Placement Reflection On Caring For The Dying Nursing Essay

Placement Reflection On Caring For The Dying Nursing EssayWhen I told slew that I was going to do my practicum with people who are dying I matt-up like an alien. And yet death is a part of the life process. Death is something that touches every individual and family but the reality is that we operate in a contemporary death denying culture. To confirm this particular, numerous expressions are used to describe dying. To conceal fear of death people use euphemisms like, gone(p) to meet his or her maker, gone on to a better place, passed on and numerous other expressions that do not engage the word died. The idea of doing my practicum at a hospice excited me because it was a new domain for me. I was ready and eager to apply theories erudite into a practical setting. My arrangement palpate provided me taste that as a affectionate worker one is never better prepared to deal with death of a guest or even ones impend death. I watched clients grapple with mental and mad turmoil t hat comes with having a terminal illness and my spiritual perspective shifted. While working with individuals who are dying plunder be complicated and stressful, it provided potential to bring countless personal and professional rewards which helped me challenge my accept mortality.Philip Aziz Centre is a home hospice created as an alternative dissertate addressing service users needs beyond gender or medical diagnosis. Services provided include practical, physical, emotional and spiritual support for people living with HIV/AIDS, pubic louse and other life threatening illnesses. Because bureaucracy is one of the tools of development that organizes and structures operations of any efficient agency, my placement is no exception. Autonomy of both worker and client is allot affluenty regulated in relation to specific rules of behaviour. Hence, the importance of analyzing the potential impact organizations may have to exert power and influence on employees and clients (Handy, 1997) . My placement agency like any other hierarchical bureaucracy provides both social care and social control.During my first few weeks, I recall being sceptical and uncomfortable about the spiritual helping. This was because of an incident that happened a few weeks into my placement. I was assigned to work with the Chaplain to organize a retreat for a conference of terminally ill clients who access spiritual care services from the agency. I started to increasingly feel uncomfortable when the Chaplain started to make unreasonable demands on me that she wanted to solicit for me. Ogbor (2001) contends corporate culture washbasin be used to reinforce informal norms and can become an expectation on the part of employees that would be otherwise woolly (p.594). Indeed, I felt lost in this religious dilemma and felt like I was in what Ogbor refers to as psychic prison. A instrument oft constructed by individuals to protect against internal tensions. It occurred to me that I was not on ly losing my sense of self but my identity was being manipulated through the prayer rituals.Couzen (2005) citing Foucault states that through norms individuals can be programmed by social institutions. This is because once there is dominance normalization makes dominance invisible. Hence, I found myself assimilating into the assigned organizational religious heathen values and norms. When I reflected on the theories of corporate hegemony, I became aware of the intersections of whiteness and the heathen imposition that was taking place. wherefore was I succumbing to what appeared as religious indoctrination? Was I being manipulated? Institutional patterns operate as techniques of power and domination (Ogbor, 2001). The imbalance of power was emotionally unsettling. Using Foucaults work to examine self-regulation, I take full responsibility for self-regulating and being complicit in my own domination. My chastening to be critical about ideological practices that went against my p ersonal beliefs and values gave the Chaplain permission to legitimize and do the prayer rituals. Thus, techniques of domination intersect with self to produce what Foucault describes as governmentality..The self-imposed surveillance constituted a form of internalized panopticon (Ogbor, 2001). As a result, self-oppression and conformity was impede my project of freedom. My consciousness was provoked by this realization. The harboured angry feelings turned me into an ugly person. Unable to contain the anger, the situation exploded into a nasty confrontation with the Chaplain. Imagining that the Chaplain sensed me as a transgressor requiring to be saved by religion, I became what Zimbardo (1971) describes as a dangerous prisoner. I lashed out at the Chaplin yelling and accusing her of severe to be