COVID-19: using 'knitted hearts' in end-of-life care to enable continuing bonds and memory making

The history of therapeutic communication can be traced back to Florence Nightingale, who emphasized the importance of developing trusting relationships with patients. She taught that the presence of nurses with patients results in therapeutic healing.
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross significantly advanced psychology's understanding of the process of dying with her influential book, On Death and Dying (1969). She focused on studying terminally ill individuals and outlined five stages commonly experienced when coping with death: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
In denial, individuals reject the reality of their condition, often thinking, "This isn't true; I feel fine," as a way to protect themselves from...

The first step in nursing management of a patient with heart failure involves thoroughly assessing the patient's medical history.Subjective Data: Obtain the patient's medical history of coronary artery disease, hypertension, myocardial infarction, and symptoms like dyspnea, orthopnea, and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea.Objective Data: Conduct a physical examination to identify findings such as jugular vein distention, pulmonary crackles, tachycardia, murmurs, peripheral edema, and vital signs,...

Managing cardiomyopathy involves addressing underlying or precipitating causes, treating heart failure with medications, and implementing dietary changes and a balanced exercise and rest regimen.Lifestyle ModificationsCardiomyopathy patients should adopt a low-sodium diet to reduce fluid retention and manage heart failure. A personalized exercise and rest plan helps maintain physical fitness without overstraining the heart. Avoiding alcohol and tobacco is essential to prevent further damage to...

Additional therapies for treating patients with heart failure (HF) may include procedural interventions, supplemental oxygen, the management of sleep disorders, and nutritional therapy.Procedural InterventionsImplantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator: For patients at risk of life-threatening arrhythmias due to severe left ventricular dysfunction, an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) can detect and terminate these arrhythmias, preventing sudden cardiac death and improving survival rates.

Restorative care is provided once a patient has been discharged from a healthcare facility and requires additional services. The additional services include home care, rehabilitation programs, and extended care. Restorative care centers help the patient regain their previous level of functioning or acquire a new level of functioning due to the incapacitating effects of a disease or a disability. It aims to assist patients in enhancing their quality of life by encouraging independence,...