Through the Eyes of the Patient and the Health Care Professional

Allied health professionals are confronted with different death and dying practices. An effective allied health professional recognizes the importance of understanding different cultural practices, and learns how to evaluate the death, dying, and spiritual beliefs and practices across the cultures.

Identify your role as a health care professional in supporting Abby’s or Shanti’s dying rituals, and in creating strategies for displaying respect while still providing quality care. Identify communication strategies necessary in caring for your select person. Integrate your strategies as you develop a care plan describing how you would approach the situation and care for the patient. Review the “Care Plan” template prior to beginning.

Include the following in your care plan:

Communication: family and patient
Treatment options that align with the specific culture
Education: family and patient
Family roles in the process
Spiritual beliefs
Barriers
Cultural responses
Any additional components that you feel would need to be addressed (from your perspective as a health care professional)

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Sample Answer

 

 

 

 

As a Medical Social Worker, my role is to bridge the gap between medical care and the psychosocial, emotional, and spiritual needs of patients and their families. This often involves navigating complex cultural landscapes, especially during the end-of-life journey. For this scenario, I will focus on Shanti, a patient from a Hindu background, facing a terminal illness. My primary goal is to ensure her dying process is managed with utmost respect for her spiritual and cultural beliefs, while still providing compassionate, high-quality palliative care.

 

Care Plan: Supporting Shanti’s Dying Rituals and Cultural Needs

 

Patient Name: Shanti Devi Diagnosis: Advanced Stage Terminal Illness (e.g., Metastatic Cancer) Allied Health Professional Role: Medical Social Worker Overall Goal: To support Shanti and her family through the dying process, respecting Hindu spiritual and cultural practices, while ensuring compassionate and high-quality palliative care.


1. Assessment (Cultural, Spiritual, Social Needs):

  • Communication Preferences:
    • Initial Assessment: Determine primary language spoken by Shanti and her family. Ascertain preferred communication style (direct vs. indirect), who the primary decision-makers are (often the eldest male family member, but confirm with family), and if they prefer information to be shared with all family members present.
    • Cultural Response Anticipated: Family-centric decision-making, potential for indirect communication regarding prognosis to protect the patient from distress.

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  • Spiritual/Religious Beliefs & Practices (Hinduism):
    • Core Beliefs: Belief in reincarnation (samsara), karma, and the goal of moksha (liberation). Death as a transition, not an end.
    • Ritual Preferences: Inquire about specific pre-death rituals (e.g., chanting of mantras, presence of sacred texts like Bhagavad Gita, sprinkling of holy water/tulsi leaf). Discuss preferences for body care post-mortem (washing by family, specific clothing), and the strong preference for cremation and immersion of ashes in sacred waters (e.g., Ganges).
    • Family Roles: Identify the eldest son’s crucial role in leading post-death rituals.
  • Family Structure & Roles:
    • Identify key family members, their relationships, and their roles in Shanti’s care and decision-making. Understand the importance of extended family support.
  • Preferences for Death Location/Care:
    • Ascertain if Shanti or her family prefers for her to die at home, in the hospital, or at a hospice facility. Discuss if certain items or a specific setting (e.g., on the floor) are desired as death approaches.
  • Understanding of Prognosis:
    • Assess the family’s and Shanti’s current understanding of her terminal diagnosis and prognosis. This will inform how to approach education.

2. Identified Needs/Challenges:

  • Cultural/Spiritual Support: Need for facilitation of religious rituals before and after death.
  • Communication Barriers: Potential for cultural misunderstandings regarding prognosis, pain management, and end-of-life care decisions.
  • Grief Support: Families may express grief differently (e.g., public lamentations vs. quiet stoicism) and need support tailored to their cultural mourning practices.
  • Logistical Coordination for Rituals: Ensuring hospital policies align with the need for timely body preparation, cremation, and transportation of ashes.
  • Balancing Medical Care with Cultural Wishes: Ensuring pain and symptom management align with the family’s desire for a peaceful, conscious transition for the patient.

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