Gp Task 2 Community Health Research Paper
GPT Task 2
Community Health
WGU
Abstract A terminal illness can have a devastating effect, not only on the patient, but the family as well. Caring for the patient does not just involve physically caring for the patient, but rather involves the holistic care, which is “all nursing practice that has healing the whole person as its goal” (American Holistic Nurses’ Association, 1998). The nurse becomes the therapeutic partner, which involves the care of the mind, body, and spirit, and is at the forefront of this care. It involves the patient and the care of the family during this difficult time.
Personal Perceptions Caring for a patient that is dying can be a very difficult situation for anyone …show more content…
to be in. If the nurse has been through a personal experience, it can make even more challenging. Some nurses can shy away from a dying patient because it can be too hard to handle, but this is the time that they need you most. Focusing on the patient and setting personal feelings aside is key. The nurse can be one of the most important roles in the dying process. Patients look to their nurse as a guide, and an advocate when they are no longer able to make decisions on their own. Not only are you caring medically for the patient, but holistically as well. Is this patient spiritual? Are they ok with dying? Scared? Do they have a good family support system? Each patient is different, and each nurse is different, but you need to be able to care for each one individually. What helps one patient may not help the next. Getting to know the patient, likes and dislikes, family life, and religious beliefs is how the nurse develops a plan to care for this patient. Religious and spiritual needs should be addressed with each patient and family in the beginning of the process. The patient, knowing that they are supported spiritually and that these needs will be met after death, could bring them a lot of peace. This could any spiritual leader, rituals, or needs that can make them more comfortable. This process can also be hard for some nurses to do if they do not agree with their patient’s religious beliefs. Opinions about religion are not something to make known when taking care of one’s patients, but a nurse can draw from their own experiences. In order to properly care for your patient spiritually, a nurse needs to understand her own. Whatever you believe in or worship, think about the peace it brings, and then use those feelings to care for your patient in that manner. A nurse that builds on inner strength, love, and respect will be a more thoughtful, caring nurse.
Strategies
Strategies in the plan for Mrs.
Thomas can include a variety of things. With this case, and most, helping one issue can help the other, which is holistically caring for the patient. At the core of the issue is pain relief for Mrs. Thomas. The doctor should be involved and made aware of any alternative or complimentary help that is used to help her relieve her pain. The doctor may also have other ideas for medication that may help as well. Relaxation techniques, use of art and/or music therapy, and connecting Mrs. Thomas with spiritual counseling could all help her get some pain relief. Secondly, helping connect with her family could have a tremendous effect on how both Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are dealing with the dying process. In Mr. Thomas’ case, having the family near him and not having him face this alone, could help him with his depression. Lastly, the nurse should try to focus on getting the family some financial assistance. The stress of financial issues, is having a domino effect on the couple. It is causing Mr. Thomas stress, causing his depression, and ultimately hurting Mrs. Thomas by not having the full support of her …show more content…
husband.
Nursing Care Plan
A. Holistic Care In this scenario, the three nursing diagnoses are chronic pain, ineffective relationship, and caregiver role strain. In working with a nursing care plan for Mrs. Thomas, is important to include the whole person. She has chronic pain due to the metastatic cancer and refusal to take prescribed pain medication for fear of being “addicted to drugs”. The nurse needs to first understand Mrs. Thomas’ meaning of “addicted to drugs”. Sometimes there are misconceptions when it comes to medications and their use. The doctor and the nurse could also give her alternatives to the Vicodin. Milder pain relievers would not control her pain as well, but it could be combined along with complementary therapy such as music and/or art therapy. Getting Mrs. Thomas focused on things other than pain could help with pain control. The nurse could also ask Mr. and Mrs. Thomas both about their spirituality and if there is someone that could be called to come to the house to speak with them. Mrs. Thomas is not only in pain, but she is lonely and hasn’t seen her grown children in awhile, and essentially battling this disease alone. It is important for her to have a good support system in her life for care and peace, and her husband, who is battling depression, is not able to care for her properly. If homecare services are not available, the nurse should contact the doctor about services for her and the family. The homecare agency would have access to a social worker to come and visit Mr. and Mrs. Thomas. She would be the contact between Mrs. Thomas and her children. She would be able to communicate the importance of coming and visiting their mother. If visitation is not possible then the social worker could help the family with services such as Skype, to give the phone conversations more of a personal touch. The third thing to address is role caregiver strain. Having the social worker involved would help tremendously in this situation. She is the main avenue for contacts that could help with the financial situation in the household with places like United Way, St. Vincent DePaul, and local churches. These organizations could help with bills, buying food, and paying for medical care. Any help will improve the role caregiver strain by relieving the stress on the caregiver. These would be physical help, but holistic care in the way it develops. Peace of mind can be solved in many ways.
