An older adult is grieving the loss of a loved one. Which approach is most therapeutic for the nurse to apply when caring for this patient?
a. Assess past coping skills, the presence of support systems, and evidence of prolonged grieving.
b. Provide anticipatory guidance to the patient, explaining that prolonged grieving is not a normal part of loss regardless of the patient's age.
c. Plan activities for the patient that include increasing socialization with others who have experienced similar losses until mourning is over.
d. Intervene only when it becomes obvious that the patient's period of mourning has the potential to affect the patient negatively both physically and emotionally.
A
Depression, grief, and loss are common in later life. Assessment of the patient's reaction to the loss and the ability to grieve appropriately is the most therapeutic initial nursing intervention. If mourning and grief are prolonged, they should be treated as depression.
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