Question

A nurse is caring for a client following the loss of her partner due to a terminal illness. Identify the sequence of Engel's five stages of grief that the nurse should expect the client to experience.

Answer 1

The client is likely to experience Engel's five stages of grief in the order of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, with individual variations in the process.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse should expect the client to experience Engel's five stages of grief in the following sequence: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. It's important to note that, while these stages are sequential, the grieving process is very personal and some individuals might not go through all stages, or experience them out of the purported order.

For instance, during denial, the grieving person may refuse to accept the reality of the loss with thoughts such as "This can't be happening." In the anger phase, the individual might feel frustrated and helpless, lashing out as a result. Bargaining often involves the grieving person making an attempt to negotiate a way out of their despair, with thoughts like "If only I had done something differently." Depression is marked by deep sadness as the person begins to understand the magnitude of their loss. Finally, acceptance occurs when the individual comes to terms with the loss and is able to move forward.

Hospice care aims to provide a comfortable, supportive environment for individuals at the end of life, reflecting the acceptance stage where the focus is on quality of life.