B. Functional Ability As a nurse, one must not forget about dignity, self-worth, and the patient’s personal goals. We must help the patient maintain them. It is important to let Mrs. Thomas do as much of her care as she can, which will also alleviate the stress on Mr. Thomas. Cancer rehabilitation can also help Mrs. Thomas maintain as much functional ability as she can. “Rehabilitation teams can consist of an oncologist, physiatrist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, social worker, nurse, dietitian, and psychologist”(Kim, Fall, and Wang, 2005) ). With everyone working together as a team, she will be able to maintain her dignity. When it gets to the point that she is no longer able to do any self-care, then it is up to the health care providers to help and maintain the patient’s dignity as much as possible. Continue with the patient’s requests for care, maintain privacy, and a quiet stress free environment.
Chronic Depression The nurse needs to be able to communicate and use her critical thinking to see a change in Mr.
Thomas and figure out a way to help. The social worker can be a point of contact for this as well. Caregivers need a balance, and someone to talk to. Caring for a loved one that is sick and dying is very stressful. Along with finding organizations to help with bills, buying food, and medical care, she can help getting Mr. Thomas therapy for his depression. Everything is connected! If the stress of finances are eased up, then Mr. Thomas’ depression might be better, and that leads to possibly better pain control for Mrs. Thomas…….and visa
versa.
Conclusion
It is important to remember the whole person when it comes to holistically caring for a dying patient. Mind, body, and spirit need to be provided for. Envision a circle of care where everything affects the other as it continues to go around. Nurses are at the forefront of this care, and they have the availability to reach many resources with a little help. Even one resource has the ability to change a lot.
References
Kim, A., Fall, P., & Wang, D. (2005, November 1). Palliative Care: Optimizing Quality of Life.
Retrieved July 23, 2014, from http://www.jaoa.org/content/105/suppl_5/S9.full
Welcome to AHNA: What is Holistic Nursing? (2014). Retrieved July 23, 2014, from
http://www.ahna.org/About-Us/What-is-Holistic-Nursing
Community Health
WGU
Abstract A terminal illness can have a devastating effect, not only on the patient, but the family as well. Caring for the patient does not just involve physically caring for the patient, but rather involves the holistic care, which is “all nursing practice that has healing the whole person as its goal” (American Holistic Nurses’ Association, 1998). The nurse becomes the therapeutic partner, which involves the care of the mind, body, and spirit, and is at the forefront of this care. It involves the patient and the care of the family during this difficult time.
Personal Perceptions Caring for a patient that is dying can be a very difficult situation for anyone …show more content…
to be in. If the nurse has been through a personal experience, it can make even more challenging. Some nurses can shy away from a dying patient because it can be too hard to handle, but this is the time that they need you most. Focusing on the patient and setting personal feelings aside is key. The nurse can be one of the most important roles in the dying process. Patients look to their nurse as a guide, and an advocate when they are no longer able to make decisions on their own. Not only are you caring medically for the patient, but holistically as well. Is this patient spiritual? Are they ok with dying? Scared? Do they have a good family support system? Each patient is different, and each nurse is different, but you need to be able to care for each one individually. What helps one patient may not help the next. Getting to know the patient, likes and dislikes, family life, and religious beliefs is how the nurse develops a plan to care for this patient. Religious and spiritual needs should be addressed with each patient and family in the beginning of the process. The patient, knowing that they are supported spiritually and that these needs will be met after death, could bring them a lot of peace. This could any spiritual leader, rituals, or needs that can make them more comfortable. This process can also be hard for some nurses to do if they do not agree with their patient’s religious beliefs. Opinions about religion are not something to make known when taking care of one’s patients, but a nurse can draw from their own experiences. In order to properly care for your patient spiritually, a nurse needs to understand her own. Whatever you believe in or worship, think about the peace it brings, and then use those feelings to care for your patient in that manner. A nurse that builds on inner strength, love, and respect will be a more thoughtful, caring nurse.
Strategies
Strategies in the plan for Mrs.
