Answer to Question 1
Compared with other age groups, older adults report being more accepting and less anxious about death. This may be due to a variety of reasons. In terms of Erikson's theory of development, achieving ego integrity in later life may be related to a greater acceptance of death. For other older adults, the joy of living is diminished as they lose friends and relatives. This loss may result in them confronting and accepting their own mortality. Older adults are more likely to experience chronic health problems that are not likely to disappear. Additionally, older people may feel that their important tasks have been completed.
Answer to Question 2
Modern hospices are modeled after St. Christopher's Hospice in England, founded in 1967 by Dr. Cicely Saunders. A hospice is different from a hospital or home care in that it is requested by a person or physician only after it is determined that no treatment or cure is possible. The principles that underlie hospice care are (1) clients and families are viewed as a unit, (2) clients are to be kept free of pain, (3) social and emotional impoverishment must be minimal, (4) clients are encouraged to maintain their competencies, (5) conflict resolution and fulfillment of realistic desires must be assisted, (6) clients are free to begin or end relationships, and (7) an interdisciplinary team is used. Most clients of hospice are suffering from cancer, AIDS, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, or progressive neurological conditions.
Most clients are in the last six months of their lives.
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