self-righteous and ethnocentric. I regret this verbal altercation because it was not professional on my part. In retrospect, I realize that the factors influencing my angry reaction ran deeper and were political. I felt that as a person of colour, the Chaplain was using the historical colonial weapon of religion to save me from myself. I grew up during the apartheid and religion was shoved down my pharynx from childhood until high school. worship then was used as an ideological tool to teach Africans morals and civility. Thus, the very idea that the Chaplain may have been reproducing my agonising colonial past made my blood churn.It is through such schooling processes that my individual colonial past and fears manifest into a defence mechanism. This defence mechanism often times projects the deep colonial scars that lie deep inside. Now, I am aware that the residue of what happened in the past can mar my social interactions. For the around part, I have spent my life focussing on my painful colonial experiences of being treated as the Other and reacting negatively. I am aware that when a white person speaks I find myself analyzing every single word just to ensu re that there are no racial connotations. This is a problem because it means that I enter into this conversation with strong biases and prejudice. I realize the need to look beyond my physical and psychological hurt in order to move forward. Nonetheless, I am encouraged by Bell Hooks (1990) thesis in Choosing the margin. Through practice, I have larn that we choose our marginal identities but are not confined to these rigid positions. I admit that I have to change the way I speak. My lyric poem should not bind or fence in my dominator. Because words have importee, I have to engage in meaningful and respectful dialogue.When the contradict with Chaplain escalated, I recalled the words of one of my professors in College that conflict was healthy and a normal part of any human consanguinity. I knew that allowing conflict to escalate can demarcation opportunities to engage in open and respectful dialogue. But, for some strange reason, I allowed the conflict to fester for too long. I lost the learned key conflict resolution principles of using the I statements rather that you statements. In fact, I cast blame on the Chaplain and turned myself into a victim a principle we learned in the first year that it did not exist because power is everywhere. A fact I later disproved by exercising negative power through yelling at the Chaplin. Lessons from Foucault came into focus that power is not always repressive because it is relational. Eventually, I took ownership of my role in this particular conflict, an opportunity that enabled me to step tush from the emotional attachments that went with the religious disagreement.This introspection allowed me to seek help from my Faculty Field Supervisor. It was after my meeting with my Faculty Supervisor that I began to reflect on my own behaviour in the whole process. I took ownership and apologized to the Chaplain for behaving in an unprofessional manner. I was able to convey to her my feelings about the situation and the mat ter was fade awayd amicably. She in turn apologized because she had not cognize the implication of her behaviour. She immediately stopped bringing the idea of praying for me in our work relationship a decision that I comprehended because it allowed my individuality and growth in my practicum. I must admit that this conflict was a driving force for my improved performance in my practicum. My relationship with the Chaplain turned into a healthy and positive experience which led to better team decisions and more creative ideas.My Faculty Adviser helped me realize the importance of taking a step back before reacting. In our meeting, I recall him advising me to use a critical reflective approach as a tool to resolve practice dilemmas in a constructive way. This useful advice was turned a somewhat poisoned environment into an amenable situation. Through dialogue this situation was resolved and my relationship with the Chaplain became cordial. In fact, she became one of the people I sou ght advice from as I encountered my clients struggling with the meaning of life after a terminal diagnosis. Through this experience, I gained insight into my workplace, my colleagues and myself. I was able to rank my own assumptions and biases about religion which was interfering with my professional practice. I have learned that spiritism is an essential component of the bio-psycho-social framework particularly in palliative care. Identifying spiritual assets and strengths can help clients cope with or solve problems.The conflict with the Chaplain was pivotal in my self-awareness and consciousness raise as I pursued my journey with Grace, a fifty year old