A client informs the nurse, "My mother keeps telling me to get over the death of my spouse, but I'm having a hard time doing that.". Which of the following should the nurse do to assist the client and family?

Question

1. Remind the client and family that the grief process is different for everyone, and that there can be no time limit set
2. Agree with the mother
3. Not get involved with a family conflict
4. Tell the client that arguing with a parent never ends in a good way

Answer 1

1. Remind the client and family that the grief process is different for everyone and that there can be no time limit set

Rationale:
The client's mother is urging the client to "get over" the death of a spouse. The nurse should remind both the client and family that the grief process is individual and that there is no set time limit for the process to end. Agreeing with the mother would be ignoring the client's feeling. The nurse should not avoid getting involved with the family conflict if the client is experiencing an alteration from a healthy state, because that would be ignoring the client's need. Telling the client that arguing with a parent never ending in a good way is inappropriate.