Dying and bereavement Flashcards
Define death. How was the definition changed?
Previously absence of respiration and a heartbeat. Now criteria focus on brain death. The definition is critical for issues of organ transplant.
- Reflection of cultural views on death
What are the five stages in Kübler-Ross’s theory? (the dying process)
5 Stages of Grief which are fluid and multiple
- denial
- anger
- bargaining
- depression
- acceptance
What is the death awareness movement?
New meanings for death and dying
Cultural analysis of attitudes
Promoted the notion of a good death
What factors affect children’s understanding of death?
Experience with death
Religious teachings
Can be a sensitive discussion with adults
Death anxiety is a multidimensional construct. The multidimensional fear of death scale has 8 subscales of death anxiety. What are they?
Fear of being destroyed Fear of premature death Fear of conscious death Fear of unknown Fear of the dying process Fear of the dead Fear of the body after death Fear for significant others
What influence does culture have on death?
- affects the assessment of the comfort needs of the dying and the kind of care provided
- influences selection, perception and evaluation of healthcare givers and their methods
- shapes beliefs about causes of death
- determines the disposition of the body and funeral and burial rituals
- patterns grief responses and bereavement roles
- Beliefs of god
What is grief? (NOTE: it is a component of bereavement)
Emotional response to one’s loss
What is considered good death?
Broadly conceived to be one that is appropriate to the dying person. Good death considers to be:
- comfortable
- closure
- trusting
- minimal burden
- optimistic relationships
What is the effect of bereavement on survivors?
Grief leads to change and transformation and eventually recovery. Grieving and recovery influenced by the meaning of the loss and the survivor’s coping resources
- Early Adulthood: avoidance, death anxiety, considered distant
- Middle Adulthood: begin to think of death, aware of limited time left
- Late Adulthood: think and talk more of death, concern about how and when
- For younger children, death is seen as more temporary
What options are there for terminal care and the environment dying?
Multifactorial
- Hospice: Comprehensive support for dying and their families. Attend to the physical, emotional, spiritual and aesthetic needs of patients and their families
- Home or hospital
- Home care appropriate when a person is alert and can benefit from familiar surroundings. Difficulties can arise with home death
Define bereavement
Experience of loss of a loved one through death.
What is Mourning? (NOTE: it is a component of bereavement)
Refers to the actions and manner of expressing grief
Why are older adults more likely to be accepting of death than younger people?
Ageing is associated with increased acceptance of death and heightened concern about the process of dying
Define buffering hypothesis
The idea that having stronger religious beliefs provides more certainty about a rewarding afterlife thus reducing death anxiety.
Define palliative care
Management of pain and other symptoms of terminally ill patients that allows them to enjoy what remains of life.
