state-of-the art research and literature, with topics including:
-Neuropsychological effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy
-Bone marrow transplantation
-Important issues about quality of life during and following treatment
-Collaborative research among child-focused psychologists
-Standards of psychological care for children and adolescents
-Stress and coping in the pediatric cancer experience
-The role of family and peer relationships
The Comprehensive Handbook of Childhood Cancer and Sickle Cell Disease represents both multidisciplinary and international efforts, an alliance between physicians and parents, and a combination of research and service. With a wealth of information of great interest to patients and their families, this volume will also be a welcome resource to the psychologists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, oncologists, nurses, and social workers who confront these issues as they help children and their families through the treatment, recovery, and grieving processes.

Cicely Saunders is universally acclaimed as a pioneer of modern hospice care. Trained initially in nursing and social work, she qualified in medicine in 1958 and subsequently dedicated the whole of her professional life to improving the care of the dying and bereaved people. Founding St. Christopher's Hospice in London in 1967, she encouraged a radical new approach to end of life care combining attention to physical, social, emotional and spiritual problems, brilliantly captured in her concept of "total pain." Her ideas about clinical care, education and research have been hugely influential, leading to numerous prizes and awards in recognition of her humanitarian achievements. This book includes a selection of Cicely Saunders' most important writings throughout a period of over forty years.
Full articles, chapters, editiorials, reviews, and commentaries include important clinical themes relating to the care of dying people such as pain and symptom management, issues of communication and truth telling, and the needs of particular patient groups, such as those with cancer and other diseases. The book includes pieces that reflect on the wider development of the palliative care field and on policy and organizational issues. Some of the papers take up the theme of spiritual care at the end of life, as well as the question of euthanasia, raising in turn issues of a wider theological and philosophical nature.
The articles are written for a multi-disciplinary audience and will be of enormous interest to many professionals now working in palliative care. The collection will become a key work of reference for those interested in the evolution of hospice and palliative care and will serveas an important sourcebook of many currently hard to obtain publications by the acknowledged founder of the modern hospice movement. This book will also stand as a remarkable testimony to the personal contribution of Cicely Saunders and the influence she has had upon the modern field of palliative and end of life care.

This enlightening volume provides first-hand perspectives and ethnographic research on communication at the end of life, a topic that has gone largely understudied in communication literature. Author Elissa Foster' s own experiences as a volunteer hospice caregiver form the basis of the book. "Communicating at the End of Life" recounts the stories of Foster and six other volunteers and their communicative experiences with dying patients, using communication theory and research findings to identify insights on the relationships they form throughout the process. What unfolds is a scholarly examination of a subject that is significant to every individual at some point in the life process.
Organized chronologically to follow the course of Foster' s involvement with hospice and the phases of the study, the book opens with Part 1, providing background and contextual information to help readers understand subsequent stories about communication between volunteers and patients. Part 2 of the volume emphasizes the adjustments required by the volunteers as they entered the world of hospice and the worlds of the patients. Part 3 underscores the importance of improvisation and finding balance within the role of volunteer-- in particular how to be fully present for patients as well as their family members. The volume concludes with Part 4, which addresses how volunteers coped with the death of their patients and what they learned from the experience of volunteering.
"Communicating at the End of Life "is appropriate for scholars and advanced students studying personal relationships, health communication, gerontology, interpersonal communication, lifespancommunication, and communication & aging. Its unique content offers precious and meaningful insights on the communication processes at a critical point in the life process.