woman battling terminal cancer. My journey with Grace (pseudonym) gave me prose to think about the meaning of life. As a social worker, my client taught me that when a life threatening illness such as cancer confronts us, it is the realities of death and questions about life that inspire us to step back from our lives including supposition. Ironically, my perspective on realities of implications of a terminal illness emerged from spiritual and philosophical orientation. It became evident that the end of life was one of the most important times for a social worker to address spirituality. In this process, I discovered that spirituality is an essential yet undeveloped component of cultural competence.My interaction with my client led me to examine spirituality as a form of cultural competence. Spirituality represents a potential influence on emotional well-being of the cancer patient as well as the family members or caregivers. As Graces cancer progressed she confronted me with a myriad of questions. When Grace said why me? Why now? My social work textbooks could not provide practical solutions. What do you tell someone asking you why she is dying? At that moment, I realized that cancer causes not only physical but mental, emotional and spiritual suffering. I discovered that some clients find safety in di scussing spiritual issues with a social worker because of the professions lack of alignment with a specific religious or spiritual base (Healy, 2001). However, as a social worker, I felt challenged because my training does not incorporate the topic of spirituality as part of service provision. But, through our interactions, Grace was able to teach me that spirituality was in fact a significant part of ones cultural identity and can be a source of healing.Healy (2001) provides helpful account of benefits of spirituality in palliative care. My experience at Philip Aziz made me aware of the importance of spirituality in social work practice. Healy argues spiritual issues are often apparent in palliative care and require social work to extend practice which may at times be limiting because of opposition by some proponents who argue that religious and spiritual care are incompatible with the image of modern profession (p.85). The incident described above, allowed me to reflect on my own practice and confusion arising from my failure to understand the difference between spirituality and religion. Working with Grace raised my consciousness in understanding that spirituality refers to search for meaning and mutually fulfilling relationships. Religion on the other hand is often an organized activity for the expression of faith. This distinction helped me to be reflexive and draw on social work theory to come up with creative solutions to help my client.I was able to explore a broad range of practice options for my client. For example, conducting a needs assessment helped to identify my clients strengths and capacities that were evidently invisible because of my resistance to spirituality as a form of intervention. Despite the fact that cancer was ravaging her body, Grace was able to let me hunch over that her priority need was working on spiritual distress she was experiencing. Integrating spirituality in my work practice presented incredible effective cross cultural communication techniques in palliative care. Using the strength perspective framework, she was able to articulate her hopes for the future in our relationship. I discarded my idea of seeking to reclaim her personal cancer pathology and focussed on her need. Our relationship blossomed until Grace died peacefully on February 26, 2010. Because Grace was Jewish, I had the honour to be invited by the family to what is called a Shiva, an cause for family and close friends only. I learnt that in Judaism, a person mourns for a relative in seven stages. The mourners sit on low stools throughout that period to constitute the mourners awareness that life has changed. The low chairs shows desire to be close to the earth in which the loved one was buried.Finally, I concluded that social work and spirituality had much to learn from each other. I learnt that death is central to the meaning of human life and provides a backdrop against which life is lived. Throughout this process, my greatest le arning outcome came from understanding that as a social worker my role is not to work miracles but to provide support and actively listen. To help people discover their own strength rather than an attitude of rescuing them. I will value taking fifteen minutes of my every day to reflect on how my actions negatively or positively impact everyone I come into contact with. This reflective process will enable me to avoid pointing fingers to other but at myself and find ways to change whatever needs to be improved.

