Ellas End of Life Care - Essay Example

Ella’s End of Life Care Ella’s End of Life Care Cultural Issues In the of Ella’s End of Life Care, it is evident that cultural/traditional issues will arise. This emanates from the fact that the family comprises of different origins that impact on their personal beliefs on contemporary and traditional medicine. Searight & Gafford (2005) are of the opinion that cultural factors influence the reaction of the patients to fatal illnesses such cancer and the decisions made concerning end-of-life care. For the case of Ella, she clearly believes in the use and application of alternative and complementary practices. However, in the event Ella wishes to stick with the alternative and complementary practices, it is expected that numerous conflicts will arise within the family since Ella has been using this approach to deal with the illness for many years but the treatment seems not effective. This means that the family members will be extremely unhappy with Ella’s decision. The family may even hope to change Ella’s mode of treatment in an attempt to prolong her life through seeking medical attention. This option will also affect the manner in which Ella’s husband will handle his grief as well as the rejection of his proposed treatment option. Secondly, there is an option of Ella being coerced into following mainstream medical advice. This option will make it extremely stressing for Ella, since she will be forced to embrace beliefs that she does not share. She may even complain that her family is the cause of her misery. Thirdly, in the case where Ella’s husband insists that, as father and husband, his family traditions should be adhered to, the case may be worse for Ella since she will be of the opinion that her feelings are not adhered to, and that she is only being forced to undertake the medical treatment by virtue of being a wife not a cancer patient. This is a clear explanation of the fact that cultural/traditional issues will arise in the case where the alternative and complementary medicine and beliefs are combined with the mainstream medical practices and traditional rituals. Biological factors In the thought of Chabner (1993), the attempt to come up with new forms of treatment have useful in complementing the use of traditional modes of treatment. It is also vital to note that the cancer patients require sensitive care and proper attention due to their sensitive nature as Cunningham (1996) recommends. Ella’s biological basis can therefore be evaluated on the grounds of sensitive care and nursing since the biological treatment will affect the other family members with respect to their individual problems. As far as the biological nature of Ella’s case is concerned, there is need to provide Ella with detailed information on her condition and what needs to be done to improve her situation and that of her family. With some of her family members such as Sarah going through a lot of stress that is related to Ella’s condition, it is important that she is given all the information on the end of life care. This will help Ella make the right resolution that will reduce the level of stress on her family members. It is even likely that Lila may get stressed with the condition in the family and in the long run, her diabetic condition will worsen. Cunningham (1996) is of the opinion that knowledge of the patient’s condition enables the nurses assist the patients understand their condition through support and empowerment of the patients. Tis empowerment is in the form of helping the patients understand the causes of cancer, the development stages of cancer to the best ways of treating the condition. This will reduce the negative perception on the condition; thus, acceptance of the patients with the condition especially for the case of Ella’s family members that are suffering from a myriad of conditions ranging from alcohol abuse to HIV/AIDS. Current research: Options in Western and Alternative Care Among the Complementary and alternative medicine involve approaches such as herbal medicine and other traditional therapies. These traditional therapies include the use of herbal and other natural medicines such as opium and the use of mineral supplements (Tabish, ‎2008). This explains why Ella does not believe in the use of conventional treatment methods of treating her cancer since she grew up on the farm and is not used to conventional methods. One would relate to the use of conventional methods to the side effects that have been linked to these medicines. The use of alternative medicines are indeed cheaper than the conventional treatments They are also more effective, have minimal side effects and are available when needed (Tabish, ‎2008). However, Ella’s family is not of the opinion that these are the best medicines for Ella and they hope that she takes mainstream medical advice. Micro, mezzo (meso), and macro influences Ella’s end of life crisis has a major impact both on the macro and micro levels. This results from the fact that her condition will not only affect her husband but all the persons that live around her. It is evident that her family is indeed in shock and in denial especially considering the fact that the cancer has returned after cure. For the case of her husband, he must be in pain especially seeing his wife suffering the pain, and is also desperate for not having any option of helping Ella. It is even worse that he cannot force Ella to participate in his traditions though he feels that he has the responsibility of helping his wife. For the case of her children, they too are going through too much stress, though they know they need to be strong for their mother. Hospice or palliative care calls for too much strains that the loved ones of the patient have to be exceptionally strong to handle the pain (Herman, 2012). The same case applies for Ella. In their case, however, it is recommend that they need to be strong so as Ella does not carry the burden of her family in her condition. Since the end of life is a short process and one that requires the commitment of the patient’s support group, the family needs to give this transition process utmost commitment. Ella needs support from her family members since it is