In the event of losing something dear and close to heart there are certain changes to an individual’s life cycle and grief and loss response. Every age group has a different way of adapting to such loss and discussion will focus on the middle adulthood age group. Within the nursing profession, it is important to understand the grief and loss experience by the patient and families and remain professional in response. In this essay, discussions will be done to analyze these effects with the help of Kubler Ross and her theories on explaining the stages of grief and loss that a 42 year old male is going through after being recently diagnosed with end stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Nursing strategies will also be explored on how to care for such patients.
Grief is defined by the online Merriam – Webster dictionary as a “deep and poignant distress caused by or as if by bereavement,” where bereavement refers to “suffering the death of a loved one.” Such a loss can happen to anyone and at any time during the life cycle and if it is unexpected for a young age it can terrify the people affected. For middle adulthood’s, age ranges from 40 – 60 as according to Levinson’s developmental periods in the eras of early and middle adulthood (Hoffnung et al, 2010, p. 474). At this level of middle adulthood it is characterized by change, physical decline, occupational peaks and new relationships formed. Being told that death is near depresses these individuals and starts a fear of not accomplishing what they have planned. The male gender is more prone to premature deaths mainly because of health behaviors that develop through during the young adult term. Moreover this period sees a lot of reappraisal of early career decisions and new choices that continue...
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...n are vital to aid in the patient’s departure and make it as peaceful as possible.
In summary the above discussed scenario can therefore be resolved by the use of the techniques shared by some of the most influential researchers in the field of psychology and human behavior to do with grief and loss. Nurses therefore play a role in the provision of physical, mental, emotional comfort and social support to the patient and also the family present. With the help of communication skills, therapeutic both pharmacological and non pharmacological measures involving touch, eye contact, open posture, empathy and the understanding silence therapy. Those who have the strength and the love to sit with a dying patient in the silence that goes beyond words will know that this moment is neither frightening nor painful, but a peaceful cessation of the functioning of the body.
Sadly, life is a terminal illness, and dying is a natural part of life. Deits pulls no punches as he introduces the topic of grief with the reminder that life’s not fair. This is a concept that most of us come to understand early in life, but when we’re confronted by great loss directly, this lesson is easily forgotten. Deits compassionately acknowledges that grief hurts and that to deny the pain is to postpone the inevitable. He continues that loss and grief can be big or small and that the period of mourning afterward can be an unknowable factor early on. This early assessment of grief reminded me of Prochaska and DiClemente’s stages of change, and how the process of change generally follows a specific path.
Final Gifts, written by hospice care workers, Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelly, includes various stories detailing each of their life changing experiences that they encountered with their patients. Hospice care allows the patient to feel comfortable in their final days or months before they move on to their next life. This book contains the information considered necessary to understand and deal with the awareness, needs, and interactions of those who are dying. Not only are there stories told throughout the book, there are also tips for one to help cope with knowing someone is dying and how to make their death a peaceful experience for everyone involved. It is important that everyone involved is at as much peace as the person dying in the
or any issues with her urine production. Mrs. L stated that she does not urinate excessively and that she has never noticed an extreme change in color of her urine. A urinary tract infection or yeast infection is not something that Mrs. L said she has experienced in the past. Mrs. L stated that she is not currently sexually active because of her age and it is more difficult than it used to be. She has never had any sexually transmitted infections or other issues with her genital health. Mrs. L stated that she does have arthritis in her feet and hips. She has never had a muscle tear or tore a ligament or tendon. Mrs. L also said that she has never had any issues with her ACL. Her back surgeries are the only things Mrs. L stated that have been
Dealing with someone dying is not something that is going to be fun or enjoyable. Death comes to everyone, none of us can duck and dodge it. Death of natural causes is not something that can be controlled by anyone, but it is important for people to be with those that are dying. When someone you know is dying, whether they are friends or family it’s very important for them to feel loved and not alone. It is also important that the opinions and thoughts of the patient be taken into consideration because they are going through something that no one can say they relate to. In dealing with death, there are many emotions that are felt by the sick patient and their friends and family. In A Very Easy Death
In my case study, I will be talking about a personal experience with a family I know very well. I will not be using their actual names; I’ll be using these names instead: the daughter, Cheyenne, the father, Jim, and the mother Lucy.
