3.g.ii Integration of Palliative Care into Nursing Homes, Module One: Introduction to Palliative Care

This 30 minute presentation is intended for every employee of the skilled nursing facility to learn the fundamentals of palliative care.  The objective of this course is for all staff members to be familiar and comfortable with what palliative care is and to have an awareness when they know a resident is on a palliative program.  Content discussed are common disease processes that would make a resident eligible for palliative care and statistics about terminal disease progression in the United States.  Barriers to quality care at the end of life and the differences between palliative care and hospice programs are explored.  Basic principles of palliative care are highlighted as well as the benefits of a palliative program to resident, family and staff.  The four domains of palliative care; the physical, psychological social and spiritual aspects of care as well as what an interdisciplinary team is are explained.  The NQF Clinical Practice Guidelines, the eight domains of care, are reviewed as well as the upcoming curriculum for the facilities.  The role of staff in improving palliative care is discussed and a video is shown to tie together concepts discussed in the class. Time is allotted at the end for staff questions regarding palliative care.