Loss, Death, and Palliative Care NUR
257
Introduction - answer- Loss, dying, and death are universal, incontestable events of the
human experience
- Regardless of the type of loss, each loss has the potential to trigger grief and a
process called bereavement or mourning
- There is no single way to grieve or respond to loss; each person grieves in their own
way
- Nurses need to know how to comfort and care for grieves, including each other
Grief work - answer- Include kubler ross, rando, corr, and doka
- Describe sucessful grieving as movement thorugh predictable stages, phases, or tasks
until one eventually was able to "let go" of that which was lost
- Newer approaches descibe grief work as more of circulare process in which a
continues attachment to that which has been lost, at some level is "normal"
Loss response model - answerPerson is in a state of disequilibrium, grieving family
members search for meaning, loss becomes real as the person repeats the story, and
change is accepted
Types of grief - answer- In older adults the reaction to grief may be mistaken for another
condition such as dementia
- Types of grief include anticipatory, acute, shadow, complicated, disenfranchised
Factors affecting coping with loss - answer- Those at risk for adverse affects of grief
include older spouses and life partners
- Intense grief may cause a temporary decrease in cognitive function, such as dementia
- Those who are more likely to effectively deal with loss are "good copers", who have
successfully navigated through past crises
Coping - answer- Those who effectively cope maintain composure, use good
judgement, are optimistic without denying the loss
- Those who ineffectively cope are more rigid and pessimistic, are demanding, have
emotional extremes, live alone or socialize little and have few close friends, may have a
history of mental illness, and may have guilt
Implications for gerontological nursing and healthy aging - answer- Nurses support
those who are grieving and support their movement from disequilibrium to a new,
modified state
- Working with grieving older adults is part of a normal workday for gerontological
nurses
257
Introduction - answer- Loss, dying, and death are universal, incontestable events of the
human experience
- Regardless of the type of loss, each loss has the potential to trigger grief and a
process called bereavement or mourning
- There is no single way to grieve or respond to loss; each person grieves in their own
way
- Nurses need to know how to comfort and care for grieves, including each other
Grief work - answer- Include kubler ross, rando, corr, and doka
- Describe sucessful grieving as movement thorugh predictable stages, phases, or tasks
until one eventually was able to "let go" of that which was lost
- Newer approaches descibe grief work as more of circulare process in which a
continues attachment to that which has been lost, at some level is "normal"
Loss response model - answerPerson is in a state of disequilibrium, grieving family
members search for meaning, loss becomes real as the person repeats the story, and
change is accepted
Types of grief - answer- In older adults the reaction to grief may be mistaken for another
condition such as dementia
- Types of grief include anticipatory, acute, shadow, complicated, disenfranchised
Factors affecting coping with loss - answer- Those at risk for adverse affects of grief
include older spouses and life partners
- Intense grief may cause a temporary decrease in cognitive function, such as dementia
- Those who are more likely to effectively deal with loss are "good copers", who have
successfully navigated through past crises
Coping - answer- Those who effectively cope maintain composure, use good
judgement, are optimistic without denying the loss
- Those who ineffectively cope are more rigid and pessimistic, are demanding, have
emotional extremes, live alone or socialize little and have few close friends, may have a
history of mental illness, and may have guilt
Implications for gerontological nursing and healthy aging - answer- Nurses support
those who are grieving and support their movement from disequilibrium to a new,
modified state
- Working with grieving older adults is part of a normal workday for gerontological
nurses
