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General Functional Abilities for Specific Illnesses:
AIDS:
- No longer receiving AIDS treatment.
- Progressive deterioration.
- Disease no longer responding to conventional treatment.
Alzheimer's Disease:
- Difficulty swallowing.
- Lack of bowel or bladder control.
- Inability to dress and feed oneself.
- Loss of meaningful speech.
- Consistent weight loss.
ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease):
- Rapid progression of symptoms.
- Decreased physical functioning.
- Loss of muscle use.
- Weight Loss.
Cancer:
- Diagnosis confirmed through pathology or radiology.
- Patient no longer receives treatment.
- Evidence of end-stage disease and/or metastasis.
- Malnutrition.
- Pain.
Congestive Heart Disease:
- Severe fatigue.
- Shortness of breath at rest.
- Chronic fluid buildup.
- Frequent hospitalizations.
- Recurrent congestive heart failure.
- Optimal treatment with diuretics and vasodilators.
- History of cardiac arrest and resuscitation.
- Embolic CVA or cardiogenic brain embolism.
Debility:
- Weight loss and malnutrition despite treatment
- Significant disability
- Body Mass Index (BMI) below 22kg/m2
- Low serum albumin/Hct/creatinine
End Stage Kidney Disease:
- Severe fluid buildup/swelling.
- Frequent hospitalization.
- No longer on dialysis.
- BUN /creatinine significantly elevated.
- Requires considerable ADL assistance.
Liver Disease:
- Enlarged Liver with significantly abnormal liver enzymes.
- Jaundice, ascites, and edema.
- Requires considerable ADL assistance.
Lung Disease:
- Severe debilitating asthma/emphysema.
- Shortness of breath at rest.
- Oxygen dependent.
- Frequent hospitalizations.
- Elevated PCO 50 mm Hg.
- Increased frequency and severity of infections.
- Cor pulmonale.
- Medications do NOT relieve symptoms.
Multi-System Breakdown:
- Multiple primary organ failure (i.e. heart disease with chronic lung disease)
- Unspecified decline in health status.
Senile Dementia:
- Difficulty swallowing.
- Lack of bowel and bladder control.
- Inability to dress or feed oneself.
- Consistent weight loss.
Stroke:
- Coma.
- Inability to swallow.
- Slurred speech/inability to speak.
- Need for total care.
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