Examples Of Constructive Coping

Coping

Patients often go through many challenges especially at the end of life care. One of the problems is coping with the stress and stressors. Coping is an integral part of any treatment; therefore, the patient often needs to develop some managing mechanisms. These are learned although, at some point, the patient is only left with few or no coping mechanisms (Caswell et al. 2015). Patients can invest their own conscious efforts to solve the personal and interpersonal challenges depending on their personality, background, perceptions of the illness, previous experiences of the problems and the support from the caregivers, friends, and family. Adaptive or constructive coping reduces the stress while the maladaptive coping strategies increase

The book helps shine the light on how families, patients, and doctors all experience this period. An interpersonal crisis occurs for example, in imminent death of a relative. The feelings and perceptions during this grieving period are normal, and some of the reactions include feeling physically drained, sadness, guilt, fear, anxiety, and changes in the eating and sleeping patterns. At other times, patients and family members even experience cognitive disturbances. One such case in the Being Mortal is the case of Joseph Lazaroff (Gawande, 2014). The pain of losing his wife to lung cancer a few years back and his suffering from prostate cancer, Joseph’s cognition was not normal, and he even tells Gawande, “You give me every chance I have got.” He is adamant to do “everything” despite the risk (Gawande, 2014). Such patients need practical, systematic, and, subjectively accurate assessment of the process of

Nevertheless, only certain medical specialties including oncology, geriatrics, and intensive care tend to provide these stronger preparation programs regarding the end of life care. Adequate preparation for the care for a dying patient is necessary and also, recognition of death as part of the lifecycle. Although the clinicians maintain the positive attitude about caring for the ill and the dying patients, they lack the adequate education and knowledge to effectively deliver the care Thomas, Lobo, & Detering, (2017). Communications and intervention skills at the end of life care can be emphasized through improved training, discussing emotions, showing empathy in the simulated interactions with the patient and using the feedback of recorded patient interaction. Anstey et al., (2016) study suggest clear and urgent need to design the educational interventions in the effort of improving the end of life care in nursing homes. These interventions need robust evaluation to include the impact on families, residents, and staff and include economic