Dietetics:NutritionCare/Coping With Death and Suffering in Year 5 2019
Relevance of topic to dietetics student learning
It is inevitable in the dietetics practice to experience or witness patient suffering and death. The emotional impact this has on the dietitian may vary depending on the relationship formed with the patient. So how is this topic relevant to dietetics student learning?
- It helps us become more aware of personal emotions and reactions to death and suffering.
- It enables us to become more empathetic, understanding, and respectful towards the wishes of end-of-life patients and their family members
- It drives us to be more proactive in developing our personal self-care strategies in handling stress and overwhelming emotions.
Summary of key principles
There is no Concrete Definition for Patient Suffering
- Patient suffering can be:
- Social
- Mental
- Physical
- Emotional
- Caused by care
How to Ground Yourself in the Moment
- Emotional intelligence
- Recognize and regulate personal emotions when faced with overwhelming and stressful situations
- This will help you manage conflict and have a clearer mind in decision-making
- Recognize and regulate personal emotions when faced with overwhelming and stressful situations
- Creating sensation
- Putting hands together and rubbing the inside of your palm
- Touching something cold
- Sipping a beverage
- Cognitive strategies
- Counting backwards
- Reciting provinces or facts
- Trivia
- Using your senses
- What do you see, hear, smell, or feel in the room
Self-Care Strategies
Self-care is essential in improving your health and wellbeing. It contributes to enhancing your emotional intelligence and emotionally prepares you for stressful situations.
- Some strategies include:
- Exercising
- Sleeping
- Meal prepping
- Talking to friends, family, and people you trust about your emotions
- Spending time alone to relax or do hobbies that you enjoy
- Treating yourself to something nice (ie. food, fun workshops, trips)
Digital media learning resource #1
File:Coping with Patient Death & Suffering Infographic.png
Here is an infographic we created outlining self-care strategies and resources for counselling, grieving, and mental wellness.
Digital media learning resource #2
https://prezi.com/bue6rd5vwigo/interview-with-rds-and-year-5s/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
This is a Prezi presentation showcasing dietitian and Year 5 student experiences regarding patient death and suffering.
Online resources for further learning
Documentaries available on Netflix:
- Extremis
- End Game
Online readings on understanding death, grieving, and suffering
- http://www.virtualhospice.ca/en_US/Main+Site+Navigation/Home.aspx
- https://www.refugeingrief.com/
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240532074_A_New_Model_of_Grief_Bereavement_and_Biography
Helpful journal articles on healthcare professionals' experiences with patient death
- https://nurse.org/articles/How-to-stay-positive-when-you-work-in-hospice/
- https://www.nurseuncut.com.au/death-palliative-care-how-do-you-cope-in-the-field-of-nursing/
Books to help understand death and patient end-of-life experiences
- On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, MD
- What Dying People Want by David Kuhl, MD
- Staring At the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death by Irving Yalom
Student authors
Authors: Shannon Chau, Kate Stafford, Mankirat Grewal, Mio Lainchbury, Iris Lopez Ramirez
Developed March 31, 2019