Clearing the Path is a collection of clinical stories that illustrate practical, applicable communication tools for professionals in work with end-of-life patients and families. These vignettes from practice demonstrate how impending death, death itself, and the loss of a relationship affect the lives and grief of both patients and survivors. Written 13 years after its companion volume The Weeping Willow, the book brings even more complex encounters and nuanced emotions from additional years of experience in the field. The stories are woven in with the counseling process, thought process, and dilemmas of the counselor. Each story is then followed by "Notes to the Practitioner" with clear, practical and professional advice on navigating various communication issues and end with "Conclusions" which are short summaries of each vignette's teachings. At the end of each chapter the reader will find recent, annotated references for those who wish to read more about the topic. Chapters provide new, in-depth tools for dealing with death, grief, and loss from both the griever and the counselor or medical professional's perspective. What is unique to this book is the insight into the authentic human emotions experienced by both counselors and clients in these encounters with dying and grieving, making it useful for both the caregivers and the recipients of end-of-life care. Acknowledging that communication is individual and dependent on all the involved parties, these stories were selected to demonstrate many ways of communication through a range of situations, as well as the various attitudes, harmful and helpful, revealed in responses from people surrounding the patient or griever. Clearing the Path is not a conventional "how- to" book and it aims instead to teach by example from the hands-on counseling experiences of two experts who have worked in the field of field of death and dying, grieving and loss with responsibility and care. For professionals at all levels of experience those looking to navigate the difficulties of end-of-life care, this is the perfect guide.

Fatigue in Cancer provides a comprehensive review of the key issues involved in the research and practical application of current evidence and best practice guidelines for addressing cancer-related fatigue. An international group of contributors draw together core topics relating to this complex area of cancer management, focusing on issues of definition, patho-physiology, treatment related variables and the psychological, social and emotional impact on patients, families and carers. Critical reviews of practical management strategies for both adults and children are included, as are the current approaches to the measurement of cancer-related fatigue in clinical and research contexts. The book contributes a multi-disciplinary overview of a problem increasingly overlooked by cancer scientists, researchers, and clinicians.
This book demonstrates the considerable capacity of cancer-related fatigue to impact on quality of life. Its multi-disciplinary focus and consideration of prioritised areas of future research will ensure that it will prove invaluable for all health professionals and researchers in oncology and palliative care.

Palliative Care Consultations in Haemato-oncology is the first book in a new international, multi-contributed series aimed at providing practical, clinical guidance on how to deal with difficult symptoms related to specific cancer sites. Patients with haematological malignancy often undergo the most rigorous treatments, usually requiring long inpatient stays at tertiary referral centres far removed from friends, families and everyday life. The treatment for some malignancies is palliative, although aggressive, from diagnosis and there can be a number of difficult symptom-control problems all of which are covered in this book. This volume draws on the expertise of the haematologist who is vital if the patient is to have optimal care and provides practical advice in an easily accessible form so that the book can be read and referred to on the ward, or before a domiciliary visit.

Specialists in palliative care and oncology settings, working in the acute sector and in hospices, will find this book invaluable. It will also appeal to consultants as well as specialist registrars, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners in palliative care, oncology and haematology.

ABOUT THE PALLIATIVE CARE CONSULTATIONS SERIES: This series is aimed at those individuals working in a acute hospital cancer centre and/or tertiary referral centre. They are designed to give the busy clinician advice on clinical problems which may be relatively rarely encountered or very common but which are often very difficult to manage. The volumes are site specific and every volume encompasses a review of the current oncological or haemato-oncological management of advanced disease with symptom control advice. The aim of these volumes is to give excellent medical symptom control advice, but also to put the medical advice in the context of palliative care. The books will also be of use and interest to other professions, with the focus on giving first-rate medical help.

Anyone suffering from a terminal illness faces huge challenges, not only emotionally and physically, but also in the range of practical decisions they need to make. In your own time guides the patient through the choices that exist in the current system of medical care, helping them decide on the kind of care they want, and where they receive it - in the hospice or the home. It includes chapters on coming to terms with their situation, the help available to them at home, how to choose between a hospice and home, and advice on coping with the inevitable feelings and emotions of both patient and carer. Written by a GP with extensive experience in this area, the book is unique in presenting both a compassionate and practical guide for anyone affected by serious illness, one that will empower them with the information they need to maintain the highest possible quality of life in their final days.

