Termination--an important concept for nursing in long-term care

The impending loss a staff has at the termination of a one-to-one relationship with a resident in long-term care may provoke deep feelings of grief and sadness in both the staff members involved and the resident in the case of a resident who leaves for other agency or unit. In some cases termination may result in use of defense mechanism including anger and openly hostile comment which may be displaced toward other staff or resident. Nurses need to prepare staff, particularly, novice staff, to handle these feelings in residents as well as understanding their own personal reactions at the loss of a resident.