End of Life Issues

Research Paper # 99464

Anthropology > Cultural
Gender and Sexuality > Gender Studies
Medical and Health > Nursing

End of Life Issues

This paper discusses end of life issues for the family.

1,458 words () | 6 sources | APA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses end of life issues for the family and notes that all nurses are certain to encounter these issues in some form. The writer points out that with a rapidly aging population, it is vital to provide culturally and gender-sensitive end-of-life interventions to enhance patient/family satisfaction and to efficiently allocate resources. The writer maintains that women experience end-of-life problems differently from men and minority cultures encounter very different issues from the white dominant culture. The writer looks at the Calgary Family Assessment Model (CFAM) that allows for a systematic method to complete a comprehensive family assessment as well as the choice of the most effective interventions to ensure family functioning. The writer discusses this topic with regards to communication, roles and influence.

From the Paper:

"This dimension includes the family life cycle and the continuity and change related to a chronic illness. Culture and class interact with family development. Family life cycles such as death demand that that the family change and adapt. In terms of developmental assessment, any recent significant events in the family along with impending death need to be discussed. This assessment establishes the family's developmental stage, provides a perspective by which the current stressors can be explored to determine the probable impact on the family and on its future development."
"Within the functional dimension, expressive functioning includes verbal, nonverbal, and emotional communication, roles, influence, beliefs, and alliances or coalitions. Good communication is vital when a patient is dying; in this situation, communication is particularly important for the family members who are subject to extreme stress."

Sample of Sources Used:

Belcher, A. & Griffiths, M. (2005). The Spiritual Care perspectives and practices of hospice nurses. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing, 7 (5), 271-279.
Duffy, S. & Jackson, F. (2006). Racial/ethnic preferences, sex preferences, and perceived discrimination related to end-of-life care. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 54 (1), 150-166.
Kirchoff, K.& Beckstrand, R. (2001). Critical care nurses' perceptions of obstacles and helpful behaviors in providing end-of-life care to dying patients. American Journal of Critical Care, 9 (2), 96-106.
Moss, M., H. Braunschweig & Rubinstein, R. (2002). Terminal care for nursing home residents with dementia. Alzheimer's Care Quarterly, 3 (3), 233-246).
Ratner, E., L. Norlander & McSteen, K. (2001). Death at home following a targeted advance-care planning process at home: The kitchen table discussion. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 49 (6), 778-781.