Bereaved parents' and siblings' reports of legacies created by children with cancer.

nfs — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:58:50 +0000

Published Date:

Sun, 2009-11-01 (All day)

This qualitative study explored bereaved parents' and siblings' reports of legacies created by children with advanced cancer. Participants included 40 families of children who died from cancer, with 36 mothers, 27 fathers, and 40 siblings (ages 8-18 years). Individual interviews were completed at home approximately 10.68 months (SD = 3.48) after the child's death. Content analysis of interviews indicated that many children living with cancer did specific things to be remembered, such as making crafts for others, willing away belongings, writing letters to loved ones, and giving special gifts. Some children, particularly those who were very ill or died unexpectedly, did not intentionally do or say anything to be remembered. Legacies included bereaved individuals remembering children's qualities, concern for family, and beliefs about afterlife. Having advanced cancer appeared to motivate children to influence others' lives and prepare for their own deaths. Children's advice about how to live life inspired bereaved family members. Findings contribute to the current knowledge of legacy-making in children and offer implications for practice and future research.

Nurses' Narratives of End-of-Life Care

nfs — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:31:22 +0000

Published Date:

Fri, 2006-06-30 (All day)

RNs and other healthcare professionals engage in helping relationships that involve objective therapeutic exchange and intervention for the dying and bereavement support for the survivors. Nurses must possess good communication skills to give the attuned empathic responses upon which humane, complete, and comprehensive end-of-life care is based. These empathic responses are conditioned by nurses' emotional and cognitive attitudes toward death and dying. This article will examine the ways in which nurses, through discussions on death, use three cognitive methods-knowing, explaining, and understanding-in their attempts to come to terms with dying and the death process. A greater understanding of how RNs currently think and talk about the end of life promises several opportunities to improve in care of the dying.

Nurse Faculty Scholars - Bereavement

Bereaved parents' and siblings' reports of legacies created by children with cancer.

Nurses' Narratives of End-of-Life Care