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...
... middle of paper ...
...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.
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
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.
In 1969 Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, a psychiatrist, published the Pioneering book On Death and Dying. The work acquainted the world with the grieving process, called the five stages of grief. Kübler-Ross gathered her research from studying individuals with terminal cancer (Johnson, 2007). The first stage of the grieving process is denial. In this stage the person refuses to believe that their loved one is deceased, a common thought during this period is, “This can’t be happening to me” (Johnson, 2007).The second stage of the grieving process is anger. In this level the person becomes frustrated with their circumstances, a customary complaint is “Why is this happening to me?” (Johnson, 2007). The third stage of the grieving process is bargaining. At this point the individual hopes that they can prevent their grief, this typically involves bartering with a higher power, and an ordinary observance during this time is “I will do anything to have them back” (Johnson, 2007). The fourth and most identifiable stage of grief is depression. This phase is habitually the lengthiest as...
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
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
...lling and the dying patient: A Conspiracy of Silence? International Journal of Palliative Nursing 6:8, pp.398-405.
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,
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.
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...
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.
“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.