Perceptions of Hospice Care among African-Americans
Hospice care is a crucial practice to facilitate a satisfying life for an individual expected to die soon. Collective acts of compassion care are critical in achieving objectives describing the social practice. This discussion summarizes end-of-care attributes in the article “Perceptions of hospice care among African Americans” by Bridgette Pullis. The author notes that African-Americans have little regard for the significance of family-centered care on individuals’ health, as highlighted by the author (Pullis, 2011). Similarly, older people also need hospice care, as evidenced in nursing homes. Critiquing the article highlights diverse opinions from the selected participants in strategic focus groups. It is important to acknowledge that people have different opinions regarding the importance of compassionate care among individuals with predetermined dates indicating the end of life.
Moreover, the article uses social opinions to determine the acceptable level of medical service to patients. For instance, the author mentions that death’s certainty determines an individual’s response regarding hospice care objectively. African-Americans perceive this type of nursing attention as irrelevant and inconsistent for varying reasons. The fear of an unknown future also contributes to the dynamic perspectives displayed by the focus group participants (Pullis, 2011). From an objective angle, it is reasonable to argue the relevance of hospice care if an unknown event can result in instant death. The article is tactical in integrating public comments regarding nursing or family-centered care among patients with chronic illnesses or elderly people.
The article identifies individuals with chronic illnesses as potential clients needing special social attention. For instance, cancer patients require hospice care to ensure quality of life towards a terminal illness’s remaining period. However, the author fails to consider the opinions of other minority or vulnerable populations. The lack of inclusivity in integrating the perception of hospice care among children makes the research insufficient. As a result, the article cannot be universally applied to individuals not involved as participants in the focus group.
The Multidisciplinary Perspectives of African Americans on End-of-Life Care in Their Community
This discussion presents a summary of the article “The desires of their hearts: The multidisciplinary perspectives of African Americans on end-of-life care in the African American community” written by Ramona Rhodes, Bryan Elwood, Simon Lee, Jasmine Tiro, Ethan Halm, and Celette Skinner. The authors, most importantly, identify three strategic aspects describing nursing care among African Americans. They acknowledge insufficient information awareness about end-of-life care among the members of the identified population (Rhodes et al., 2017). The use of interviews and focus groups including participants with dynamic personal and professional experiences provided useful information regarding the research objectives (Rhodes et al., 2017). Fundamentally, multidisciplinary perspectives regarding end-of-life care indicate inadequate integration of advanced, palliate, and hospice care among African Americans.
Additionally, the acceptance of specialized care among the identified individuals plays a vital role in enhancing nursing care. The authors note that vulnerable individuals, such as chronic illness patients, require compassionate care for advanced health (Rhodes et al., 2017). Ideally, the lack of enough awareness of advanced social care among African Americans contributes substantially to the low quality of life among individuals end of life. The multidisciplinary approach has been useful in noting low adoption levels of hospice care among medically vulnerable individuals. Consequently, focused healthcare attention among patients is critical in ensuring improving life experiences among terminally ill patients.
Most importantly, the integration of interviews and focus groups has been tactical in acquiring the participants’ information. The authors were also strategic in selecting participants with enough personal experience in hospice care for a family member or a close friend. However, the article has failed to integrate other relevant and consistent alternatives for a comprehensive information gathering process. Fundamentally, multidisciplinary perspectives of end-of-life care among African Americans indicate insufficient acceptance of advanced care planning among the community members.
References
Pullis, B. (2011). Perceptions of hospice care among African Americans. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, 13(5), 281-287.
Rhodes, R. L., Elwood, B., Lee, S. C., Tiro, J. A., Halm, E. A., & Skinner, C. S. (2017). American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 34(6), 510-517.