The nurse is caring for an older client whose husband died approximately 6 weeks ago. The client says, "There's no one left to care about me. Everyone that I have loved is now gone." The nurse would make which response to the client?

Question

1. "That doesn't sound like the real you talking!"
2. "I'm sure you have someone if you think hard enough."
3. "It sounds as though you are feeling all alone right now."
4. "I don't believe that, and I really don't think you do either."

Answer 1

3

Rationale: The client is experiencing loss because of the recent death of her husband and is ex-pressing feelings of hopelessness. The therapeutic response by the nurse is the one that attempts to translate words into feelings. The statements in "That doesn't sound like the real you talking!" and "I don't believe that, and I really don't think you do either." deny the client's feelings. The statement in "I'm sure you have someone if you think hard enough." puts distance between the nurse and client because it does not address the client's concerns.