Meaning-making and managing difficult feelings: providing front-line end of life care

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Date
2013-12
Authors
Funk, Laura
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Sage
Abstract
Managing grief and difficult emotions related to end of life (EOL) care is an often under-recognized part of the work of resident care aides (RCAs). In this interpretive analysis we explore the shared and socially constructed ideas that eleven RCAs in one Canadian city employ to make sense of death and the provision of EOL care. RCAs spoke of personal challenges involved in witnessing death and experiencing loss, as well as helplessness and frustration when they could not provide quality EOL care. RCAs invoked “consoling refrains” to manage grief, including “such is life,” “they are better off” and “they had a full life.” To manage guilt and moral distress, RCAs reminded themselves “I did my best” and “I experience rewards.” Though these ideas help RCAs, some may need to be reframed through coaching and mentorship, to prevent unintended negative effects on care or the reproduction of ageist beliefs more broadly.
Description
Funk, L.M., Waskiewich, S., & Stajduhar, K.I. (2013-2014) Meaning-making and managing difficult feelings: providing front-line end of life care. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 68(1), 23-43. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2190/om.68.1.b
Keywords
end of life care, palliative care, death and dying
Citation
Funk, L.M., Waskiewich, S., & Stajduhar, K.I. (2013-2014) Meaning-making and managing difficult feelings: providing front-line end of life care. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 68(1), 23-43. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2190/om.68.1.b