MRS. JONES CASE
- Identify the needs that are reflected in Mrs. Jones’ behavior and statement. [2]
Mrs. Jones’ behavior shows that she is undergoing the stages of grieving her husband. She longs to be with the deceased. When a fuse blows, she breaks down in tears and wonders how she is going to cope with the situation. She misses her husband. She feels that if he were alive, he would be the one to repair the fuse.
She needs support to accept that her husband is dead. All she needs is someone to show her support and help her get through the loss by showing her love and comfort. Her statement shows that she is in despair and feels that all by herself, she is likely not to cope with life.
- Given Dr. Elizabeth Kuble-Ross’s stages of grieving, what stage of grieving is Mrs. Jones expressing? List the other stages described by Dr. Kuble-Ross.
Mrs. Jones is experiencing the stage of grieving that Kubler-Ross describes as the longing to be with the deceased. She says that she thought she had overcome the situation, but it is still affecting her. She is in a state of despair due to the loss.
The stages of grieving, as described by Dr. Kubler-Ross, are five. The first stage is denial. In this stage, the bereaved denies having lost their loved ones. They deny the feelings that are accompanied by the loss. This stage helps them to cope with the loss at the initial stages of grief.
The second stage is the anger stage. The grieved person becomes angry. They may express anger towards God, themselves, or the deceased. At this stage, they face the feeling that they had denied at first. The bargaining stage accompanies anger. In this stage, one tries to find a solution for the loss without accepting it. One wants to bargain with oneself and God and see if there could be a change in the situation. In this stage, one tries to correct things where they did not go right to see if the situation will change.
This is accompanied by depression. This stage comes after the bargaining fails. The bereaved is trying to come into terms with the reality of the loss. They find it very hard, and they are sad and in despair, because they cannot do anything about it. Finally, the acceptance stage is the last one. After all the other stages, the grieved person finally accepts that they lost their loved one and have to cope with the situation. They accept to live with the loss and are no longer depressed.
3.Explain how the CPSW could facilitate communication and assist her to work her grieving process and interacting in a sensitive, honest and understanding manner [ 3 ]
In her state, Mrs. Jones needs the help of a caregiver to overcome her loss. She is going through the various stages of grief, and the CPSW needs to help her go through them in a friendly way. A caregiver should show Mrs. Jones that she understands what she is going through, and she appreciates how she is coping with it. This will encourage her to know that her efforts in overcoming the loss are being recognized.
It is appropriate for the caregiver to make Mrs. Jones know that he or she is available whenever she needs help. She should offer to repair the fuse for her or find someone who can help her with it. Whenever she needs someone to talk to, the Personal Support worker should be available but not force her to talk when she does not feel like.
The caregiver should be honest with Mrs. Jones and make it clear to her that her husband will not be there anymore, and she needs to learn to live without him although he is still important to her. This will make her try to wake up to the reality of the loss and move on with life. Showing her love and concern with help her recovery.