The life transition of death and dying is inevitably one with which we will all be faced; we will all experience the death of people we hold close throughout our lifetime. This paper will explore the different processes of grief including the bereavement, mourning, and sorrow individuals go through after losing someone to death. Bereavement is a period of adaptation following a life changing loss. This period encompasses mourning, which includes behaviors and rituals following a death, and the wide range of emotions that go with it. Sorrow is the state of ongoing sadness not overcome in the grieving process; though not pathological, persistent
According to Hart (2012), those people who are suffering from grief often seek help from the health care professionals. This is important for the clinicians to identify and address their own experiences in the clinical settings. The main aim of this article is to explore the facts about grief, the common themes of grief and the different ways in which the patient process of the clinicians can be facilitated.
Death, we all hate it. Yet we try to avoid it, but it’s a natural part of life. Death is sneaky, it comes unexpected, but it is expected. We all go through a grieving process but some do not accept the fact of their loved ones dying. Some people even hallucinate their loved ones still being with them. In books like “bag of bones” death was unavoidable just like reality. People always avoid death as if it does not exist. The people that try to ignore death are the ones that have the hardest times dealing with the grieving process. The five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
When it comes to the experience of grief that goes along with a terminal diagnosis or death the focus of care, therapy, and concern is often placed solely on the patient and his or her family and friends, and rightly so (Woolhouse, Brown & Thind, 2012). However, the health care professionals that help to care for these patients and their loved ones are often left in the shadows to cope with the grief that they may be feeling, alone (Woolhouse, Brown & Thind, 2012). Often, their grief is deemed unacceptable by their colleagues and society, and they are certainly not provided with the same level of care as someone who is experiencing real grief, first-hand (Leming & Dickinson, 2016). This paper discusses the differences that health
Death is a universally experienced phenomenon. In the United States alone, over 2.6 million people die each year (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). For practitioners, it is of utmost importance to better understand the process of grief to develop better interventions for bereaved individuals.
Dying due to an incurable illness can be devastating With responsibility of caretaking falling chiefly on the patient’s family. While dealing with the normal every day activities that families encounter, becoming a primary caregiver to the terminally ill is an emotional as well as financial burden. The ill person usually lives in the house of a family member, which forces the family to witness the person dying every day. Having to watch a person suffer in your own home is depressing to even the strongest of people and knowing there is nothing that can be done to stop their pain makes things that much worse. Studies have shown that people who receive a terminal illness diagnosis become depressed and develop anxiety. Because of the mood disorders that can
It’s ironic that Elizabeth Kubler-Ross theory, of the five stages of grief is present in the story “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare after so many centuries later. Hamlet is believed to be the most dramatic play in history, and comes with many personal conflicts that people still today will struggle with. In “Hamlet”, the main character, Hamlet goes through the 5 stages of grief throughout the story. Elizabeth Kubler- Ross developed a theory based on how she believed to be the stages of acceptance of death. “The 5 stages of grief and loss are: 1. Denial and isolation; 2. Anger; 3. Bargaining; 4. Depression; 5. Acceptance. People who are grieving do not necessarily go through the stages in the same order or experience all of them.” (Axelrod, 2016) Even though, Hamlet repeats some of these stages, and is involved in multiple stages at the same time, he does in fact experience through all these stages. Hamlet the Danish prince, son of Gertrude, grieve for the death of his father. The unexpected passing of his father causes Hamlet to experience a roller coaster of emotions. The death of his father is not the only thing he struggles with, but the marriage between his mother and uncle troubles him also. He feels as if his mother has betrayed him, and did not give him the proper time to grief over the fatality of his father. Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, not only replaced his father, but he also inherited the throne that was supposed to be passed down to Hamlet. When Horatio and
Some individuals may struggle with the grieving process. Poor coping mechanisms can lead to major depressive disorders and even anxiety. Grieving individuals may exhibit signs and symptoms of poor physical health because they stop taking care of themselves. Widows and widowers have 8 to 50 times higher suicide rate than the overall population (Snyder, 2009).
Thank you for the sharing of your personal experience. If I knew, the patient was dying, I would like to contact the patient’s loved one and allow them to have time say goodbye. Death is a process of life. We cannot avoid or run away from it. Therefore, ones need to learn the harmony of life. Grief is unavoidable during the death process. However, if we deal with it well, we can learn and obtain valuable experience on it. Life is sharing and love.
Throughout this semester, we have learned about death as both a process and an event. Much of the information has come from Death & Dying, Life & Living (Corr & Corr, 2012), which offers a fairly comprehensive look at death, dying, and bereavement. This textbook has taught about death and dying from many perspectives, including the legal, philosophical, psychological, and social aspects of it. We began the semester by looking at our own history of loss and how it has impacted our attitude towards death. To continue extending our study outside of the classroom, we were instructed to discuss loss, grief, and bereavement experiences with someone we do not personally know well. This was quite a learning
Grief is an acknowledgement that we loved someone, and the nature of our relationship with that person determines how we grieve. Grief is an exclusive process; one that is as different as the person experiencing it is. As Hospice volunteers we must respect each person’s individual grieving practices and refuse to give in to the temptation to advise others to follow our exact paths. Although those of us who have also experienced such loss can sympathize with other’s feelings, we must be attentive to the fact that they are mourning the loss of a relationship that was exclusively theirs. As Hospice volunteers, we must consider this exclusivity and abstain from persisting that the grieving person grieve any way other than what is best for
In the autumn of 2013 my beloved grandmother suffered from many medical complications. After discovering esophageal cancer, surgery to remove it caused a tear in her esophagus, which led to numerous health hazards. As a result, the cancer spread throughout my grandmother’s bloodstream and it was impossible to maintain her health. By October of the same year, she fought to maintain her optimistic personality that I admired so dearly as a child. There was nothing more the doctor’s could do and while she wasn’t able to speak clearly, she understood the circumstances completely. As my mother asked her if she was ready to rest she pointed up to the heavens with her eyes closed. As we said our goodbyes she was given morphine until she was no longer with us. To force my grandmother to suffer and endlessly wait for healing would have been selfish of us. It is hard for those of us who are healthy to consider death as a logical option in crucial situations. While it is a difficult concept to grasp, in certain circumstances it is the better
Our society finds it difficult to talk about dying and euphemisms are the norm. It is typical for both doctors and patients to be hesitant to initiate a discussion on dying. Focus instead is often more often placed on interventions and actions for managing symptoms. This avoidance can leave patients and their families unprepared for the inevitable death. (Schapira, 2010) It also often results in requests for therapies which may be excessive, costly and even painful in the hopes for a cure. One study demonstrates that when patients are aware that they are terminally ill, the majority are able to reach a state of peacefulness and also exhibit lower levels of distress. (Ray, Block, Friedlander, Zhang, Maciejewski & Prigerson, 2006) It is also important that family members are willing to discuss end-of-life options with their loved ones. According to elderly patients, they are most often the ones who initiate these conversations with their
“Ordinary people” everywhere are faced day after day with the ever so common tragedy of losing a loved one. As we all know death is inevitable. We live with this harsh reality in the back of our mind’s eye. Only when we are shoved in the depths of despair can we truly understand the multitude of emotions brought forth. Although people may try to be empathetic, no one can truly grasp the rawness felt inside of a shattered heart until death has knocked at their door. We live in an environment where death is invisible and denied, yet we have become desensitized to it. These inconsistencies appear in the extent to which families are personally affected by death—whether they
This stage is when the patient first hears about his/her illness, and this is where the patient is saying "no, not me" and "it can't be me". During this time they will also ask a numerous amount that "is the results wrong", or "could you check my results again please".