Good Grief And Loss: Experiential Investigation Report Essay Example

Grieving following the loss of someone or smoothing special in our lives is a natural process. Some people can easily cope up with the loss, but others require support in order to recover. Those who offer support to people who are grieving might at times be exposed to heartbreaking circumstances, in line of duty, which eventually add them to the grieving circle. In this paper, I interviewed an LPN in order to highlight how professionals that are offering support deal with challenges associated with their work. This experiential investigation seeks to advance my experience, as well as expand the knowledge of available community resources and how to access them.
In this exercise, I went to a long term seniors care home where my grandfather and lived for about 6 months before he died there 7 years ago. I interviewed an LPN by the name of Anna. She was newer at the facility and was not there when my grandfather was there. Typical work day for Anna involves a lot of record keeping, paperwork, cleaning, arranging and participating in activities that the home has for the seniors. There is some interaction with the seniors there, but she realizes that there is not enough time allotted for spending time with the seniors one-on-one, and that is mostly left to visiting family.
I sought to know from Anna if to narrate her most devastating event during her stay at the facility. She noted that there was a woman in her 80's who recently died that she was quite fond of. The late woman had no family that lived in the area, and no one who visited her on a regular basis. The woman suffered from a very painful condition yet she always had a positive attitude and wanted the nurses to look after others more than her as she thought she could handle her suffering better than others. I sought to know the impact if that incident on Anna: whether it had influenced her in any way. In other words, I intended to know what she learned about how people respond to a loss. Anna said she felt she learned from this woman how much positive outlook and attitude can affect how people manage their conditions or diseases.
In an attempt to understand her typical work day, Anna noted that she works in a place that deals with mostly seniors. She says that it was hard to be around death so much when she first started her position. However, she has gotten used to it being a type of passage as she believes in God and that the people that are dying are going to a better, more peaceful place. Most of the people in the care home are suffering from various ailments and so it makes their death a bit easier as she knows that they are finally in peace and pain free.
In addition, I sought to understand how Ann’s job has affected the way she experiences life and the perceptions she has about loss or death. Anna finds that different families and different cultures respond to death quite differently. Some mourn quietly and others very loudly (crying). In the home that Anna works in, most people are placed there because they can no longer care for themselves nor can their families (if they have family living in the area). It is expected that they will die in the home so they do what they can to make the last stages of life the most comfortable and enjoyable they can. Anna said her job had changed the way that she views death or loss as just a passage to another place. The grief work done at the care home does not address or reflect dealing with grief or loss that occurs when the death is a sudden one or the death or a young person. We expect that as we age that a death is inevitable and so I think that a death in this environment is easier to deal with for that reason and it is also sometimes welcomed if the person has been struggling with severe illness. Anna goes for a 30-minute walk at the end of each work day in the park that is on the way home from work. She says she does that to clear her mind of what has happened at work before she goes home to be with her family. She started doing that a few months after starting her job there at the suggestion of one of the other nurses. She noted that she thinks working in a care home would be a very challenging environment to be part of. From what I observed when my grandfather was in the home, they seemed to be understaffed without much time to attend to complexities, but the basics. Particularly with those people who do not have family who comes to visit, that human interaction is critically important yet it is not something that funding allows for in most places such as this.
Furthermore, it is important to note that the manner in which people cope with grief and loss varies, and this may depend on various factors. Perhaps religion and culture are the most significant factors that determine how people cope up with grief and loss. Some people have self-resilience and can cope with loss or grief with fewer complications. The grieving process helps an individual to come to terms with the loss of someone; it initiates the acceptance process. As one mourns, they release the anger in them that is associated with the loss of their loved one. Psychologists recommend grieving because it is a healthy way of coming to terms with the loss of someone.
In order to cope up with their loss, some people need support. Anna, for instance, is a professional who offers support to seniors who are suffering from challenging conditions in their sunset years. Anna and other support professionals like her must find ways of coping with the negative effects associated with their work. Anna indicated that she often takes a 30-minute walk, alone on her way home in order to relieve herself from the challenges associated with her work.
In conclusion, this assignment has enriched the manner in which I perceive and handle grief and loss. In order to remain psychological straight, as an upcoming psychologist, I have to develop solid self-resilience that will help me to deal with the challenges associated with my profession. This assignment has played a significant role in shaping my professional repertoire of grief and loss, and associated challenges.