Coping with a Terminal Illness Essay

The beginning of life is celebrated. Books and resources are shared among friends and family in preparation for becoming a new parent. So, what happens as one approaches the end of life? Unfortunately, the same care and sharing rarely occurs in those circumstances and many face the prospect of dying unprepared. Though most people state they would prefer to die at home, this is often not where death occurs. Many Americans spend their last days attached to medical apparatus that keeps the body alive, but it does not allow for communication with family and often requires heavy sedation. Additionally, this level of treatment comes at a high price. As a society, we must become as comfortable in addressing the end of life process as we

There are occasions when medicine is not your friend and the effects of the treatment will only prolong the suffering of the patient. Healthcare professionals must be objective and ask will the end result be changed. We must know when it is appropriate to discuss end of life options and when it is not. According to Adams (2015), most desire to die at home, but less than half are allowed to do so (p. 13). Our responsibility is to allow the client to make an educated decision about all the available service and treatments.

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

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross provides the first glimpse at the true feelings and experiences of people in the process of dying. Written in 1969, Kubler-Ross uses material gathered from her many seminars and interviews with terminally ill hospital patients and in a groundbreaking gesture, suggests to the reader that instead of ignoring, avoiding or isolating the dying patient, it is important to understand the stages of grief and to allow the patient to talk openly and honestly about his situation. Kubler-Ross describes the increase in modern humanity 's fear of death with the rise of technology and medical science. Although many individuals are able to prolong their lives as never before, it has contributed to multiple emotional problems and inability to cope with the prospect of death. Individuals associate death with a bad act, or "malicious intervention" from someone else, or, at least a negative event.

Near end of life, doctors face problems of withdrawing life-sustaining treatments or interventions. These interventions include such things as mechanical ventilation for chronic respiratory failure and dialysis for those in chronic renal failure. In some circumstances, these treatments are no longer of benefit, while in others the patient or family no longer want them. The physician plays an essential role in clarifying the goals of medical treatment, defining the care plan, initiating discussions about life-sustaining therapy, educating patients and families, helping them deliberate, making recommendations, and implementing the treatment plan. The physician must take the lead in initiating discussions about end of life care, educating patients

Researchers agree that approaching the end of one’s life can affect the dying patient and their family both

out-of-pocket expenditures rise along with their increasing medical needs. In addition, there is a gap between potential treatments available and the care that people prefer to receive near the end of life. Furthermore, studies have shown that most people prefer to die under their terms with having the final say. (Sion L. Kim BS, Derjung M. Tarn MD, PHD,

2009), it’s no surprise that some of these issues directly affect us. The American Psychological Association (2016), explains that when “people approach the end of their lives, they and their families commonly face tasks and decisions that include a broad array of choices ranging from simple to extremely complex. They may be practical, psychosocial, spiritual, legal, existential, or medical in nature. However, the medical end-of-life decisions are often the most challenging for terminally/chronically ill people and those who care about them.”

IToday in the 21st century the options for end of life care is innumerable; nursing homes, hospices, outpatient nurses, live-in aides, family support, etc. are just a few of the possible choices. Techniques and approaches regarding end of life are similar: there is surgical care; there is palliative care, living wills, euthanasia, artificial organs/replacement, “full code” as opposed to “DNR” in hospitals, etc. While some argue that more options can be overwhelming, the quality of life and end of life solutions are undisputedly better than before in American history. (1)

When it comes to terminal illness, more people are turning to hospice care to be as comfortable as possible in their remaining time (Hospice Foundation of America, 2017). Many factors go into hospice care, also known as end of life care. Numerous services are offered to both they dying and their family (National Health Service, n.d.). Hospice care has shown to improve the quality of life for both the dying and their caregivers (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, n.d.). While many argue that hospice care can work for almost anyone, many cultural influences affect whether or not terminally ill patients opt for end of life care (Johnson, Kuchibhatla, & Tulsky, 2008).

Design and methods: Face-to-face in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with 96 terminally ill elders, 15 of whom discussed an event in their dying process that resulted in suffering so great they wished for, or considered, a hastened death. Data were content analyzed to identify and categorize the main themes and patterns involved in these elders and young people experiences.

It is fundamental that the patient discusses what their wishes would be in such circumstances or how they would like to die with their doctors and family members before they start to deteriorate. Planning ahead is

This article discusses the importance of death preparation of the dying person, as well as their family and caregivers. This article explains that communication is key to a healthy end of life experience. Communication can help reduce the financial burden of maintaining aggressive life-sustaining treatment in cases of imminent death. Also, lack of communication has been shown to impede patients to experience a so called “good death.” This article suggests that society is defensive when the subject of death preparedness is discussed; however, being prepared to accept death has a strong

No two people face the same end of life scenarios. The needs of individuals are as varied as the ways people deal with their illness. What is the same is the importance of communication.

A cacophony of sirens filled the air as my body shuddered on the ground. The black asphalt was cold, the sky was dark, and dozens of faces gathered around me, staring at the convulsing carcass that they knew to be, Brian, the carpet guy. The crowd faded, hands were shoved underneath my head, my legs and the small of my back, and I was lifted onto a softer, more elevated resting place. Above the sirens I heard the heavy thuds of two car door slamming. I began to move --- worry set in. It had become clear that nightmare and reality were converging.