BEHS 380 Week 3 Discussion: Coping with Death and Models of Care
BEHS 380 Week 3 Discussion: Coping with Death and Models of Care
Coping with Death and Models of Care
Death is an inevitable universal eventuality of all humankind that marks the end of an individual’s mortal lifespan. Perceptions about death and dying significantly vary depending on several factors such as culture, religion, personality, vocation, and age (Kahraman et al., 2022). There is generally a negative attitude towards old age and consequential death among young individuals which are perceived as obstacles to achieving their goals and purpose in life (Kahraman et al., 2022). This may result in a lack of preparedness, especially in the event of unexpected death. Elderly individuals are more likely to accept or want death for various reasons such as longstanding suffering from declining health and chronic diseases and fulfilling life goals. Targeted strategies should be adopted in death education to target the concerns at different ages to improve the quality of death.
Hospice and palliative care play a fundamental role in end-of-life care and the care of individuals with debilitating medical conditions. There has been notable evolution with a patient-centered approach that conforms to patient values and preferences being adopted. This ensures patient satisfaction through the address of not only physical needs but also other patient needs such as psychosocial, cultural, and religious needs (Teoli et al., 2022). The role of hospice and palliative care includes the optimization of the quality of care and minimization of suffering through adequate pain and symptomatic control (Teoli et alm, 2022). This requires collaborative efforts among patients, their families, caregivers, and the healthcare team.
Informal caregivers play an integral role in the provision of culturally and diversity competent end-of-life care. Their responsibilities include addressing the patient’s physical needs such as feeding and bathing, taking them to medical appointments, ensuring continuity of care through treatment administration and monitoring, and financial, emotional, and spiritual assistance among others (Sherman, 2019). Caregiving can be associated with risks such as emotional stress, fear, anger, depression, and physical exhaustion (Sherman, 2019). The needs of caregivers should not be overlooked to protect their well-being. Another key consideration in end-of-life care is optimizing discussions regarding death and dying for patients to accept their critical situation and appreciate their remaining time while maintaining hope.
BEHS 380 Week 3 Discussion: Coping with Death and Models of Care References
Kahraman, S., & Erkent, D. (2022). The mediator role of attitude towards aging and elderliness in the effect of the meaning and purpose of life on Death anxiety. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03087-x
Sherman. (2019). A review of the complex role of family caregivers as health team members and second-order patients. Healthcare, 7(2), 63. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare7020063
Teoli, D., & Kalish, V. B. (2022). Palliative Care. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
Based on this week’s learning resources, discuss the following items:
How do perceptions of death change across the life span?
Explain the evolution and role of hospice and palliative care.
Describe the role of informal caregivers, including demographic and cultural considerations and the risks associated with caregiving.
Reflecting on the article and/or the video by Atul Gawande, what are some key considerations for end-of-life care?
An excellent response will be at least 3-4 paragraphs in length, using complete sentences and concise language. Please cite at least 3 of this week’s Learning Resources in your response.
Your initial post is due on Thursday evening at 11:59 p.m. ET. In addition to your main post, please respond to at least 2 other students’ posts by Tuesday evening at 11:59 p.m. ET. When responding to other students’ posts, make an effort to refer to something specific from the Learning Resources and/or and idea or an example that adds to the dialogue. Refer to the syllabus for more details about discussion participation.
Please be sure to use APA citations in your text and to include your reference list. When you refer to and/or discuss any resources, you need to include a citation for that source, such as: (Braincraft, 2015). For more info on APA style, visit the APA Citations and Style module in this online classroom.
POST:
One primary post (New Topic) as your initial discussion post thread – min. 200 words/post
Two secondary responses (Respond) to classmates – min. 100 words/post