After reading the different stories in the book “Final Gifts”, I believe I have a better understanding of the nurse’s role in caring for the needs of the dying patient and how their families need to be guided through this experience. The different stories in this book provide insight into the experiences of the dying as well as how their loved ones cope with their loss. The authors Maggie Callahan and Patrician Kelly, experienced hospice nurses who have extensive exposure to dying patients and their families, through their shared stories, paint a picture of what the dying want. To many, death is a difficult concept. As a nursing student, I have had some exposure to death during patient care. My first encounter with direct death was witnessing a patient after attempted resuscitation efforts die in the emergency department. As I observed others reactions, I noticed I was the only one who seemed fazed by the preceding events and the end result, although I didn’t show it outwardly. During my Aging and End of life clinical rotation, I have been exposed to a near death experience with a family and I had the rewarding experience of forming a relationship with the patient’s wife during the short hour I was in their home. From reading the accounts in this book, it confirmed to me the importance of catering to the needs of the family and the dying as an important issue to address as they are critical to overall care. As a nurse, it is important to address the needs of a patient during care. These needs are unique to each individual and personalizing it, enable the patients to feel truly cared about. It is important to be educated about these needs as the patients and their families look to you as a guide; therefore, education on things w... ... middle of paper ... ...en and died in a posture of cradling a baby with a look of happiness on her face (Callanan, 1992, p. 191). This helped her family find solace that she did not die alone and that she will be reunited with a loved one and this helped her family in their grieving process. The stories in this book were great to read. I was expecting to be somewhat depressed by so many stories of death but I was inspired and learned a lot about how to communicate effectively. I was uplifted by the amount of compassion, love and kindness shared during times of grief. It is important to recognize that although people may be days or hours from dying, they are still an individual going through a transition, with unique emotions and sensations. Caregivers have the honor of being a part of families' lives, if only for a short time as they go through this experience with their dying loved one.
God tells his children, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation). Death is one of the most frightening and confusing times a person can go through. Watching a loved one pass away is also one of the hardest trials a person can experience. Many people assume that death is a time of pain and the only thing that they can do is mourn and watch their loved one fade away from the earth. This is wrong. There are ways that people can turn a bad situation to good. Dying doesn’t have to be painful and full of suffering. The County Hospice staff makes sure of this. The Hospice staff not only takes care of passing patients physically, but they also take care of the patients emotionally and spiritually. Hospice staff also plays a key role in helping families during the grieving process.
I always looked at death as such a sad thing that is eventually going to occur to everyone. However, after reading this book, it made me realize death can actually be a beautiful thing. Death allows a person to go to a next life, one where they will be loved and others will be there for them. It was interesting to be able to read about stories that these hospice care workers witnessed themselves. I have experienced a few deaths within my life and I never coped with them very well. After reading this book, I honestly believe I will be able to look at the positive side of death and be able to deal with my emotions better. I can also help others surrounding me deal with a death that they are experiencing. This book was filled with information that I loved learning. For example, I never knew that a dying person can choose a time to die. The thought of this never occurred to me before. I always thought that when it was someone’s time to go, they had no choice. But, a dying person can “put off” passing on until they see a certain person or event that has great significance in their life. Nevertheless, there are still people who will wait to die until they’re all alone in the room. This book makes you think of real life situations and think what you would do in them. Taken as a whole, it was a very in depth book that changes the way you would naturally perceive
This paper will talk about the book No Good Deed and how there are many ethical dilemmas that healthcare providers deal with every day. Each day there are ethical issues that arise, especially when caring for terminally ill patients. The book No Good Deed talks about how two nurses struggle with a situation that is far too common in healthcare today. Despite the literature about end of life care, it still remains an issue for many providers and patients. Nurses are lead to deal with multiple ethical issues seen in the book No Good Deed. After reading the book No Good Deed one is able to see how literature about end of life care is viewed and how beneficence plays are large role in nursing care.
Nurses are both blessed and cursed to be with patients from the very first moments of life until their final breath. With those last breaths, each patient leaves someone behind. How do nurses handle the loss and grief that comes along with patients dying? How do they help the families and loved ones of deceased patients? Each person, no matter their background, must grieve the death of a loved one, but there is no right way to grieve and no two people will have the same reaction to death. It is the duty of nurses to respect the wishes and grieving process of each and every culture; of each and every individual (Verosky, 2006). This paper will address J. William Worden’s four tasks of mourning as well as the nursing implications involved – both when taking care of patients’ families and when coping with the loss of patients themselves.