Thomas can include a variety of things. With this case, and most, helping one issue can help the other, which is holistically caring for the patient. At the core of the issue is pain relief for Mrs. Thomas. The doctor should be involved and made aware of any alternative or complimentary help that is used to help her relieve her pain. The doctor may also have other ideas for medication that may help as well. Relaxation techniques, use of art and/or music therapy, and connecting Mrs. Thomas with spiritual counseling could all help her get some pain relief. Secondly, helping connect with her family could have a tremendous effect on how both Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are dealing with the dying process. In Mr. Thomas’ case, having the family near him and not having him face this alone, could help him with his depression. Lastly, the nurse should try to focus on getting the family some financial assistance. The stress of financial issues, is having a domino effect on the couple. It is causing Mr. Thomas stress, causing his depression, and ultimately hurting Mrs. Thomas by not having the full support of her …show more content…
husband.
Nursing Care Plan
A. Holistic Care In this scenario, the three nursing diagnoses are chronic pain, ineffective relationship, and caregiver role strain. In working with a nursing care plan for Mrs. Thomas, is important to include the whole person. She has chronic pain due to the metastatic cancer and refusal to take prescribed pain medication for fear of being “addicted to drugs”. The nurse needs to first understand Mrs. Thomas’ meaning of “addicted to drugs”. Sometimes there are misconceptions when it comes to medications and their use. The doctor and the nurse could also give her alternatives to the Vicodin. Milder pain relievers would not control her pain as well, but it could be combined along with complementary therapy such as music and/or art therapy. Getting Mrs. Thomas focused on things other than pain could help with pain control. The nurse could also ask Mr. and Mrs. Thomas both about their spirituality and if there is someone that could be called to come to the house to speak with them. Mrs. Thomas is not only in pain, but she is lonely and hasn’t seen her grown children in awhile, and essentially battling this disease alone. It is important for her to have a good support system in her life for care and peace, and her husband, who is battling depression, is not able to care for her properly. If homecare services are not available, the nurse should contact the doctor about services for her and the family. The homecare agency would have access to a social worker to come and visit Mr. and Mrs. Thomas. She would be the contact between Mrs. Thomas and her children. She would be able to communicate the importance of coming and visiting their mother. If visitation is not possible then the social worker could help the family with services such as Skype, to give the phone conversations more of a personal touch. The third thing to address is role caregiver strain. Having the social worker involved would help tremendously in this situation. She is the main avenue for contacts that could help with the financial situation in the household with places like United Way, St. Vincent DePaul, and local churches. These organizations could help with bills, buying food, and paying for medical care. Any help will improve the role caregiver strain by relieving the stress on the caregiver. These would be physical help, but holistic care in the way it develops. Peace of mind can be solved in many ways.
B. Functional Ability As a nurse, one must not forget about dignity, self-worth, and the patient’s personal goals. We must help the patient maintain them. It is important to let Mrs. Thomas do as much of her care as she can, which will also alleviate the stress on Mr. Thomas. Cancer rehabilitation can also help Mrs. Thomas maintain as much functional ability as she can. “Rehabilitation teams can consist of an oncologist, physiatrist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, social worker, nurse, dietitian, and psychologist”(Kim, Fall, and Wang, 2005) ). With everyone working together as a team, she will be able to maintain her dignity. When it gets to the point that she is no longer able to do any self-care, then it is up to the health care providers to help and maintain the patient’s dignity as much as possible. Continue with the patient’s requests for care, maintain privacy, and a quiet stress free environment.
Chronic Depression The nurse needs to be able to communicate and use her critical thinking to see a change in Mr.
Thomas and figure out a way to help. The social worker can be a point of contact for this as well. Caregivers need a balance, and someone to talk to. Caring for a loved one that is sick and dying is very stressful. Along with finding organizations to help with bills, buying food, and medical care, she can help getting Mr. Thomas therapy for his depression. Everything is connected! If the stress of finances are eased up, then Mr. Thomas’ depression might be better, and that leads to possibly better pain control for Mrs. Thomas…….and visa
versa.
Conclusion
It is important to remember the whole person when it comes to holistically caring for a dying patient. Mind, body, and spirit need to be provided for. Envision a circle of care where everything affects the other as it continues to go around. Nurses are at the forefront of this care, and they have the availability to reach many resources with a little help. Even one resource has the ability to change a lot.
References
Kim, A., Fall, P., & Wang, D. (2005, November 1). Palliative Care: Optimizing Quality of Life.
Retrieved July 23, 2014, from http://www.jaoa.org/content/105/suppl_5/S9.full
Welcome to AHNA: What is Holistic Nursing? (2014). Retrieved July 23, 2014, from
http://www.ahna.org/About-Us/What-is-Holistic-Nursing