Deck 7: Coping With Dying: How Individuals Can Help

Question 1

In the presence of dying persons, it is important to

A) remind them how ill they are
B) offer stimulating activities for distraction
C) reassure them that everything will be all right
D) listen and respond to their needs and concerns
E) tell family members that they must be present at all times

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In addressing psychological dimensions of coping with dying, it has often been said that "There is no specific or universal right thing to say or do." The implication of this is

A) there is nothing to say or do
B) sadness and anger are inappropriate responses when one is informed of a prognosis of impending death
C) dying persons should not be permitted to project strong feelings onto helpers
D) often the most helpful thing is simply to be present and listen
E) we need to appreciate that strong feelings can be made to go away

Answer 2

D

Question 3

When caring for a dying person's physical needs, the first intervention to undertake is

A) control of physical pain
B) stimulation of appetite
C) exercise of joints
D) skin care
E) management of the surrounding environment

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Persons who are dying are most likely to be concerned about

A) being in overwhelming pain and distress
B) losing control over their own bodies and lives
C) being abandoned
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 5

The primary goal of drug therapies for pain in life-threatening illness is

A) to treat the underlying cause of the pain
B) to achieve analgesia
C) to relieve spiritual distress
D) to achieve anesthesia
E) to get the client out of the hospital as soon as possible

Question 6

When a dying person is telling you his or her thoughts and feelings, your best response is

A) to say, "I know how you are feeling"
B) to share with the person your personal and family experiences
C) to divert the person's attention by changing the subject
D) to ask if the person would like to have someone visit from his or her church
E) to offer your presence and concern

Question 7

The person who initiated the modern hospice movement is

A) Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
B) Cicely Saunders
C) Glen Davidson
D) Philippe Ariès
E) Robert Kastenbaum

Question 8

Dying persons typically ask their caregivers to

A) listen to them
B) help them
C) stay with them
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 9

Dimensions of care for persons coping with dying include

A) psychological
B) physical
C) spiritual
D) social
E) all of these

Question 10

When strong narcotics are used in the management of severe pain in dying persons, least concern will be given to

A) addiction
B) constipation
C) nausea and vomiting
D) loss of appetite
E) physical dependence

Question 11

The pain associated most often with terminal illness is

A) acute pain
B) episodic pain
C) chronic pain
D) occasional pain
E) none of these

Question 12

Dying persons with a terminal illness are often given strong narcotics to

A) render them unconscious
B) cause insensibility to pain
C) bring about unawareness of self and surroundings
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 13

Which of the following is correct?

A) persons who are coping with dying usually have suicidal tendencies
B) most persons who are coping with dying experience psychiatric difficulties
C) persons who are coping with dying usually require sophisticated psychotherapy
D) only trained professionals should attempt to attend to the psychological needs of persons who are coping with dying
E) psychiatric problems-including suicidal tendencies-are only infrequently associated with coping with dying

Question 14

In psychological dimensions of caring for a dying person, the first priority would be to

A) listen and respond to the dying person's anxieties
B) provide for the dying person's basic bathing needs
C) help the dying person to select fun activities for the day
D) encourage the dying person to eat and drink
E) perform activities of daily living

Question 15

The challenge for therapeutic interventions in management of pain in terminal illness is

A) to achieve the right balance of responses to requirements
B) to employ an appropriate route of administration
C) to select the right drug(s) to meet the person's need(s)
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 16

A therapeutic response when helping a dying person is

A) "I know how you feel"
B) "Dying persons always look pale"
C) "Don't worry, everything will turn out OK."
D) "What do you need me to do right now?"
E) "Put a smile on your face."

Question 17

Pain management in terminal illness typically emphasizes administration of medications

A) orally
B) subcutaneously
C) intramuscularly
D) intravenously
E) by suppository

Question 18

For dying persons, feelings of anger and disappointment should be

A) addressed by a psychiatrist
B) allowed to be expressed freely
C) avoided by directing attention to hobbies and similar activities
D) overcome by diversional therapies
E) tempered with spiritual readings

Question 19

Given strong narcotics regularly and in sufficient amounts, dying persons with severe pain will likely experience

A) drug dependence
B) insomnia and sleepwalking
C) relief from severe pain
D) a comatose-like state
E) drug addiction

Question 20

When administering narcotics to dying persons for severe pain, professional caregivers must

A) assess location, duration, and quality of pain
B) give the narcotic on demand
C) find ways to limit the use of narcotics
D) teach the dying person about harmful side effects of narcotics
E) pay most attention to dangers of addiction

Question 21

Which of the following is important in caring for someone coping with dying?