As someone approaches the end of their life, it is vitally important that they receive quality care and support, that their wishes are met, and that they are treated with dignity and respect. Pathways through Care at the End of Life is a comprehensive guide to providing excellent, person-centred end of life care. Following a pathway from initial conversations about end of life to care in the last days of life and after death, it covers assessing need and planning care, co-ordinating care between different agencies, and ensuring quality in different settings, such as at home, in a hospice, or in hospital. Good practice guidance on communication, ensuring the person's needs are met, support for their family and how to facilitate a good death is given. Case studies illustrate real life practice, and questions throughout each chapter encourage reflective practice. This book will be essential reading for all those working with people at the end of life, such as nurses, social workers, GPs and home carers, as well as students in these fields.

Nell M. came to her therapist with an unusual problem. She was disappointed that her metastatic breast cancer was not progressing as predicted. She had hoped breast cancer would lead to death, preventing her from witnessing her spouse's mental deterioration from Alzheimer's disease. This is how Nell's story began. As Nell became increasingly aware of her death on the near horizon, the therapy sessions with the author were recorded and transcribed. The Nell Dialogues: Conversation in Mortal Time consists of twelve of Nell's illness narratives that explore the challenges of managing the physical and emotional demands of cancer, relationship issues with family and health care professionals, and disturbing, anxiety provoking thoughts as well as the mourning that accompanies the end of life. These dialogues trace Nell's acceptance of, and struggle with, the practical obstacles to achieving a good death. They also offer a window on the world of patients and their caregivers facing a life-threatening illness together. A commentary by the author accompanies each dialogue, giving the reader insights on the therapist's thinking during the counselling sessions and offering context and lessons learned from them. Nell's vibrant voice is a beacon throughout the narratives, sometimes sad, yet always hopeful for a good death. Her ability to navigate the difficult territory of mortal time and dying informs the reader about how death might be approached with grace and dignity.

This insightful study examines the deeply personal and heart-wrenching tensions among financial considerations, emotional attachments, and moral arguments that motivate end-of-life decisions. America's health care system was built on the principle that life should be prolonged whenever possible, regardless of the costs. This commitment has often meant that patients spend their last days suffering from heroic interventions that extend their life by only weeks or months. Increasingly, this approach to end-of-life care is coming under scrutiny, from a moral as well as a financial perspective. Sociologist Roi Livne documents the rise and effectiveness of hospice and palliative care, and growing acceptance of the idea that a life consumed by suffering may not be worth living. Values at the End of Life combines an in-depth historical analysis with an extensive study conducted in three hospitals, where Livne observed terminally ill patients, their families, and caregivers negotiating treatment. Livne describes the ambivalent, conflicted moments when people articulate and act on their moral intuitions about dying. Interviews with medical staff allowed him to isolate the strategies clinicians use to help families understand their options. As Livne discovered, clinicians are advancing the idea that invasive, expensive hospital procedures often compound a patient's suffering. Affluent, educated families were more readily persuaded by this moral calculus than those of less means. Once defiant of death-or even in denial-many American families and professionals in the health care system are beginning to embrace the notion that less treatment in the end may be better treatment.

At the end of life, our comfort lies mainly in relationships. In this book, Daniel Miller, one of the world's leading anthropologists, examines the social worlds of people suffering from terminal or long-term illness. Threading together a series of personal stories, based on interviews conducted with patients of an English hospice, Miller draws out the implications of these narratives for our understanding of community, friendship, and kinship, but also loneliness and isolation. This is a book about people's lives, not their deaths: about the hospice patients rather than the hospice. It focuses on the comfort given by friends, carers and relatives through both face-to-face relations and, increasingly, online communication. Miller asks whether the loneliness and isolation he uncovers is the result of a decline of English patterns of socialising, or their continuation. This moving and deeply humane book combines warmth and sharp observation with anthropological insight and practical suggestions for the use of media by the hospice. It will be of interest not only to students and scholars of anthropology, sociology, social policy and media and cultural studies, but also to healthcare professionals and, indeed, to anyone who would like to know more about the role of relationships in the final stage of our lives.

