Exam 41: Chronic Illness, Disability and End of Life Care

The nurse comes into the room of a child who was just diagnosed with a chronic disability. The child's parents begin to yell at the nurse about a variety of concerns. The nurse's best response is:

The nurse is providing support to parents at the time their child is diagnosed with chronic disabilities. The nurse notices that the parents keep asking the same questions. The nurse should:

At what developmental period do children have the most difficulty coping with death,particularly if it is their own?

Lindsey,age 5 years,will be starting kindergarten next month. She has cerebral palsy,and it has been determined that she needs to be in a special education classroom. Her parents are tearful when telling the nurse about this and state that they did not realize that her disability was so severe. The best interpretation of this situation is that:

Families progress through various stages of reactions when a child is diagnosed with a chronic illness or disability. After the shock phase,a period of adjustment usually follows. This is often characterized by:

The nurse is caring for a child who has just died. The parents ask to be left alone so that they can rock their child one more time. The nurse should:

What is most descriptive of a school-age child's reaction to death?

At the time of a child's death,the nurse tells his mother,"We will miss him so much." The best interpretation of this is that the nurse is:

A school-age child is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. The parents want to protect their child from knowing the seriousness of the illness. The nurse should explain that:

An appropriate nursing intervention when providing comfort and support for a child when death is imminent is to:

Kelly,age 8 years,will soon be able to return to school after an injury that resulted in several severe,chronic disabilities. What is the most appropriate action by the school nurse?

The nurse is talking with the parents of a child who died 6 months ago. They sometimes still "hear" the child's voice and have trouble sleeping. They describe feeling "empty" and depressed. The nurse should recognize that:

The nurse case manager is planning a care conference about a young child who has complex health care needs and will soon be discharged home. Who should the nurse invite to the conference?

A 16-year-old boy with a chronic illness has recently become rebellious and is taking risks such as missing doses of his medication. The nurse should explain to his parents that:

A common parental reaction to a child with special needs is parental overprotection. Parental behavior suggestive of this includes:

The loss of a child is often the most difficult and traumatic event that a parent will ever experience. For this reason the parents should never be approached regarding organ donation.

Approach behaviors are coping mechanisms that result in a family's movement toward adjustment and resolution of the crisis of having a child with a chronic illness or disability. What is considered an approach behavior?

Chris,age 9 years,has several physical disabilities. His father explains to the nurse that his son concentrates on what he can rather than cannot do and is as independent as possible. The nurse's best interpretation of this is:

Most parents of children with special needs tend to experience chronic sorrow. This is characterized by:

At what age do most children have an adult concept of death as being inevitable,universal,and irreversible?