It’s just natural to think that what we value and think is important about our health, our response to illness and our own death will be the same as other people around us. In fact, we all have unique perspectives that are informed by our life experiences and beliefs. Using SNAP/Self-Awareness skills explore the values of someone close to you and your own values as relate to health, illness and dying.

Pain is complicated! Remember, there are three different types of pain and that the pain experience can help us understand how we can help people have better pain control, live better with pain and advocate with the healthcare system for help when pain is severe and contributing to suffering. Using the WILDA tool complete a pain assessment with someone living with serious illness.

Physical symptoms like, weakness and fatigue, loss of appetite, constipation, shortness of breath and many more are extremely common for people living with serious and life-limiting illness. The first step is to do a Physical Symptom Assessment to understand which symptoms are present and which ones are the most distressing. Use the ESAS tool complete a physical symptom assessment with someone living with serious illness.

Most of the time people living with serious illness have been thinking about what might happen if they got sicker, the kinds of treatments they might want or not want and who they would want to speak for them if they could not speak for themselves. Unfortunately, this is usually not written down and the medical team and family and friends have not talked openly. You can help by having a conversation with someone you know about Advance Care Planning. In the assignment you will focus on who would be the person that they would want to speak for them if they could not speak for themselves, often known as the MDPOA.