Importance of Advance Directives Essay Example for Free

Importance of Advance Directives Essay The Importance of Advance Directives Tara J. DiDonato Axia College of University of Phoenix The Importance of Advance Directives While most people do not speak about end of life issues either because of their background or religion, it is not only for the elderly, we should all make our wishes known. According to the Pew Research Center, (January 2006), â€Å"42% of  Americans have had a friend or relative  suffer from a terminal illness or coma in the last five years and  for a majority of these people , the issue of withholding life sustaining treatment came up†. Although many people feel it is taboo, all adults over the age of 18 should think about what their healthcare wishes would be if they could not speak for themselves. These wishes should be documented in an advance directive, so that loved ones know what they are. Power of Communication According to the Mayo Clinic (2005), â€Å"The issues surrounding serious illness and death are not easy to discuss. Decisions are much easier on our loved ones if we have an advance directive in place before we are faced with a serious illness or accident†. Without communicating our wishes, we might find ourselves in a condition that we are unable to communicate the medical treatment we wish to receive, such as resuscitation or life support. Having a conversation with loved ones is important to clarify medical wishes. We should explain our wishes and explain how our values have shaped our decision. Types of Advance Directives According to the Mayo Clinic (2005), â€Å"Advance Directives are written instructions regarding your medical care preferences†. There are various types of advance directives, such as; a Living Will, Durable Power of Attorney, Healthcare Proxy and Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR). Durable power of attorney and living wills have limitations, they do not include instructions for every situation, which means that we need to trust that the person we have named will make the decisions which are in our best interest and are what we would have wanted. A DNR order is a form that is commonly discussed with a physician. A DNR order alerts physicians and emergency medical personnel that if a patient’s heart stops beating or if the patient stops breathing, there should be no attempts to revive them. Another advance directive is a Healthcare Proxy (HCP). This document allows patients to choose an agent to act on their behalf if they are temporarily or permanently unable to make healthcare decisions on their own. According to Fell, Kukula and Taylor (2005), as with other advance directives, â€Å"it is very important to discuss, in detail, all of your wishes with your surrogate and make sure they clearly understand and are willing to make these decisions on your behalf† (p. 4). Everyone should have a voice, not just the elderly Advance directives are not just for the elderly, anyone over the age of 18 should have one. Unexpected situations can arise at any age and there might be end of life decisions that needs to be made. In the event that a person does not have an advance directive in place, according to Fell, et al. (2005), â€Å"you will receive medical care to the fullest extent appropriate for your condition†. Without an advance directive the patient might receive more treatment than he or she would have wanted. The biggest misconception about an advance directive is that people think that having one means â€Å"do not treat†, this is incorrect. Frequently used medical terms

Blacks in 1960 Essay -- essays research papers

"Blacks are better off in 1999 than they were in 1960." After the Civil War, many amendments were passed in order to better represent blacks in America. The 13th, 14th and 15th amendments all changed blacks’ lives drastically and positively. The 13th amendment ended slavery and the 14th declared blacks as citizens. The fifteenth amendment stated that anyone can vote, regardless of color or race. However, the South devised poll taxes and literacy tests in a successful attempt at preventing blacks from voting. But in 1964, after a sufficient number of states ratified an amendment proposed by Congress, the tables turned for blacks. The 24th amendment banned poll taxes. The voting act of 1965 banned the use of literacy tests related to voting. Voting gave blacks a say in government and helped rise the moral of blacks in America. Before 1960, De-jure (legal) segregation existed. The "Jim Crowe laws" racially segregated public places in the South. This degraded blacks to poor public accommodations and an inferior feeling from whites. However in 1964, the U.S. attorney general brought cases to court that dealed with any individual that was receiving unfair violations of civil rights. The discriminatory acts that were banned with the Civil Rights Act of 1964: No discrimination in restaurants, hotels, gas stations, etc. No discrimination in the government, federal run public accommodations like public parks and pools No discrimination in federally support... Blacks in 1960 Essay -- essays research papers "Blacks are better off in 1999 than they were in 1960." After the Civil War, many amendments were passed in order to better represent blacks in America. The 13th, 14th and 15th amendments all changed blacks’ lives drastically and positively. The 13th amendment ended slavery and the 14th declared blacks as citizens. The fifteenth amendment stated that anyone can vote, regardless of color or race. However, the South devised poll taxes and literacy tests in a successful attempt at preventing blacks from voting. But in 1964, after a sufficient number of states ratified an amendment proposed by Congress, the tables turned for blacks. The 24th amendment banned poll taxes. The voting act of 1965 banned the use of literacy tests related to voting. Voting gave blacks a say in government and helped rise the moral of blacks in America. Before 1960, De-jure (legal) segregation existed. The "Jim Crowe laws" racially segregated public places in the South. This degraded blacks to poor public accommodations and an inferior feeling from whites. However in 1964, the U.S. attorney general brought cases to court that dealed with any individual that was receiving unfair violations of civil rights. The discriminatory acts that were banned with the Civil Rights Act of 1964: No discrimination in restaurants, hotels, gas stations, etc. No discrimination in the government, federal run public accommodations like public parks and pools No discrimination in federally support...