Indian Music Essays -- Music History Musical Arts Essays India

Indian Music The music of India is genius of the oldest unspoken tuneful traditions in the world. The basis of for Indian music is sangeet. Sangeet is a combination of three art forms vocal music, creatureal music (Indian music). Indian music is base upon septette modes (scales). It is probably no coincidence that Greek music is also base upon seven modes. Furthermore, the Indian scales follow the same process of modulation (murchana) that was found in ancient Greek music. Since Greece is also Indo-European, this is another piece of evidence for the Indo-European connection (Dance and music of India). The vocal tradition is especially strong in Indian music. It is understood that the song is probably the most ancient form of music. Vocal music occupies a considerable part of Natya Shastra (Indian music). The samaveda is the oldest musical text in India. some of the classical songs of north India are devotional in nature, only if there are few genres which are especially point toward religion. Most notable is the bhajan, dhun or kirtan for Hindus, the kawali (qawali) for Muslims, and the shabad for Sikhs (Indian music). Not all the music is serious for there are also many popular genres. The gazal is one style, which is known for it rich poetic, and romantic content. The Hindi geet which is essentially just a song and undoubtedly the most popular is the film song (Indian music). There are also a few genres which are oriented specifically toward musical education. The most notable example is a genre called lakshan geet. In this style the words of the song actually describe the rag which is being performed (Indian music). India also has a rich tradition of folk music. These will vary from region to region. Instrumental music occupies an important position in Indian music. It is one of the threefold aspects of sangeet and has a very ancient history. Instrumental music is known as vadhya sangeet (India, dance and music). Over the years they have become form alized into quaternary major instrumental styles known as alap, jor, gat and jhala (India, dance and music). The alap is a slow rhythm less elaboration upon the rag. The jor is a section that has rhythm but no developed rhythmic cycle (i.e., tal). The gat is the fully developed piece, while the jhala is a fast rhythmic interplay between the drone strings and the chief(prenominal) playing strings (Indian music). The... ...e plucked with a wire finger plectrum called mizrab. There are also a series of sympathetic strings craft under the frets. These strings are almost never played but they vibrate whenever the corresponding note is sounded. The frets are metal rods, which have been bent into crescents. The important resonator is usually make of a gourd and there is sometimes an additional resonator attached to the neck (Indian music). Another famous music instrument is tabla. Tabla is a pair of drums. It consists of a small right hand drum called dayan and a larger metal one call ed bayan. The tabla has an interesting construction. The dayan (right hand drum) is almost incessantly made of wood. The diameter at the membrane may run from just under five inches to over six inches. The bayan (left hand drum) may be made of iron, aluminium, copper, steel, or clay yet brass with a nickel or chrome plate is the most common material. Undoubtedly the most striking property of the tabla is the large black spot on each of the playing surfaces. These black spots are a mixture of gum, soot, and iron filings. Their function is to create the bell-like quality that is characteristic of the instrument. (Carnatic music).

A Timeline of Major Events in the American Civil Rights Movement :: American Civil Rights Movement

Civil Rights Movement 1890-1900 1890 The state of Mississippi adopts poll taxes and literacy tests to discourage forbidding voters. 1895 Booker T. Washington delivers his Atlanta Exposition speech, which accepts segregation of the races. 1896 The Supreme accost rules in Plessy v. Ferguson the separate but equal treatment of the races is constitutional. 1900-1910 1900-1915 Over one thousand blacks are lynched in the states of the former Confederacy. 1905 The Niagara Movement is founded by W.E.B. du Bois and other black leaders to urge more direct action to achieve black civil rights. 1910-1920 1910 National Urban League is founded to help the conditions of urban African Americans. 1920-1930 1925 black-market nationalist leader Marcus Garvey is convicted of mail fraud. 1928 For the first time in the 20th century an African American is elected to Congress. 1930-1940 1931 Farrad Muhammad establishes in Detroit what will become the dreary Muslim Movement. 1933 The NAACP files -and lo ses- its firs suit against segregation and discrimination in education. 1938 The Supreme Court orders the admission of a black applicant to the University of Missouri Law School 1941 A. Philip Randoph threatens a massive march on Washington unless the Roosevelt administration takes measures to ensure black employment in defense industries Roosevelt agrees to establish Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC). 1942 The sex act of Racial Equality (CORE) is organized in Chicago. 1943 Race riots in Detroit and Harlem cause black leaders to ask their followers to be less demanding in asseverate their commitment to civil rights A. Philip Randolph breaks ranks to call for civil disobedience against Jim Crow schools and railroads. 1946 The Supreme Court, in Morgan v. The Commonwealth of Virginia, rules that state laws requiring racial segregation on buses violates the Constitution when employ to interstate passengers. 1947 Jackie Robinson breaks the color line in major league baseball. 1947 To Secure These Rights, the report by the Presidents Committee on Civil Rights, is released the commission, institute by President Harry S. Truman, recommends government action to secure civil rights for all Americans. 1948 President Harry S. Truman issues an executive order desegregating the armed services. 1950-1960 1950 The NAACP decides to make its well-grounded strategy a full-scale attack on educational segregation. 1954 First White Citizens Council meeting is held in Mississippi. 1954 School year begins with the integration of 150 once segregated school districts in eight states many other school districts remain segregated.

