Assignment task:
This case study is adapted from Ben's s story, who you'll be familiar with from workshops you've attended: Ben is a 65-year-old, retired gentleman who lives with his supportive wife Jan. They have two adult children Jason and Rose. Ben was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer three years ago, and was treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Up until recently Ben had been fit and well, with scans showing no recurrence of the cancer. A month ago, Ben developed a cough and chest pain, and after seeing his doctor was referred for diagnostic imaging. Unfortunately, those investigations revealed a recurrence of Ben's lung cancer, Ben has been well supported by Jan since receiving this news, however Jan has found Ben's care increasingly difficult to manage. As such, Ben is transferred to an aged care facility for respite care. During Ben's stay, Ben discusses his concerns about dying with Jen, a care worker at the facility. Although you will need to understand the illness trajectory of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, you are not required to discuss the specific pathophysiology of lung cancer; the focus of this essay is to explore the role of advance care planning in the context of Ben's chronic illness progression as well as other relevant legislation pertinent to a person with a chronic illness. Some Victorian Acts to consider are: • The Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Act 2016 (Vic.) which was last updated on 24/5/23 Question Three At what point during Ben's illness trajectory might a conversation on advanced care planning be initiated with Ben? There may be differing opinions on this within the literature, please describe these giving examples as to why the opinions differ? Using literature review not holder than ten years.