Caring for Mrs. Thomas
carCaring for Mrs. Thomas
HAT Task 2
Cynthia Coutinho
January, 2013
Caring for patients who are dying presents a unique challenge for nurses. Common to all nursing is the necessity for self reflection and assessment of personal biases that can influence care delivery. In the case of the terminal patient, especially one with as many ancillary problems as Mrs. Thomas, the North American tendency towards individualism and denial of death complicates the nurse’s role. Nurses must examine their attitudes towards death and dying, and confront personal losses as well as fears in order to be present for the terminal patient. Further, having a “good death” can be subject to interpretation and determining what a patient wants needs to be the guiding principle in culturally competent end of life healthcare. What a nurse believes constitutes appropriate care or behavior of the dying patient is less important than what the patient wants, so awareness of personal feelings and biases is crucial to being of real support to the dying client. The community health nurse who is unable to speak to the issues faced by patients and families because of unresolved or unrecognized personal fears and issues, will not be able to intervene and help Mrs. Thomas and her family to confront and successfully cope with the reality of her situation.
This tertiary level of healthcare promotion should provide “All measures available to reduce or limit impairment and disabilities, minimize suffering caused by existing departures from good health and to promote the patient 's adjustment to irremediable conditions” (Allendar and Spradley, 2001).
Most people have at least a vague idea, or opinion, of how they would act or behave under certain circumstances. However, when actually confronted with the circumstance, people often surprise themselves with their first-hand reaction to the anticipated scenario. In the same fashion, given that death remains such an emotionally laden, but
HAT Task 2
Cynthia Coutinho
January, 2013
Caring for patients who are dying presents a unique challenge for nurses. Common to all nursing is the necessity for self reflection and assessment of personal biases that can influence care delivery. In the case of the terminal patient, especially one with as many ancillary problems as Mrs. Thomas, the North American tendency towards individualism and denial of death complicates the nurse’s role. Nurses must examine their attitudes towards death and dying, and confront personal losses as well as fears in order to be present for the terminal patient. Further, having a “good death” can be subject to interpretation and determining what a patient wants needs to be the guiding principle in culturally competent end of life healthcare. What a nurse believes constitutes appropriate care or behavior of the dying patient is less important than what the patient wants, so awareness of personal feelings and biases is crucial to being of real support to the dying client. The community health nurse who is unable to speak to the issues faced by patients and families because of unresolved or unrecognized personal fears and issues, will not be able to intervene and help Mrs. Thomas and her family to confront and successfully cope with the reality of her situation.
This tertiary level of healthcare promotion should provide “All measures available to reduce or limit impairment and disabilities, minimize suffering caused by existing departures from good health and to promote the patient 's adjustment to irremediable conditions” (Allendar and Spradley, 2001).
Most people have at least a vague idea, or opinion, of how they would act or behave under certain circumstances. However, when actually confronted with the circumstance, people often surprise themselves with their first-hand reaction to the anticipated scenario. In the same fashion, given that death remains such an emotionally laden, but
References: FOR HAT 2 Oleshkevych, A., (2012) Retrieved from: http://athensdialogues.chs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/ Allender, J., Spradley, B., (2001) Clark, M., (2007). Community Health Nursing. Saddle River, New Jersey. Prentice Hall. Nurses Nanda (2008). Retrieved from: http://nursesnanda.blogspot.com/ Robinson, L., Segal, J., Ph.D., (2012) and Non-Profit Resource. Retrieved from: http://www.helpguide.org/elder/hospice-care.htm University of Toronto Quality of Life Research Unit, (2009)