Patient's Culture And Their Concept Of Death example essay topic

In the world today, there exists many different types of cultures. Society is composed of many different people from all types of backgrounds that make it culturally diverse. This paper will discuss the meaning of culture, as well as significant interpretations and theories of this term. This paper will also discuss dying, its meaning, interpretations that theorists may have on this topic, and end with an examination of culture and death and the relationship that they have. Culture can mean various things. Culture can be thought of as a system of shared values, beliefs, and understandings about what words and actions mean, and the ways in which these values and beliefs are expressed (Showalter, n. d., para.

10). Culture can also refer to the distinctive knowledge, habits, responses, ideas, language, and ways of living, working, or playing shared by a group of people (Showalter, n. d., para. 10). The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Culture and Diagnosis Group defines culture as "Meanings, values, and behavioral norms that are learned and transmitted in the dominant society and within its social groups.

Culture powerfully influences cognition's, feelings, and the "self" concept, as well as the diagnostic process and treatment decisions" (as cited in Korn, 2001, para. 3). By defining this concept of culture we can now look at how other people, such as theoreticians' view this term. The concept of culture can be understood in different ways. By viewing culture from a theoretical perspective, we can see that culture is more then just people; it is the beliefs and ways in which people live. Madeleine Leininger, a theoretician and founder of the Culture Care Theory, states that culture refers to "the life ways of an individual or a group with reference to values, beliefs, norms, patterns, and practices" (Juntunen, 2001, para.

3). Another theoretician, Edward Tylor, believes culture "is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society" (Varenne, 2002, para. 8). Raymond Williams, an early pioneer in the field of cultural studies, defines culture as ordinary. Williams believes every human society has its own shape, its own purposes, and its own meanings. Every human society expresses these in institutions, and in arts and learning.

The making of a society is the finding of common meanings and directions (Collins, et al., 1999, para. 1). Another concept that can be drawn into culture is that of dying. Dying is the process that leads up to death.

Death is the act of dying, hence, the termination of life. The Oxford Canadian dictionary defines dying as n. the act or process of ceasing to live or to function. 1 Connected with, or at the time of death. 2 about to die. 3 coming to an end (1998, p. 437). The process of dying has been interrupted in many ways.

There are theoreticians such as Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, and Charles A. Corr who have dedicated their professional lives to defining or making clear the concept of dying. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, and Charles A. Corr, both have their separate views on dying. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross researched this concept of dying and saw a pattern emerge that she developed into a theory now referred to as Kubler-Ross's theory of the process of dying. Kubler-Ross believed that there are stages that the dying person goes through on their way to death. Kubler-Ross found that the first stage in dying is denial and isolation, where the person denies that death is near and in turn isolates him / herself from others.

The next stage is anger, and third stage is bargaining, which is a brief stage often between the dying patient and God. The fourth stage is depression, and the fifth, the last stage, is acceptance that death is near (Kastenbaum, 2003, p. 247). However, Charles Corr, a social psychologist, developed his own theoretical model on dying that opposes Kubler-Ross' theory. Corr focused on helping caregivers, researchers, and educators move beyond the limitations of Kubler-Ross's tage theory. Corr built his model on three elements, the first of which is each person who is in the process of dying copes with the realization of death in different ways.

The second element is patient empowerment, which caregivers need to recognize that a dying person continues to be a living person. The last element is that caregivers of the dying must improve how they deal with the problems, stresses, and issues of the dying person (Kastenbaum, 2003, p. 253). With these interpretations of dying, one can see that people have different views dealing with the process of death. Each culture can have different responses to this process as well. American culture believes that when one dies there should be mourning and a funeral. Latin American culture believes that one should mourn and a burial ceremony take place, but people celebrate the dead with songs and dance.

There is a day of national celebration in honor of the deceased called the "Day of the Dead". American culture may not celebrate as Latin American's do toward commemorating the dead but they recognize the day of their deceased loved on as a memorialized day to reflect and remember them. Beliefs about death need to be considered in the care of the dying. It is important for caregivers of the dying to be conscious of the patient's culture and their concept of death.

For example, people belonging to the Hmong culture, believe that the body and soul are intricately connected and illness is a signal that the soul is "wandering". For some people, death might be the ultimate reward; for others it represents a dreaded judgment. (Setness, 1998, para. 11). In relation to cultural beliefs, caregivers should respect their patient's beliefs even though they don't believe it and provide care in a non-biased way.

For example, a nurse who is taking care of a patient that is a Muslim, knowing that he is Muslim, can find out when the patient prays and when fasting is present and by knowing this can arrange a care plan that suits the patients needs. By being aware of the patient's cultural practices, such as religion, nurses can help the patient feel more "at home" or more secure during this time in their life. As you have already read, the dying process varies in cultures. For example, in Latin American culture, if a family member is dying, the person may be taken home from the hospital to die, where the family will be and care for them (as cited in Nurs 3301 readings). In contrast, in America or Canada, both are very culturally diverse societies it depends on the culture each person has, if a hospital, hospice, or their own home will be appropriate place for the person to die. The process of dying is also recognized in religious practice.

Religious practices are a part of one's culture. For example, in Catholicism, a priest will administer the 'Sacrament of the Sick' for a Catholic who is dying. The family and the priest gather at the bedside while the priest recites prayers and anoints the dying patient with sacramental oils (Cloutier, 2000, p. 26). In contrast, Islamic belief in the dying process is very different. When an Islamic person, who is a practicing Muslim is dying, those in attendance seek out one who is able to read the holy book, the Koran. The reader recites appropriate verses from the Koran (Cloutier, 2000, p. 16).

These two cultures in comparison are similar, as are all other religions in the aspect of a ritual, in which words or actions are performed prior to the death of a loved one. Culture can affect nursing care. To be a nurse in this society today, one must be respectful of other cultures. A relationship between a patient's culture and dying is important It is important for nurses to be aware of their patient's culture, and if he / she is in the dying process, be open to their culture's way of accepting and acknowledging death. By being aware of a patient's culture, one can adjust nursing care in respect of their culture.

Health care professionals, including nurses, must realize that they live in an increasingly multi-cultural society and shape their care for others on this realization. Nurses must take into account that all people do not have the same beliefs, values, and lifestyles and that the perception of dying varies from culture to culture. To conclude this paper, culture and dying are intricately related, in that a person's culture can affect their view of the dying process. Nurses must take into consideration these two concepts when providing care to people.

Nurses must be open to other cultural beliefs, especially those related to the issue of death. The process of dying is a very challenging time for individuals who face it. The individual's religion may play a large part in these last days for them. They must be given room to come with terms with death. So as nurses we must learn ways to be open to other people's cultures by learning from our patients.

Bibliography

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