End of Life - Your “Job” in the Death and Dying Process

Individuals and their loved ones accept death in different ways, in different “places”. As a result, congregational nurses often can find that their job is geared towards giving emotional support and spiritual guidance. An important part of this is to help make sure that it is a time of growth and enrichment for everyone involved, so that they can come to an understanding and acceptance of death. Your caring and compassion can bring individuals to experiencing death as a spiritual process instead of a terrifying journey.

As a congregational nurse, you will hold a special ability to help others positively reflect on the end of life. You can help individuals gain a stronger personal meaning, and connect to a deeper spiritual. This will help them work through the difficult topic of their imminent deaths. It doesn’t mean that they won’t be angry, and depressed, and overwhelmed. But, by knowing that death is part of a journey to another, better place, they are more likely to accept it and work through it. And, you have an important role in the process.

Many sources describe death as a “journey to be undertaken”. To help individuals successfully manage this journey, you have to:

Accept the mortality of others and yourself
Be able to experience and conceptualize suffering and loss
Understand and explain disease and illness in plain terms
Exercise wisdom and empathy in making decisions and beginning discussions
Reflect on and accept the richness, pressures and limitations in caring for those at the end of life
Be sensitive to preferred communication styles, family dynamics, decision making, interpersonal tensions and level of suffering
Help individuals navigate complex ethical issues, based on human dignity and compassionate care
Appreciate the substantial physical, emotional and economic demands placed on families caring for someone at home, as they attempt to be a good caregiver and meet their own personal needs

It is important for the congregational nurse to appreciate that dying, while a normal process, is a critical period in the life of the patient and family. According to the Last Acts Partnership, an organization that advocates for quality end-of-life carei, you can respond to the associated human suffering, and also bring about personal growth for the dying and the family. Physical comfort, a sense of independence, and psychological support are most important at the end of life. Specific activities that congregational nurses support include:

Alleviate isolation by developing ongoing communication and sustaining relationships with dying individuals and their loved ones
Assist individuals in conducting a life review
Extend support beyond the lifespan of the patient to assist the family in its bereavement
Provide information and connections to concrete caregiver supportive services such as respite, round-the-clock availability of expert advice and support by telephone, grief counseling, personal care assistance and referral to community resources (e.g., home care, hospice care, pain management experts, spiritual support)
Explain end-of-life choices, and help individual put their end of life choices on paper
Open discussion about health care directives, and provide access to resources on this issue
Improve communication between the dying individual, loved ones, care givers and medical professionals