To maintain the client’s sense of self-worth during the end of life wh

To maintain the client’s sense of self-worth during the end of life while working with a client in an inpatient hospice unit, the nurse should:

1. Leave the client alone to deal with final affairs
2. Call upon the client’s spiritual advisor to manage care
3. Include regular visits throughout the day into the client’s care plan
4. Facilitate the arrangements to have a grief counselor visit the client

ANSWER

ANS: 3
Spending time to let clients share their life experiences, particularly what has been meaningful, enables the nurse to know clients better. Knowing clients then facilitates choice of therapies that promote client decision-making and autonomy. Planning regular visits also helps the client main-tain a sense of self-worth, because it demonstrates that he or she is worthy of the nurse’s time and attention. The client should not be left alone to feel abandoned or isolated. Nurses can help clients meet spiritual needs by facilitating connections to a spiritual practice or community and supporting the expression of culturally held beliefs. A client’s spiritual advisor may also be called upon but is not the only source of spiritual support. The nurse who turns care over to the spiritual advisor is not promoting the client’s sense of self-worth, as it may imply the client is not worthy of the nurse’s time or attention. A grief counselor may be requested to visit if the client is expe-riencing complicated grief. Having a grief counselor visit is not an intervention that will help maintain a client’s sense of self-worth.