End of Life Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

End of Life Paper - Essay Example (Morgan, 2009). The parents, siblings and the health care providers are only left to grieve the loss of such a young life. The primary philosophy behind palliative care is to assist the patients and their families in achieving the best quality of life and to die peacefully and comfortably with dignity. For children, it is the active total care of the child’s body, mind, and spirit, as well as a means of providing support to the family. Part one of this paper will address the kind of nursing care needed for children who are dying and things to be taken into consideration for dying children. There are common diagnoses that affect the length of life of children including prematurity, chromosomal defects, cancer, AIDS, congenital anomalies among others. However among the diseases considered to be life-limiting, the one ignored most and considered not to be palliative care is the wound care. Though contradictory, child patients nearing their death can benefit from the curative aspects of wound healing. A wound can have a devastating effect on the child patient’s quality of dying thus one kind of care that I would engage as a nurse. Dying is a natural part of life and is usually filled with mixed emotions and times of reflection for both the dying person and the caregiver. However when a child dies, it seems like a massive failure that such a young life had to be lost. Seated next to her bed, my niece could barely talk. It was difficult to accept the fate of our beloved child; letting go of the hopes for a long-term future with her. As a nurse and her caregiver, I had to accept what was happening including my role as a caregiver with new demands and duties; making her comfortable. It became obvious that taking care of a child or teenager with such a life-limiting condition is a daunting and challenging task emotionally and practically as it requires specific support and skills, unlike for an adult suffering from such conditions.