Final Gifts

Preparing for death isn’t a fun topic. But as I’ve seen in my own family, and those of friends, it makes a lot of sense. It reduces confusion, eliminates guilt and assures the patient that what he wants to happen does when it comes to end-of-life medical treatment.

Looking back, there have been times in my life when I found myself just where Leming (2011) found himself, standing at the crossroad of frustration. This is a terrible place to be caught in, especially when you are in search of answers for your own life and others are looking to you for answers to aid them with addressing life’s issues. Perhaps, if and when I come to this place in my life again, I can approach it differently than before. In addition to the abundance of information that was provided in this book that will help me if and when I am faced with this situation or similar situations, I will do more in-depth studying on these sensitive topics. I am motivated to continue educating myself about death beyond the classroom setting to ensure that I am adequately prepared to counsel clients dealing with end-of-life issues. As I read through this book, I saw the importance of understanding the topic of dying as they are critical components in my career and field of study. Although Leming and Dickerson (2011) shared some information that was not new to me as I have seen or heard it before, they still gave me a wealth of new information that I can refer back to as I progress forward in my career as well as in my personal life.

Everyone will have to deal with the death of a family member or friend, as well as his or her own mortality. The certainty of the end of life can be very stressful and overwhelming. Many aspects of caregiving, treatment, and pain management are all part of the journey towards the end of one’s life.

Patients and families who begin hospice care understands that the patients’ illness is untreatable and the disease is slowly progressing. Hospice provides comprehensive comfort care to the dying person as well as to the family of the dying person. Families should not look at hospice as a permanent decision. Another important factor, when a doctor stop treatment as a cure for the terminally ill does not mean discontinuing all treatments. Hospice will dispenser needed medication to keep the person as comfortable as possible. Hospice goal is to give patients the opportunity to die with dignity by providing care and help to the patient and their family. Providing help to the patient’s family, hospice is reducing stress on the caregivers. In retrospect, families who receive service through hospice are satisfied with the end-of-life care than those families who did not use hospice services.

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.

Death is normally an uncomfortable topic for most. However, realization that death can occur at any time is critical. Many people have this unrealistic notion that our loved ones will be with us for a long time. Most people see death as something that happens in old age. They believe they have time to prepare their hearts for the death of a loved one. However, sometimes this does not always happen. Sometimes people are taken from us too soon.

People rarely have time to enjoy their last moments and it is even more difficult for them to assist a loved one as he, she, or it is about to die. Many actually consider death to be a taboo subject and hesitate to get actively involved in a conversation involving it. These people generally feel that one only needs to focus on death when it is imminent, as doing otherwise would simply demoralize individuals and would prevent them from functioning effectively as they perform a series of daily tasks.

Modern medicine and technological advances have made the concept of dying even more uncomfortable as a subject to be addressed by doctors, their patients, and the families of the patients. Conversations about death are necessary to have in advance with family members, healthcare proxies, surrogates, and even doctors. Unfortunate situations happen every day and a person never will know when they need to rely on someone else to carry out their wishes about end of life care and technology. If a person happens to become brain dead, it adds a whole other level of difficulty when it comes to end-of-life procedures.

When a patient grows terminally ill, there is little time to make preparations. Pinpointing when this process begins with elderly patients is difficult, as final life stages set in very gradually. [1] However, caregivers familiar with the patient’s condition and terminal illnesses help patients and families prepare for passing.

However, group-studies indicate that family members “stressed the importance of dignified and respectful treatment of those who are dying” and they desired to acquire “better information on what to expect and how they can help their dying relatives” (Teno et al., 2001). This perspective illuminates the importance of both validating the needs of the individual patient as well as their team of familial support. In this sense, it is beneficial for family members to witness their loved one pass away most nobly on their part while being informed of the process that that unique plan

Death is very close… Death is imminent…What can be done to help dying clients to enjoy living their last months, weeks, or days? I think, it may help to start by asking patients what their fears are. It’s important to understand them and talk about them. Some fears are about what will happen physically. These fears may be eased if they understand what’s ahead, and what the health care team can do for them in their final days. Other fears may be more spiritual or emotional, as they struggle with the unknown and how to respond to the changes that are happening.

Now that I am older, I understand that “death” is a natural outcome of a life cycle. No matter how much I am trying to comprehend the idea of death, I would never understand it unless I am facing death face-to-face. I would never understand the thought process of a dying individual. I just hope that when I am to that point, I am satisfied with my life and able to accept

Important Aspects of Communicating with End-of Life Patients and How Nurses Can Facilitate the Process

Death is never convenient. No matter if your loved one was dying for quite some time before they passed away or if it happened unexpectedly - the acceptance of death is certainly a hard pill to swallow.

Due to advancements in science and modern medicine, as well as the taboo on death and the rise of the quest for immortality, people are becoming far less prepared mentally for death, and no longer accept death as fact.