When undergoing health problems causing elimination issues, patients face concurrent physical, psychological, and emotional challenges, the addressing of which might help patients improve their well-being. Elimination complexities are the problems related to natural bodily waste removal due to health issues. Indeed, researchers state that “toileting difficulties are known to be challenging on a personal and economical level for both the individuals themselves and their families” (Grimsland et al., 2019, p. 1055). Due to the sensitivity of the issue and the associated challenges faced by caregivers, the lives of family and patients might be characterized by discomfort, additional stress, and conflict.
To help families of patients with elimination complexities manage the issue, nurses should implement effective psychological and emotional care. In particular, patients and families should be educated on the assistance techniques and made aware of the stress relief approaches to maintain a healthy mental state when caring for the patient. It is specifically important for nurses to ensure that the family members are emotionally and intellectually prepared to provide support and assistance to the patient (Sherman et al., 2019, pp. 1-2). Active communication of issues, consultations, peer support, and encouragement are important elements of nursing work with families.
It is particularly important for patients to obtain nurses’ spiritual support while dealing with elimination issues. For example, when integrating the statement on faith in nursing, one might address the importance of family support as a pivotal element of patients’ recovery and restoration. Indeed, “the Christian worldview offers hope of restoration, not only for individuals, but also for families, communities and societies in which individuals live” (“Statement on the integration of faith and work,” n. d., para. 2). Thus, when nurses follow the Christian ideas of prioritizing restoration and recovery under the impact of support, both patients and their families will receive necessary moral support and encouragement to overcome challenges.
References
Grimsland, F., Seim, A., Borza, T., & Helvik, A. S. (2019). Toileting difficulties in older people with and without dementia receiving formal in‐home care – A longitudinal study. Nursing Open, 6(3), 1055-1066. Web.
Sherman, D. W. (2019). A review of the complex role of family caregivers as health team members and second-order patients. Healthcare, 7(2), 1-12. Web.
Statement on the integration of faith and work. (n. d.). [PDF document].