CALD End-of-Life Care Assessment Tool

CALD End-of-Life Care Assessment Tool

Relevant information

Questions and strategies for health care provider

Attitudes of client and family:

• What attitudes do this client and family - have about truth telling with regard to diagnosis and prognosis?
• What is their general attitude towards death and dying?
• Do they have positive or negative attitudes about particular aspects of care?

Determine the client and family’s perception of an illness:

• What does your illness/sickness mean to you?
• Are there traditional healing or herbal remedies used when someone is seriously ill or dying?

Determine if the client or family has positive or negative attitudes about particular aspects of care being addressed, such as advance directives

• Are there certain terms that are to be used to describe illness or terms that are considered taboo?

Beliefs:

• What are the client’s and family’s religious and spiritual beliefs, especially relating to the meaning of death and dying, the afterlife, and miracles?

What traditional explanations may be used to explain a terminal illness in the family:

• Spiritual or religious strength sustains many people in times of distress. What is important for me to know about your faith or spiritual needs?
• How can we support your needs and practices?
• Where do you find the strength to make sense of what is happening to you?

Context:

• Determine the context of the client’s and family’s lives, including: place of birth; refugee or migrant experience/ status; income level; language spoken; involvement with cultural/religious community; level of acculturation.

• Where were you born and raised?
• How long have you lived in NZ?
• How has your life changed since coming to NZ?
• What language are you most comfortable using when talking about your health care?

Decision-making style:

• What is the client and family’s decision-making style?
• Is the emphasis on an individual decision-making process or a family-decision-making process?

• How are decisions about the health care of family members made in your family?
• Who is the decision-maker (if any) in the family regarding the care of the client?
• Who is the head of the family?
• Is there anyone else I should talk to in your family about your condition?

Expression of pain:

Are pain symptoms expressed freely or only if asked?

Is pain considered a suffering to be tolerated?