Author Question: The nurse sits at the bedside of a comatose, terminally ill older client reading the wishes ... (Read 44 times)

Zulu123 · **on:** Jul 11, 2018

The nurse sits at the bedside of a comatose, terminally ill older client reading the wishes ex-pressed in the numerous cards the client has received. Which concept of grief work is the nurse addressing with this intervention?

a. Everyone needs social interaction.
b. The nurse needs to attend to the patient.
c. Hearing is believed to be the last sense to be lost.
d. The individual is living until he or she is dead.

Question 2

Which intervention is an example of countercoping for a client who has recently received a ter-minal diagnosis of cancer? (Select all that apply.)

a. Answering the client's questions regarding the trajectory of his or her illness
b. Offering to pray with the client and family
c. Scheduling a meeting with the client and family to identify alternative end-of-life plans
d. Assessing the client frequently for depres-sion and risk of self-harm
e. Being available to just listen to the client talk about dying

mirabriestensky · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 11, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: D
An individual is living until he or she has died; the nurse works with the older adult and signifi-cant others to maintain as high a quality of life as possible before, during, and after the loss or death. While the other options are true they are not directly involved in grief work.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: A, C, D, E
One of the strategies of countercoping includes clarification and control. The nurse helps cope with loss and dying by helping individuals confront the loss by getting or receiving information, considering alternatives, and finding a way to make the grief manageable. The nurse helps per-sons resume control by encouraging them to avoid acting on impulse. It is not an acceptable prac-tice to initiate such an intervention as asking the client to pray.