expected that in such a scenario the family members will hurt deeply, but support is crucial for the wellbeing of the patient. Through this support, it is expected that a strong bond will be created between the family members and the patient and build rapport between them. In this regard, it is of the essence that the social worker emphasizes the need to support Ella. The family members need to go through counselling so as they understand their place in the life of Ella. Psychological and social issues Psychological and social issues impact the end of life care. For the case of Ella’s end of life stage, chances of stress are high since her family is full of stressful experiences. Her situation is likely to affect her whole life. The diagnosis of her condition, the treatment process has a major effect on her life and that of her family since they all hope to get better after the treatment; thus, reduce the worries of the treatment. The psychological and social issues can be alleviated through counselling of the support group and managing the stress levels in an attempt to relax the entire family. The social worker, in this case, should devise ways of organizing family support programs that will keep the family and patients in contact. This social and psychological support will also encourage communication among the family members. In our case, Ella will be given an opportunity to express her fears on her condition, and ultimately define the best measures to deal with Ella’s condition. Diversity: Perspectives and influences Ella’s cultural heritage will automatically impact the care she may receive either in the hospital or at home. The same will also impact her family members’ especially on the care and services she receives. Culture drives the views that different people will hold regarding the best treatment for Ella. Culture involves the beliefs that one holds. It is these beliefs that determine the decisions that will be made touching on the environment and in the long run design the recovery and transformation process of the patient. For the case of Ella, it is evident that she is facing major difficulties adjusting to her new environment and it is the role of her family to make it easy for her to adapt to her new condition. Culture will also help Ella’s family allow her adjust to her medical situation through selecting the best treatment option for her. On the part of the social worker, it is evident that the worker may be at pains whether to allow for home care since her family members are extremely weak to care for her and her needs. It is at point that one indicates that the culture of an individual shapes the interaction between different persons and even influences the way the interactions will either promote growth and transformation of individuals or vice versa as depicted by the environment. Lifespan development of the family Ela’s illness can be based on the differing perspectives of her family members. As seen in the research conducted by Smith (2013), Ella is of age and has struggled with her medical condition for a very long time. It is this struggle that saw to her healing. Unfortunately, her illness recurred, and she is on the strive to seek medical attention to save her life. With her husband coming from a different background, it is evident that her treatment options might change. This is because her husband might force her into traditional treatment methods that may be uncomfortable for Ella. It is at this point that Ella’s preferences come into play, in as much she may seem very weak. On the other hand, the other family members are also unstable in terms of their health. One may argue that their condition has been worsened with the fear of Ella’s loss in the near future. It is this fact that leads to Ella preferring to die at home even if her family members are not comfortable with her decision. The family members are actually very uncomfortable with all her attempts to make the right decision on matters touching her health. The intervention of palliative care is therefore the best mechanism to deal with the crisis on Ella’s condition since this form of care is expected to enhance the life and the condition of the patient and not the condition more stressful to the patient as well as to the loved ones (Herman, 2012). In the situation of Ella, palliative care will alleviate the strain that she has gone through for a long time. Conclusion In conclusion, various factors contribute to caring for a dying patient. The social workers have a major role to play to make sure that the patient is comfortable as well as understand the different medical options, their rights as patient and even help the patients survive through their crisis. Social, biological as well as psychological factors determines the kind of end of life a patient will receive. The environment in which the patient also determines if their end of life be full of agony or then patient will have a peaceful rest. Discussions on the status of the patient may help alleviate their pain, especially in family full of ailing relative like that of Ella. References Chabner, B. (1993). Biological Basis for Cancer Treatment. Annals of Internal Medicine, 118(8), 633. Cunningham, S. (1996). The biological basis of cancer. British Journal of Nursing, 5(14), 869-874. Herman, C. (2012). Challenges and Opportunities for Social Workers in Hospice and Palliative Care.  Practice Perspectives. Retrieved from http://www.socialworkers.org/assets/secured /documents/practice/aging/hospiceandpalliativecare.pdf Islam, N. (2012). New age orientalism: Ayurvedic ‘wellness and spa culture.’ Health Sociology Review, 21(2), 220-231. Onyeka, T. C. (2010). Psychosocial Issues in Palliative Care: A Review of Five Cases. Indian J Palliat Care, 16(3), 123–128. Doi:  10.4103/0973-1075.73642. Searight, R. H. & Gafford, J. (2005). Cultural Diversity at the End of Life: Issues and Guidelines for Family Physicians. Am Fam Physician, 1; 71(3), 515-522. Smith, S. (2013). Introduction to the Miller Family. College of Health, Human Services and Science. Ashford Uni.: Clinton. Tabish, S. A. (2008). Complementary and Alternative Healthcare: Is it Evidence-based? International Journal of Health Sciences, 2(1), V–IX. Read More