A) "detached concern"
B) not operating solely out of the helper's need to be needed
C) not overburdening one's own resources
D) having considerable self-awareness
E) all of the above

Question 22

We learned in Chapter 7 in our textbook that hope in dying persons

A) is no longer possible
B) may shift its focus from one expectation to another
C) will turn away from what can yet be done
D) is more likely to be abandoned by dying persons than by care providers
E) is exclusively related to the likelihood of cure

Question 23

Helping with tasks in coping with dying applies to

A) dying persons
B) family members of dying persons
C) professional caregivers who are working with dying persons
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 24

Helping dying persons with spiritual tasks includes

A) providing meaning or connectedness for those persons
B) never sharing one's own spiritual convictions with such persons
C) giving such persons an experience or understanding of the transcendent
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 25

An important guideline for helping persons who are coping with dying is

A) to help them recognize that their beloved pets must be kept away from them
B) to assure that they keep a proper diet
C) to help them realize their own agenda whenever possible
D) to expect one's assistance will be happily received
E) always to prefer the dying person's desires to one's own needs

Question 26

When helping dying persons who raise questions that are spiritual in nature, one should

A) provide answers to such questions for the individual
B) ask for help from a priest, minister, or clergy person
C) be present and listen actively
D) describe one's own answers to the questions
E) none of these

Question 27

By enabling dying persons to "sing their own songs" or to "tell their own stories," the helper is

A) addressing physical needs
B) addressing social needs
C) encouraging autonomy
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 28

In order to minimize stress in helping dying persons, it is important for helpers to

A) talk to family members and friends about all of their daily experiences
B) put aside their own coping issues in order to focus on those of the dying person
C) have a rich and satisfying life of their own
D) be totally committed to their work
E) appreciate how important they are in the work they are doing

Question 29

Terminal illness is usually associated with

A) psychiatric problems
B) addiction to narcotic drugs
C) suicidal tendencies
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 30

Enhancing opportunities for dying persons to engage in creative and artistic endeavors is valuable because

A) helpers can join together in natural ways with those who are coping with dying
B) these activities can be undertaken in diverse settings
C) these activities reflect specifically human qualities
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 31

In a memorable quotation from the audiovisual, "The Heart of the New Age Hospice," one woman says

A) "duty with love is preposterous"
B) "duty without love is acceptable"
C) "love with duty is divine"
D) "duty without love is unacceptable"
E) "love without duty is divine"

Question 32

When you visit a dying person and he or she does not seem pleased that you are there, you may feel awful after the visit. In this situation, you should think that

A) the dying person is grumpy and exhausted
B) it is not fair that I did such a kind thing and it wasn't appreciated
C) I should have ignored the dying person and talked to his family members
D) it wasn't a good visit and I won't do it again
E) I will try to think of some other way to be helpful

Question 33

Callanan and Kelley argued that communications reflecting "nearing death awareness" are

A) likely to be empty or enigmatic expressions of confusion
B) efforts to hide what dying is like as it is being experienced by the individual
C) expressions of final requests concerning what is needed before the individual can experience a peaceful death
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 34

The principle that coping tasks can become guidelines for helpers must always be realized in

A) universal ways
B) generalizations
C) individual circumstances
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 35

When you are visiting a dying person and he or she starts talking about dying, how should you best respond?

A) tell them this is uncomfortable for you
B) feel honored that the person has chosen to share these intimate thoughts with you
C) gradually attempt to change the subject
D) ask the person if he or she is feeling depressed
E) tell the person what you think and feel about the prospect of your own dying

Question 36

Individuals who are caring for dying persons should

A) evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses
B) choose their own goals
C) determine their own stress level
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 37

For dying persons, hope

A) most often focuses on what yet can be done
B) almost always focuses on getting well
C) is no longer really possible
D) is usually expressed in unrealistic wishes
E) is not a characteristically human phenomenon

Question 38

An important aspect of communication with a dying person is

A) not interrupting when the dying person is speaking
B) being careful not to touch the dying person
C) providing a clean and cool environment
D) playing stimulating and loud music
E) expressing pity for the situation of the dying person

Question 39

Being an advocate for dying persons means

A) acting on their behalf to address their concerns
B) empowering dying persons to act for themselves
C) speaking for dying persons when they are unable to speak for themselves
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 40

Once a dying person states that he or she has accepted the fact that he or she is dying, the role of the helper

A) ceases-because acceptance has been reached
B) becomes passive and awaits death
C) continues to involve active listening
D) all of these
E) none of these