It is found that nurses report that their most uncomfortable situations come with prolonging the dying process and some struggle with ethical issues by doing so (Seal, 2007). Studies have shown that implementation of the RPC program and educating nurses have increased the nurses’ confidence in discussing end-of-life plans (Austin, 2006). With confidence, the nurse is able to ask the right questions of the patient and make sure that the patient’s wishes are upheld in the manner that they had wanted, such as to not resuscitate or to make sure their spiritual leader is present when passing (Austin,
Often it is not only the person who is dying that is affected by the end of life experience. There may be involvement from medical professionals, carer’s and of course family and loved ones. These people may have a different perspective on the end of life experience, and therefore, different expectations and needs that inform their views on what constitutes a good death. In a study by Costello (2006) on hospital nurse’s views of what made death good, predictability, to allow some control over the event, so as to minimise disruption, both emotional and physica...
According to Shi and Singh (2015), end-of-life care deals with preventing pain and stress for terminally ill patients and their families. The focus of this type of care is patient dignity and comfort, which
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
The American Nurses Association (ANA) thinks that nurses should stay away from doing euthanasia, or assisting in doing euthanasia because it is against the Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements (ANA, 2001; herein referred to as The Code). Overall, nurses are also advised to deliver a quality of care what include respect compassion and dignity to all their patients. For people in end-of-life, nursing care should also focus on the patient’s comfort, when possible the dying patient should be pain free. Nurses have also the obligation to support the patient but also the patient’s family members during these difficult moments. We must work to make sure that patients and family members are well informed about every option that is
The nurse becomes the confidant, the guide through the darkness, a source of comfort for those experiencing the trauma of losing a child. To successfully fulfill these nursing roles, in addition to roles that must be fulfilled to meet other patient’s needs, one must acknowledge their own definition of death and educate themselves on cultural and societal norms associated with death and dying. It is important to identify one’s own definition of death and dying but also understand that one’s preference does not define the death experience for others. The individuality and uniqueness of each death experience means that one definition of death may be hard for one to accomplish. It is important to maintain an open mind, nonjudgmental spirit, and impartiality for the cultures and practices of others surrounding death and dying. A culturally competent nurse is not only responsible for acknowledging the cultural norms of others but also respecting and educating themselves about the death rituals of their patient’s culture and providing the family with as many resources to safely and effectively fulfill their cultural practices. Education is empowering for the nurse who is navigating the death and dying process. Education often supplements ones credibility with the dying patient and their family which can ease overall anxiety and further promote ones role as a patient advocate and provider of
During my career as a registered nurse I have had the privilege of caring for my patients at the bedside and meeting their needs holistically. Additionally, the safety of my patients is one of the most important aspects of my current role. The experience of advocating for my patients during my nursing career has taught me to place my patient’s health and wellbeing first. The second most important aspect of nursing that I have learned during my career is how to meet my patient’s needs as a whole, not just physically but also emotionally and psychologically applying the holistic approach to each patient. I believe that the patient’s needs
... support for people with cancer. The story of the patient and his family is inspiring, encouraging, informative, also comforting, all at once. This book has given me new understandings as a student nurse about how I should look at our patients, their families, and their caregivers. As a family member that played the role of caregivers they took their concerns and fears to God, they had the strength and courage to face their painful journey. I learned how to deal with the most complex of challenges which includes fear, denial, and how to find the way to spiritually prepare the patient and the caregivers. The most important part that cough my attention was the genuine compassion from the nurses changed and helped the family to reach that internal peace by giving the greatest care to the terminally ill and encourage the family to find the spiritual peace and comfort.
Hospice is giving dignity, support and love to end of life patients. Hospice works with the patient’s pain to give the patient comfort, not to hurry death or hasten the dying process, but to relieve symptoms that are sometimes associated with grief and dying. In my experience, I have witness the positive effects associated with comfort care for both patients and love ones. Dying patients grieve for various reasons. Sometimes it is mentally, physically, emotional or psychological and it affects their love ones as well as their level of comfort. Our promise to every patient we take care of is “To provide exceptional care, to guide the patient and their family on their journey, and to respect their choices. Their comfort, needs and wishes come first. They can count on us when and where they need us” (Hospice and Palliative Care, 2013).
The subject of death and dying is a common occurrence in the health care field. There are many factors involved in the care of a dying patient and various phases the patient, loved ones and even the healthcare professional may go through. There are many controversies in health care related to death, however much of it roots from peoples’ attitudes towards it. Everyone handles death differently; each person has a right to their own opinions and coping mechanisms. Health care professionals are very important during death related situations; as they are a great source of support for a patient and their loved ones. It is essential that health care professionals give ethical, legal and honest care to their patients, regardless of the situation.
Teaching and educating patients and their families is an integral component of the nursing process and scope of practice. As nurses we will not only have an obligation to provide care, but to ensure our patient’s autonomy; thus, we want to make sure that they understand every aspect of their care plan from the time that they admitted, to their discharge. Additionally, nursing education is essential to promote the health and wellbeing of the patient after discharge.