Author Question: A client who is in the terminal phases of a debilitating muscular disease tells his wife that he ... (Read 93 times)

DelorasTo · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

A client who is in the terminal phases of a debilitating muscular disease tells his wife that he believes the health care team has failed and given up on him and aren't trying as hard. The nurse caring for this client r

1. This idea of abandonment is unfounded.
2. This is a common fear in the terminally ill client.
3. When clients become terminal, physician care is no longer necessary.
4. Clients who feel this way are in denial of the facts of their care.

Question 2

The nurse is assigning support personnel to assist the families of clients who have died in dealing with the stress related to the loss of their family member. Which family would the nurse screen as highest risk for complicated grief?

The family of a client who:
1. Died after a long battle against cancer.
2. Died after developing diabetes-induced renal failure.
3. Was killed in the robbery of a bank.
4. Died from chronic heart disease.

gabrielle_lawrence · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Correct Answer: 2
Rationale: If the client feels that his terminal state is a reflection of failure of the medical system, this fear of abandonment is common. It may not be totally unfounded because failing to cure a client is frustrating and may reflect in the care provided to the client. While nurses do provide much of the care given to terminal clients, physicians continue to be an integral part of care. There is no indication of denial in this client's statements, but powerlessness or hopelessness may be evident.

Answer to Question 2

Correct Answer: 3
Rationale: While all families are different and all families can respond to grief differently, research supports a greater potential for complicated grief in families whose loved one died suddenly, violently, or unexpectedly. Of the options given, the client who was murdered best fits all three situations. The clients who died of cancer, renal failure, and heart disease had been ill for some time, so they do not meet the criteria as well as the murdered client.