Hospice Nurses: A Case Study

Despite a growing interest in thanatology over the past 20-25 years general attitudes American attitudes towards death and dying are fraught with apprehension, fear and avoidance (Leming & Dickinson, 2011). In order to deal with the incongruent values of hospice with medical values of preserving life at all costs, these nurses must develop coping mechanisms. Coping mechanisms are any aware or unaware shift or acclimation, which reduces friction and anxiousness in a taxing experience or scenario (Psychology dictionary, 2014). The coping mechanisms and acclimation strategies used by hospice nurses in dealing with the dying process are similar to those used when individuals face their own deaths or the death of significant others (close family member or friend). By defining and conceptualizing a Good Death, Re-adjusting ones self-evaluation standards and giving meaning and purpose to a Good Death, Hospice nurse are able to acclimate to their experiences and shift their perspectives to a Good Death (Sinclair, 2011)
Redefining and conceptualizing death as a Good Death …show more content…
Medical doctors and health professionals are taught the art and science of keeping people alive. Many times, death is seen as a failure of medical intervention, as something inherently bad. This attitude is evident in The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010, which attempts to inhibit insurance companies from denying policies to people diagnosed with pre-existing conditions, including cancer, yet palliative care for the chronically ill is not a universally reimbursable expense (The Affordable Care Act and End of Life,