Through the Eyes of the Patient and the Health Care Professional

Case Study: 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.

Read the two specified case histories and choose one for this assignment.

Chapter 4, “Stories of Abby: An Ojibwa Journey” and Chapter 14, “Stories of Shanti: Culture and Karma,” by Gelfland, Raspa, and Sherylyn, from End-of-Life Stories: Crossing Disciplinary Boundaries (2005), from the GCU Library.

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)