The Nurse Is Interviewing an Older Adult Client Whose Spouse

Multiple Choice

The nurse is interviewing an older adult client whose spouse died 4 years ago. The client states, "I keep our home exactly the way it was the day my husband died. I still buy and prepare all his favorite foods, and I launder his dress shirts each week." The client begins to cry, explaining that caring for her husband was her sole purpose in life, so she sees no need to go on living if she can't carry out these activities. The client's comments are suggestive of which of the following conditions?

A) Anticipatory grieving
B) Self-care deficit in the area of feeding
C) Complicated grieving
D) Death anxiety