End of Life Care

End of Life Care for the Religious and Cultural Communities
Name
Institution
End of Life Care for the Religious and Cultural Communities
Cultural and religious factors have a significant influence on the patients’ and families’ decisions at the end of life. Special considerations should, therefore, be undertaken to provide care to the patients in a culturally and religiously sensitive manner. Culture and religion not only affect the decision-making at the end of life care but also significantly influence the patient’s preferences. Considerations should be made due to the differences in the beliefs, values, and attitudes that exist between the caregiver and the patients (Richardson, 2014).
Consequently, the cultural and religious issues must be considered to avoid the possible conflicts due to the contrasting attitudes and beliefs between the patients and caregiver. A nurse is required to understand the cultural and religious needs and preferences of a palliative patient as well as realizing the possible biases that are related to the provision of care. Truth telling should also be undertaken that is sensitive to the cultural and religious perceptions and beliefs.
The patient’s perceptions of God and life after death should be considered and integrated into the care plan to align such beliefs with the prescribed coping strategies. Similarly, practices, concepts, and perceptions of death as related to specific religions such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and others must be considered to ensure that they are in line with the individuals’ perception of the care being offered (Puchalski, Handzo & Ferrell, 2016).

On the same note, it is vital to understand the cultural and social constructs that underlie an individual concept of life and death while considering the associated needs and priorities. The discussions regarding the care should, therefore, be based on the personal experiences while considering the spiritual and ethnic background of the client.
References
Richardson, P. (2014). Spirituality, religion and palliative care. Annals of palliative medicine, 3(3), 150-159.
Puchalski, C., Handzo, G., & Ferrell, B. (2016). Religious Conflicts: Decision Making When Religious Beliefs and Medical Realities Conflict (P17). Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 51(2), 313-314.