The article that will be summarized in this essay is “Caring for the Terminally Ill”. The article addresses the needs of terminally ill persons and how their family members, friends and caregivers can lend them support.
Shriner then goes on to state that the second primary dimension of care for the terminally ill is the psychological care (2007). Family members and care givers should learn how to deal with the negative emotions of the dying person, such as anxiety, fear, sadness and anger. Psychological care is very challenging because it is often difficult to know the right things to say. The author however, says that just a mere touch can be psychologically healing. Cousins in his book supported this theory by stating that positive expectations have good effects on the physical well-being of the patient.
Social care is the third dimension necessary for terminally ill individuals. Caregivers should allow the dying person to socialize and maintain his relationships with the people they love. They should be encouraged to talk about issues that are important to them such as funeral arrangements, their survivors and unfinished tasks.
The last dimension essential for dying persons is spiritual care. In this dimension, it is imperative that the people taking care of the terminally ill should be ready to listen and must empathize with the patient. Creative opportunities may be provided as a support with the spiritual tasks.
Taking care of terminally ill persons is a challenging responsibility. But as Shriner points out, what is vital is that the dying person enjoys his remaining time on earth by letting them engage in activities and eat foods that they like.
Link: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/pdf/Caring_Terminally_Ill.pdf
Works Cited
Shriner, J. A. (2007). Caring for the terminally ill. The Ohio State University Extension.
