Szt Task 2

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RUNNING HEAD: QUALITY OF LIFE AND FUNCTIONING !1 ! ! ! Quality of Life and Functioning ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! QUALITY OF LIFE AND FUNCTIONING My perceptions about quality of life and health promotion would not affect my care for a !2 dying patient with a lingering illness such as cancer because I can separate my own beliefs from those of my patients and their families without difficulty. I am supportive of my patients and their families decisions even if I don't personally agree with them. This is especially true in the case of a terminally ill patient. I know that every family has their own cultural beliefs and traditions that they choose to honor in this stage of life. I in no way feel compelled to exude any of my own beliefs on a family of whom I have no relationship to and of whom I am only present to help with the progression of the illness and the transition of life to be as comfortable and painless as possible. While I do have my own beliefs of how such a patient should spend these last stages of life, I understand that as the nurse, my role is to be supportive and assistive. I can offer support and my nursing expertise but ultimately, the decisions reside with the patient and the family. In the case of Mrs. Thomas, the 56 year old mother who has gone home with the poor prognosis of breast cancer with metastasis to the lungs and a recommendation of palliative care I feel there are some strategies that I could offer as the nurse to help her and her family improve the quality of life in these final months as she struggles with this disease. I would suggest that she take her pain medication, hire some in-home help, and explore emotional and psychological support. Mrs. Thomas was prescribed Vicodin to control her pain but has been reluctant to use it based on fear of dependency. She needs to be counseled about pain control and cancer,

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