ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to examine the effect of attitude to death on self-management in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was carried out in a descriptive and correlational type with the participation of n = 103 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients registered in the Internal Medicine Unit at a University Hospital. Personal Information Form, Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-R), Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire and Fear of COVID-19 Scale were used in data collection. According to the results of the study, it was determined that diabetes patients' fear of COVID-19 increased their fear of death and self-management. Similarly, neuropathy and nephropathy developed in these patients. In addition, it was determined that the diabetic patients who worked 6-7 days a week outside the home had higher levels of fear. It was found that those with high fear were more attentive to social distancing, wearing masks and hand sanitizer use. Staying at home is also not always possible for patients with chronic diseases, and people struggle with COVID-19 by working in crowded workspaces. It is necessary to recognize the struggle of patients with chronic diseases and provide social, economic and psychological support.
ABSTRACT
An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including, examining marginalized mortalities and ordinary deaths within the context of structural inequalities;and exploring the unnatural ways in which death is distributed and understood.
ABSTRACT
Background: Older or geriatric patients were among the people most at risk from COVID-19. Their mortality rate increased alarmingly during the pandemic, and this undoubtedly presented an emotionally challenging situation for their caregivers. Methods: The aim of our research was to analyse the professional's current attitudes towards death among the professional caregivers of older people in the health and social care settings and to identify specific aspects of their coping strategies in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The standardized Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-R) questionnaire was used to collect data. The research respondents consisted of direct care workers in social service institutions, nursing homes, and non-medical health care workers in facilities providing health care primarily to geriatric patients (n=180). Results and conclusion: A statistically significant difference was found between the attitudes of health and social workers. Social workers declare more reconciliation and less fear of death. They avoid death less, perceive it less as an escape and are more neutral than health workers. This result was influenced by the factor of faith.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused notable changes in all areas of our lives. Pandemic-coping strategies include attention and care at various levels, for different people and in various scenarios. Death is one of the most feared consequences of COVID-19 for both patients and their families; for the latter, the grief and adaptation processes to loss require that care for grievers be an important part of the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Grief from losses due to COVID-19 has distinctive features: it is not anticipatory (with virtually no time or progressive stages to facilitate adaptation to loss); closure or goodbyes are not possible (in-person social support decreases due to distancing to minimize risk of infection); it may affect various close relationships (a relevant predictor of complicated grief); it may imply stigmatization by peers, friends and neighbors; it is preceded by a period of absence of fluid and in-person communication between family members and the hospitalized patient; and those who break the news of the death are often professionals in red zones who are stressed and do not always have the skills or the ability to properly communicate bad news. The death of a family member from COVID-19 generally causes an unexpected crisis in the family, which is already affected by the pandemic and its daily consequences. This has prompted an analysis of COVID-19 loss on family life and how best to mitigate its consequences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, care and monitoring of the grief of family members and those who were close to the deceased require psychological action within a framework of comprehensive care, which demands preparation of healthcare professionals. Experiences described are taken from some actions developed in Cuba.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , Pandemics , Cuba , Grief , Family/psychologyABSTRACT
CONTEXT: The coronavirus pandemic of recent months has highlighted the fact that death is still a taboo regardless of the progress that has been made in palliative care. The concept of advance care planning is still not adequately practiced by individuals yet and we do not know enough about what is important for people in the last phase of their lives. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses can play an important in discussions about values and the ideas of what is important when death is getting closer. In Germany, there is a law (§ 132g Abs. 3 Sozialgesetzbuch V) that makes it possible to receive remuneration for these conversations. Hopefully, this is just the first of many steps to further develop ethics, communication and interdisciplinary collaboration.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In our study, we aimed to investigate the effect of immunosuppressive therapy after liver transplantation on activities of daily living and fear of death during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study was conducted as a cross-sectional study with the participation of 213 liver transplant patients hospitalized in the liver transplant center of a university hospital. The data analysis was performed with IBM SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Statistics 25. RESULTS: Katz's Activities of Daily Living (ADL) were semi-independent and the total score was 11.07 ± 1.59, and the Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-R) total score was 152.23 ± 5.34. It was determined that the DAP-R score was around 150 points in the minimum and maximum score ranges of Katz ADL after liver transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: High fear of death threatens resilience and can make patients feel lonely, helpless, sad, abandoned and stressed. Clinicians should spend more time with their patients.