Supportive Care for the Renal Patient Second Edition provides a comprehensive, evidence-based overview of supportive care for the nephrology patient. An international group of contributors emphasise the continuum of palliative care from the time of diagnosis through to end-of-life care and the issues surrounding withdrawal of dialysis. The book addresses the psychological impact of the disease, the importance of involving the patient in making decisions about their care, ethical considerations, the role of the family and the multidisciplinary team. This new edition includes two new chapters on conservative management of advanced kidney disease (AKD) and dialysis in the very elderly. The chapters covering non pain symptoms, advance care planning, quality of life, psychological and psychiatric consideration and end-of-life care have also be completely revised to include new evidence and current thinking. This book will be of particular interest to palliative care practitioners; nephrologists, who increasingly need to know more about palliative care; nurse practitioners, dialysis nurses, social workers, dieticians, and psychiatric consultants. ABOUT THE SUPPORTIVE CARE SERIES Supportive care is the multidisciplinary holistic care of patients with chronic and life-limiting illnesses and their families - from the time around diagnosis, through treatments aimed at cure or prolonging life, and into the phase currently acknowledged as palliative care. It involves recognising and caring for the side-effects of active therapies as well as patients' symptoms, co-morbidities, psychological, social and spiritual concerns. It also values the role of family carers and helps them in supporting the patient, as well as attending to their own special needs. Unlike traditional palliative care, which grew from the terminal care of cancer patients, supportive care is not restricted to dying patients nor to cancer. This series covers the support of patients with a variety of long-term conditions, who are currently largely managed by specialist medical teams in hospital and by primary care teams in community settings. Each volume therefore provides a practical guide to the supportive care of patients at all stages of illness. Series Editor: Sam H. Ahmedzai

The first resource on end-of-life care for healthcare practitioners who work with the terminally ill and their families, "Living with Dying" begins with the narratives of five healthcare professionals, who, when faced with overwhelming personal losses altered their clinical practices and philosophies. The book provides ways to ensure a respectful death for individuals, families, groups, and communities and is organized around theoretical issues in loss, grief, and bereavement and around clinical practice with individuals, families, and groups.

"Living with Dying" addresses practice with people who have specific illnesses such as AIDS, bone marrow disease, and cancer and pays special attention to patients who have been stigmatized by culture, ability, sexual orientation, age, race, or homelessness. The book includes content on trauma and developmental issues for children, adults, and the aging who are dying, and it addresses legal, ethical, spiritual, cultural, and social class issues as core factors in the assessment of and work with the dying. It explores interdisciplinary teamwork, supervision, and the organizational and financing contexts in which dying occurs.

Current research in end-of-life care, ways to provide leadership in the field, and a call for compassion, insight, and respect for the dying makes this an indispensable resource for social workers, healthcare educators, administrators, consultants, advocates, and practitioners who work with the dying and their families.

"A profound exploration of what it means for all of us to live-and to die-with dignity and purpose." -People "Visceral and lyrical." -The Atlantic As the American born daughter of immigrants, Dr. Sunita Puri knew from a young age that the gulf between her parents' experiences and her own was impossible to bridge, save for two elements: medicine and spirituality. Between days spent waiting for her mother, an anesthesiologist, to exit the OR, and evenings spent in conversation with her parents about their faith, Puri witnessed the tension between medicine's impulse to preserve life at all costs and a spiritual embrace of life's temporality. And it was that tension that eventually drew Puri, a passionate but unsatisfied medical student, to palliative medicine--a new specialty attempting to translate the border between medical intervention and quality-of-life care. Interweaving evocative stories of Puri's family and the patients she cares for, That Good Night is a stunning meditation on impermanence and the role of medicine in helping us to live and die well, arming readers with information that will transform how we communicate with our doctors about what matters most to us.

This is the only handbook for hospice and palliative care professionals looking to enhance their care delivery or their programs with LGBTQ-inclusive care. Anchored in the evidence, extensively referenced, and written in clear, easy-to-understand language, LGBTQ-Inclusive Hospice and Palliative Care provides clear, actionable strategies for hospice and palliative physicians, nurses, social workers, counselors, and chaplains.