Arousal, Behavior, Stress, and Affect Worksheet Essay

What are the differences between physiological and psychological needs? Provide examples of each in your response. Need theories postulate that motivation is rooted on the fulfillment of once needs. Therefore, one acts and behaves in order to satisfy a need, there are many kinds and types of needs that several theorists have expounded along the years. One of the most popular need theories on motivation is that of Abraham Maslow. The hierarchy of needs differentiates between physiological and psychological needs. Physiological needs are those basic needs that must be met for survival of the individual like food, shelter, clothing and sex. Physiological needs also have to be immediately satisfied as it is crucial for the existence and stability of the human body. For example, if a person is hungry then all other functions may be affected and it would cause the person to be dizzy, to feel weak and be unable to work on tasks or even to exist. Psychological needs are needs that are basically psychological nature and those that contribute to the well-being of the individual. For example, need for belongingness is a construct that enables us to quantify the need of people for building relationships and being part of a group or family. Psychological needs can be satisfied immediately or it can be delayed, however a person’s sense of well-being and happiness is often associated with the fulfillment of psychological needs. Moreover, according to Maslow, psychological needs have to be satisfied in order, some needs are higher than others and it motivates people to fulfill the said needs incrementally, for example they can only begin to think about self-actualization if the individual has not been able to attain esteem needs such as the mastery of one’s profession. What is the relationship between arousal and behavior? Does this relationship impact performance and affect? A person’s behavior is said to be driven by a stimulus that is a person is aroused to act in response to the stimulus that aroused the behavior. Arousal is the state in which a person or organism is prepared for action. The brain signals the specific organs in the body to react to the stimulus, if the arousal is weak then the response may also be weak. In other cases, if the arousal is strong, then the reaction may also be strong. However, there are cases when prolonged arousal is detrimental to the body as it may result to heightened arousal which results to chronic stress. Behavior is the actions that an individual manifests in response to a stimulus. One’s behavior depends on the stimulus and the state of arousal of the individual. The relationship between arousal and behavior also affects performance and affect. For example, the level of performance of the individual can be increased by the state of arousal in the person. Arousal may come from several sources like the promise of reward or even punishment. At the same time, the individual’s performance may also become decreased because the person is not motivated which may translate to lower arousal state. Affect is also contingent on behavior and arousal. If the person likes what he/she is doing it would then motivate him/her to perform better. When a person desires the behavior and finds it meaningful and important, then that person would have positive feelings for that behavior and hence increase performance. On the other hand, if the person has negative feelings about the behavior then performance would also be affected. What are the long-term and short-term effects of stress on the body, brain, and behavior?   Stress is both a good and bad thing for the body, brain and behavior of man. Stress motivates the person to act and behave in ways that would lessen or eradicate the stress. Stress may come from an event, a person, a situation or even from a personal problem. Stress affects the individual by motivating them to act or confront the behavior but it is also possible that people would evade the stressor as a means of coping with stress. Short-term effects of stress are beneficial to the body but long-term stress is not.   Prolonged stress has many physiological effects; stress may bring the body heightened arousal which is manifested by increased heart rate, sweating, sleeplessness, nervousness and the like. The body can only take too much stress, and if the body is subjected to too much stress it may result to fatigue, sickness and certain illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases and the like. Stress can also wreak havoc to the person’s brain that is too much stress has been found to be the cause of post traumatic stress disorder which is a mental disorder and can lead to psychotic breaks. Due to very stressful situations or experiences that may result to trauma, the brain reacts to the stress to lessen it and hence tricks the brain into remembering only those events that are safe and provided a sense of security for the person. Prolonged stress can also cause behavioral symptoms such as erratic behavior, irrational thinking and low frustration tolerance. The natural response of the body to stress is to take control of it, but sometimes stress may be too much for the body. Reference   Weinberg, R. S. & Gould, D. (2007). Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology 4th ed. Champaign, IL: Humans Kinetics.

The Sterilization of Native American Women in the 1970s...

The Scythe and the Scalpel: Dissecting the Sterilizations of Native American Women in the 1970s In the old days, genocide used to be so simple. Such things as biological warfare used to keep Indians warm with small pox infested blankets furnished by the United States government, and the only thing barren and infertile was the land set aside for reservations. In the 1970s, genocide became a little more complex. Biological warfare invaded the reproductive rights of Native American women, making their wombs as barren and infertile as reservation land. The sterilization policies during this time perpetuated the genocidal tendencies that have made the eugenics movement a viable legacy of terror in the biological history of Native†¦show more content†¦4). In fact, the federally funded Indian Health Service, the very agency that was supposed to protect and provide for Indians, was the perpetrator of these sterilizations. The American Indian Policy Review Commissions report on the health of Native Americans said it best when they stated,the federal responsibility to provide health services to Indians has its roots in the unique moral, historical, and treaty obligations of the federal government, no court has ever ruled on the precise nature of that legal basis nor defined the specific legal rights for Indians created by those obligations (DeFine 1997 p.4). Thus, the Indian Health Service has always worked in strange and ambiguous ways. By the time sterilization for both the poor and minorities became an official sanction in 1970, and reservation populations became main targets of this policy, the IHS was ready to initiate its campaign against Indian women. Policy turned into perpetration, and people turned into victims. For example, in 1970 a twenty six year old Native American woman went into the office of a Los Angeles doctor and asked for a womb transplant (Johansen 1998). She was devastated when she was told thatShow MoreRelatedForced Sterilization On Women During The United States1617 Words   |  7 PagesForced sterilization on women â€Å"In the United States, 15 states have laws that fail to protect women with disabilities from involuntary sterilization† (Against her will). Sterilization of disabled women in the United States should not be allowed. It denies disabled women the rights of having children. It is sexist to force women to get sterilized but men do not have to get sterilized. Women should have the right to have children, no matter if they have a disability or if something is wrong with herRead MoreThe Genocide of the Native Culture2226 Words   |  9 Pagesthe Native Culture The thinking of a dominant white society and the savageness of Native culture is the background of the on-going struggle against cultural genocide of First Nations people all across Canada. 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