RN Nursing · Grief, Loss, and Palliative Care · Practice question
A nurse is caring for a terminally ill patient who wishes to remain at home during the end-of-life phase. The nurse notes increasing caregiver fatigue in the family and needs to prioritize an intervention that supports both the patient and the caregiver. Which service should the nurse recommend to best address these needs?
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Providing only respite care to relieve the caregiver temporarily without additional patient-focused services.
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Hospice services that provide comprehensive symptom management and emotional support for both patient and family.
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Referral to a mental health center to address the psychological stress of the patient and family.
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Admission to a rehabilitation center to help the patient regain independence through therapy.
Answer & explanation
Correct: Hospice services that provide comprehensive symptom management and emotional support for both patient and family.
Hospice services are specifically designed to provide comprehensive, interdisciplinary care for terminally ill patients who choose to remain at home. They address symptom management, emotional support, spiritual care, and caregiver education, making them the most complete solution when both patient comfort and caregiver fatigue are concerns. Hospice teams include nurses, social workers, chaplains, and home health aides who provide scheduled visits and on-call support, directly reducing the burden on family caregivers. Providing only respite care offers temporary relief but does not address the patient's ongoing symptom management needs or the family's emotional support requirements in a holistic way. A referral to a mental health center may help with psychological stress but does not provide the home-based, integrated care the situation demands, nor does it assist with the patient's physical symptoms. Admission to a rehabilitation center contradicts the patient's expressed wish to remain at home during the end-of-life phase and is inappropriate for a terminally ill patient whose goal is comfort rather than functional restoration. Hospice care uniquely combines symptom control, caregiver support, and bereavement services into a single coordinated program, making it the priority recommendation in this scenario.
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