Individually, everyone has their own methods of dealing with situations and emotions regardless of any positive or negative connotation affixed to them. One prime example of this comes with grief. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her 1969 book “On Death and Dying” suggests that there are five stages of mourning and grief that are universal and, at one point or another, experienced by people from all walks of life. These stages, in no particular order, are as follows: Denial and Isolation, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and finally Acceptance. Each individual person works through these stages in different orders for varying levels of time and intensity, but most if not all are necessary to “move on.” In order for positive change to occur following a loss, one must come to terms with not only the event but also themselves.
Ross, Elisabeth. "Why is it so Hard to Die?." Death: the Final Stage of Growth. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1975. 5-26. Print.
The Death of Ivan Illych brings an excellent in-depth description of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s 5 cycles of grief theory. In the book, it shows how Ivan Illych goes through these cycles in their own individual way. The cycles that Kubler-Ross uses in her theory are: denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and acceptance. To get a better understanding of these cycles, this paper will describe each cycle and provide quotations that will help develop an idea of how someone going through these cycles may react.
Death is part of the circle of life and it's the end of your time on earth; the end of your time with your family and loved ones. Nobody wants to die, leaving their family and missing the good times your loved ones will have once you pass on. In the Mercury Reader, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross “On the Fear of Death” and Joan Didion “Afterlife” from The Year of Magical Thinking” both share common theses on death and grieving. Didion and Kübler-Ross both explain grieving and dealing with death. Steve Jobs commencement speech for Stanford’s graduation ceremony and through personal experience jumps further into death and how I feel about it. Your time is on earth is limited one day you will die and there are many ways of grieving at the death of a loved one. I believe that the fear of death and the death of a loved one will hold you back from living your own life and the fear of your own death is selfish.
Granted, textbooks and nursing classes deal with death, but Marks explains that you do not really understand it until it is right in front of you. Overtime it becomes something that nurse’s become accustom to. To clarify the subject of death never becomes easy, it just becomes bearable. After 31 years of experience Marks explained to me that nurses have to learn how to distance themselves, yet still be caring at the same time; a trait that does not come easily to most. In the same way treating someone with a terminal illness is just as hard. In these cases nurses must step into the role of councillors. They must learn how to comfort their patient, yet not become too attached. As well they must learn how to explain to them what is happening, which can become especially hard when dealing with
Bereavement is facing the loss of a loved one. Death can be of natural or medical cause. The loss of a dear one causes a lot of grief; grieving is more psychological as it involves different types of feelings (Madison). Grieving over someone cannot be limited to a time frame; it differs for each person as reactions to grief varies considerably. The process of grief consists of several facets namely: emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioral (Barbato & Irwin, 1992; Worden, 1991; Worden, 2009).
This process is not easy because having a grief and working through the pain is very different from each other. This process is a broad concept because it includes several positive ways of handing the grief. The proper identification of the various emotions regarding pain and dealing with those is the main procedure of this task. The various emotions of grief are shame, hopelessness, fear, anger, guilt, sadness, loneliness, lack of hope, feeling emptiness (Beckett & Dykeman, 2017). The task can be accomplished in a correct manner if the griever is properly acknowledged by talking and understanding. Though there is one limitation in this process which can be a complex situation that is the griever can deny all the emotions and avoid talking about them. This process can create distress and anguish inside the mind of the griever. Sometimes this problem may rise due to the attitude of the society which creates a sense of grief inside the mind of the griever who tends to avoid the whole situation thinking nobody would understand. This whole criterion can be resolved if there is a proper sense of understanding among the griever and the society. (Brown,
Let us first look at adults and grieving. Here the relationship with the decedent is a primary factor in the grieving process. When parents experience the loss of a child, it is considered the “most difficult of deaths” (Leming & Dickinson, 2011, p. 492). The cycle of life dictates that the older shall die first. When this cycle is broken with the death of a child, adults are not prepared for the death. The hope for the future is threaten within the family, and thoughts of what should have been, what will be missed linger. Mothers will talk more about the death while Fathers will keep busy with tasks in an attempt to avoid expressing their feelings (Leming & Dickinson, 2011, p. 492). There may be marital discord as w...
“In Memoriam A. H. H.,” a large collection of poems written by Alfred Lord Tennyson, is an extended expression of the poet's grief for the loss of his beloved friend Arthur Hallam. The poem takes the speaker on a journey that describes an individual’s struggle through the stages of grief. In 1969, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross first proposed five stages of grief which include denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance in her book titled, “On Death and Dying.” Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s universal stages of grief are expressed in Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem “In Memoriam A. H. H.” During the first stage, denial, the individual develops feelings of futility and defeat.
...lling and the dying patient: A Conspiracy of Silence? International Journal of Palliative Nursing 6:8, pp.398-405.