Migraine: The Unbearable Headache :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Migraine The Unbearable HeadacheI often remember my grandmother lying exhaust on the couch with an agonizing look on her face. At times like these, shed frequently ask to turn down the volume of anything seemingly similarly loud, or to dim the lights. Grandma was going through her common, yet terrible incidents of migraine concerns. As a child, I never really understood why aspirin wouldnt help her pain. After all, thats what we all took when we had a headache, and soon enough we were back to feeling fine. Little did I know of her condition until, as an adolescent, I experienced, for the first time, what my sisters and I jokingly called, the grandma episodes. The pain was so terrible I could barely eat, drink, move, talk or see things they elan they normally looked. blink lights overtook my vision and a nauseating feeling kept me hidden in my totally dark bedroom attempting to make the overall disgust go away. I went from prescription pills that would only relieve the other symp toms, to inhalers that would knock me out after a couple of minutes. I also tried green apples, stopped deglutition caffeinated substances, made a journal, tried breathing exercises, and nothing really helped. So, where was science? Why was it not coming to my aid? Controversies over the origin of migraines, and TV specials regarding what to do about them, would always leave me empty-handed. In time, I came to accept the fact that no one had real answers and that I had to live with my condition the best way possible. But what exactly do scientists say is a migraine headache and what does science have to say in contribution to this? A migraine headache is considered a vascular condition that is associated with changes in the size of the arteries within and outside of the brain causing them to throb and spasm. The National Headache Foundation estimates that 28 zillion Americans suffer from migraines and these occur about three times more frequently in women than in men. A quarter of all women with migraines suffer four or more attacks a month 35% experience one to four severe attacks a month and 40% experience one or little than one severe attack a month. Each migraine can last from four hours to three old age. Occasionally, lasting longer. Studies have shown that per 100 people, about 5.5 days of activity are restricted per year due to migraines.

Person Essay On Charles :: essays research papers

Person Essay on CharlesAs a handsome 5 10" male with dark hair spiked in the front, and themost engaging smile approached my desk , I knew I would be express mirth shortly.Charles walked up to my desk in Human Biology while we were dissecting eyeballsand commented on my eyeball. "You seem to progress to a better eyeball than I do."Many people wouldnt have divvy upn this situation so lightly but because ofCharless sense of humor existence around him was guaranteed to be fun. With hisfeigned itching disease, his crazy antics, or his practical jokes my friendCharless sense of humor has taught me not to take life so disadvantageously and havefun anywhere and everywhere.I first met Charles at Dans, a mutual friends, party, where he told mehe had an I itching disease. He was drinking beer and I had cranberry juicewith vodka, and since we drove we had to spend the night. So around 330am wegot tired and went to lie down. As soon as we laid down Charles asked if hecould take his shirt off and if I would scratch his back. I told him sure. Sohe did and thats when he told me he had an itching disease and I wouldnt beable to depart scratching his back until it stopped itching him. Well, with alittle alcohol in me I believed him. I laid there for 2 hours before Irealized he had fallen asleep and went to sleep myself. On Monday on school Isaw Charles and asked him how his itching disease was. He just looked at megrinned and chuckled. Thats when I realized he had pulled a fast one on me.It didnt take me long to realize that Charles had some crazy antics uphis sleeve. At other party Charles, Lisa , Dan and I sat in a room talking.Lisa and Dan were drinking and were drunk. Charles and I were not. Dan startedflipping out by yelling and screaming that the radio, which was on 2 at themost, was to loud. Charles knew that Dan was drunk and decided to play with hishead. So Charles whispered into my ear that I should tell him I turned it down.So I did and Dan was o k with it. Charles and I were laughing hystericallybecause it was so much fun playing with these drunk friends.Charles didnt care what other people thought about him as long as hemade people laugh. At a chorus concert one night our friend Lisa brought in her

