Purpose: The researchers of this study proposed to “expand what is known about the meaning of caring among nurses engaged in end-of-life (EOL) care with patients and families in an in-patient hospital setting (Thornburg et al, 2008)”.…
I had to realise that I can’t stop the deaths of those that I love, but I can honor their legacy by creating my own. I have a life to live. A life that I can’t waste by worrying about death. I plan to lead a prosperous life filled with love and kindness, but if something were to happen to prevent that I hope that everyone around me would remember me well and move on with their lives. Life is short, so why not make the most of…
1.1 Caring for patients at the end of life is a challenging task that requires not only the consideration of the patient as a whole but also an understanding of the family, social, legal, economic, and institutional circumstances that surround patient care.…
The family members play an important role and helping care for the patient helps them with the grieving process while providing a supportive environment to express their grief while coping with their feelings (Davidson, 2010). The second intervention would to have been to take a moment to request a chaplain or ask some one to request one for the family to talk to them about what is happening and how they are coping with this situation and if there is a need for spiritual counseling for them or the patient. This gives the family members a chance to express the desire to have any rituals performed for the patient. Also, to help them cope more effectively with the psychological and emotional stain of their family member’s illness and the dying process (Davidson, 2010). Last, the third intervention would be getting the family a list of some activities that the family members can do that will help facilitate with the anticipatory grieving and dealing with the feelings of grief. Being active gives the family members a purpose and helps them to make sense of what is happening. This helps with reshaping their lives and find new meaning in life without their family member (Davidson,…
Each patient has their own set of values that are important to them, their own perspectives on life and death, their own belief system, and their own personal needs. According to one of my patients (Anna), holistic communication is the most important to her because she feels a connection with a nurse that is attentive to her emotional needs. “I know that I am terminally ill, however I do not want to be defined by my illness. I appreciate the time nurses take to sit down and really listen to me. I need to share my thoughts on life, death, fears, and also my hopes (Anna, 2011). This is an example of “a caring moment”, in which the individual experiences the nurse’s presence as authentic, caring, compassionate, and sincere.…
And lastly, you it gives the ill person peace and final resting with no worries, no disease, no mental illness, no suffer. Yet there are those people who wish so much they could have their loved ones back, but wouldn't you also want the best for them if you were in a situation like how would you feel? Would you feel lost because you wouldn't know what to do? Or powerless because there’s nothing you can do to help that person? Someone’s life is in your hand. What would you…
It is a necessity that nurses recognize their own feelings regarding death and dying and have a strong ethical framework in order to support the end-of-life wishes of their patients (Butts & Rich, 2013). Even if one is resolute in their own moral standing, cases such as Mr. T.’s may be emotionally exhausting.…
It is important to be compassionate, respectful and to try and see things from the patient’s point of view. A patient in there last days of life should be made feel physically comfortable and should feel safe, with this approach family should also be involved it is important to make them involved, it is important that the patient and family trust you and you show them that you are a trustworthy person you might be one of the people that they decide to confide in. Provide supportive, holistic care for the person while promoting safety, dignity, respect and comfort. According to Sarah Lord holistic care support is to give people a chance in having independence, choice and safety.…
Connecting is one of the most important themes in establishing an effective nurse-patient relationship (Johnston & Smith, 2006). This connection with the patient gives them someone to talk to, someone to listen to them, someone that wants to know them as a person and someone that doesn’t avoid them. These things are often difficult for family and friends to do during the end of life stages because of their own grief and lack of knowledge of supportive measures. The author’s decision to return to school and become a nurse was the result of having a wonderful nurse that did just this. The author’s 8 year old niece was diagnosed with leukemia and only lived 6 months after the diagnosis. There was nothing that could have changed the final outcome of her niece but the connection that her nurse had with the family changed the way that they dealt with everything. This is something that the author will never forget and inspired her to “pass this forward”.…
I felt as though I was paralyzed from the waist down. I would try to move my leg or even shift an ankle but I never got a response. This was the first time thoughts of death ever cross my mind.…
“The pleasure of remembering had been taken from me, because there was no longer anyone to remember with. It felt like losing your coremberer meant losing the memory itself, as if the things we’d done were less real and important than they had been hours before.” (John Green). In my opinion, loss is one of the worst things one can face in life. It hurts. It sucks. It makes you feel as if you are the one who is dead.…
Nobody wants to die, but death is an inevitable and complex phenomena. To say goodbye to loved one is always difficult. In some cases, it is harder when death comes sooner than later by some serious diagnosis. I think the most important point that a health-care professional needs to consider on the subject of death, dying or grieving is to respect the wishes of patients and families. Health-care professionals should provide training and education about death, dying, and bereavement to the families. Also, healthcare providers should be familiar with the ethics and cultures of the patients and families which they belong to. Death, dying or grieving processes can be culturally or traditionally different among patients. “Some physicians can keep…
I realized that a lot of families and individuals have experienced even more and unfortunate deaths toward family members, friends, and just loved ones in general. For me writing this essay put me in that same emotional state of mind that I had experienced when both my grandmother and babysitter had passed. That is why today I hold a strong and loving relationship with my family and friends, because when the time comes God is calling one of them home, and that you know, they know, and God knows that you both had a fun ride without any…
I believe one of the hardest aspects of being a nurse is having to deal with a patient’s death, especially if it’s unexpected, and you have grown close to them. Although I am not a nurse, I do know the pain of losing someone dear to me, just as every individual does. As a new nurse, of course, it would be difficult to handle a sudden and bloody patient death. As of right now I don’t know how I would handle it because I have not had to face such a situation. Dealing with a patient’s sudden death would be really emotional, but I would try to move on from the experience. I usually try to make light of a depressing situation. When I have issues or something on my mind, I talk to friends about how I am feeling. I think a way to get pass through…
The didactic on palliative care helped me reflect on the importance of taking care of those who are around me. There are people who I am supposed to take care of because those are people who I have been put in charge in some way. For example, people at a parish where I am working as a seminarian intern or patients at a hospital where I am a chaplain intern. Those are people who I have to take care of and I do. However, there are other people who are around me and who are very important to me. For example, my family, my extended family, friends in Colombia and Chicago, priests who have helped me during my life, and nuns who have been key in my vocation. Those people have been essential to who I am today.…