The Cuban Revolution Essay -- Cuban History Cuba War Essays

They talk about the failure of socialism but where is the success of capitalism in Africa, Asia and Latin America? -- Fidel CastroIntroductionDuring the 1950s, Cuba was on the brink of revolution. The nation, which had suffered numerous corrupt and oppressive governmental regimes, fell victim to yet another when Fulgencio Batista seized exponent under a military coup in March of 1952. A cry for a just Cuba, that was stintingally, politically, and socially free continued to echo throughout the island. In 1959, a group of radical revolutionaries, under the leadership of Fidel Castro, overthrew the Batista dictatorship and put in place the political and social structures that exist in Cuba to this day. Prez-Stables Reasons for RevolutionEven after obtaining its independence from Spain in 1898, conditions still existed in Cuba that made it ripe for insurrection. Prez-Stable feels that one of the primary causes for Cubas problems was the economic instability that resulted from its depen dence on sugar. This industry, says Prez-Stable, was the most important depository of domestic and foreign capital investments (14). Because of its short harvesting season, however, sugar was largely to break up for Cubas unemployment and underemployment. In addition, sugar was responsible for the nations continued economic reliance on the United States. The U.S. was Cubas primary trading partner. The Cuban and United States governments had established reciprocity agreements by which the United States would buy the majority of Cuban sugar in exchange for reduced tariffs on its imports to Cuba. Nevertheless, these agreements worked to the advantage of the U.S. man helping to preserve economic hardships for Cuba.By the 1950s, ... ...scouraged in socialist Cuba.Works CitedCastro, Fidel. History Will Absolve Me(excerpts). Closing speech in trial for the 1953 Moncada attack. invite out 1From The United States, Cuba and the Cold War American Failure or Communist Conspiracy?. Ed. L. La ngley. Lexington, MA 1970.26th of July work. Program Manifesto of the 26th of July Movement. in Cuba in Revolution. Ed. R. Bonachea and Nelson Valds. Garden City, NJ 1972.Guevara, Ernesto Che. One Year of Armed Struggle. In Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War. Trans. Victoria Ortiz. New York Monthly refresh Press, 1968.Paterson, Thomas G. Contesting Castro The United States and The Triumph of the Cuban Revolution. New York Oxford University Press, 1994.Prez-Stable, Marifeli. The Cuban Revolution Origins, Course, and Legacy. New York Oxford University Press, 1999.

hannibal Essay -- essays research papers

Character Development Comparison/Contrast (BR 2)Sometimes help is where we least expect it. But when we find the help we argon looking for, we will do anything for it. In Silence of the Lambs, Clarice Starling finds help in the form a serial killer, Dr. Lecter. He helps her in two ways, he helps her authorise the case of a serial killer at large, and in the process forces Clarice to face her past, helping her move on. Also Clarice helps Dr. Lecter fill an empty space in his life, which is that of a female companion which he has longed for since the death of his sister. Perhaps it is also that when we find help, we are reluctant to accept it. In Silence of the Lambs, Clarice has no pickax but to confront her past as she needs information from Dr. Lecter in order to solve her case. As the story goes on Clarice begins to become intrigued by Dr. Lecter and realizes that he is helping her heal. Starling cut out the picture of Hannah and put it in her wallet. It was the only thing she s aved. She was healing (pg.332).In Hannibal, Clarice seems to forget that Dr. Lecter is a wanted serial killer. Clarice becomes obsess with Dr. Lecter. She allows her obsession to overtake her life, Some anonymous neighbor printed a sign in gothic letters that read Hannibals House and pinned it on her blanket entrance (258). Clarice becomes so involved with Dr. Lecter that sh...