Family Facing the Unexpected Death of a Child

Family Facing the unexpected death of a child 

The worst thing that can ever happen to a parent is the death of a kid. Every family member may experience shock, bewilderment, wrath, and guilt in the wake of a child's death. The most powerful, complicated, and protracted kind of grief is determined to be parental mourning following the death of a child. As their parents devote all of their care to the dying kid, siblings may feel abandoned or neglected. At the same time, siblings may feel guilty for feeling this way.

Families may frequently experience anticipatory sadness when a kid is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness or is suffering from a long-term, possibly fatal condition (such as AIDS, cystic fibrosis, or cancer). Long before their child passed away, parents and other family members grieved the loss of their child. However, when a kid dies suddenly and unexpectedly (from an accident or due to violence), the family is unable to experience anticipatory grieving. Family members may feel overwhelming shame and regret that they were powerless to help the youngster in such a predicament. They might express that the situation is not real or feel as though their chest is constricting, or they might look for explanations as to why the death could not have been avoided. Families can also act hostile or agitated.

Children's understanding of death by Developmental Age

Infants and Toddlers:

Children under the age of three lack the cognitive capacity to recognize death. As death draws near, the dying infant frequently experiences increased pain and other discomforts. While they can be afraid of losing their cherished caretakers, they are unaware of how close and irreversible death is. For the youngster, stability, affection, and comfort are essential. The youngster feels more secure when typical routines are maintained to the greatest extent possible.

Preschoolers:

Although they understand the terms "dead" and "death," preschoolers see death as a passing condition. They don't really get what death means; they view it as a form of sleep. They could think of death as something that occurs to other people. After a close family member passes away, people could be afraid to go to sleep for fear of not waking up. They view serious disease and death as a form of retribution for wrongdoing. They feel comfortable and secure with their parents, and they fear being apart from them.

School-Age:

By the time they are nine or ten years old, school-age youngsters start to comprehend death as the end of life. They start to comprehend that they are "living" and that they can stop being "life." They frequently show a fear of dying and death and may inquire about the dying process. Therefore, family caregivers and nurses must identify this as an expression of their fear and refrain from reprimanding or penalizing them for this conduct. They show their dread through vocal anger. The youngster feels more secure when family members are present and routines are kept reasonably consistent. They can also worry about their parents dying.

Adolescents:

Although adolescents are completely aware of the notion of death, they mistakenly believe that they will always live (see death as something that happens to older people). A terminally ill adolescent may display helplessness, rage, fear of pain, hopelessness, and depression. Adolescents who participate in their regular activities feel more in control. Teenagers frequently experience a separation from their friends as a result of their friends' discomfort in keeping up a friendship with a dying person in their own age group.

Nursing management

The dying child should receive unconditional love and understanding. The child must be allowed to communicate his or her feelings in a nonjudgmental environment.

• Relieving child's pain and discomfort
  • Do everything you can to assure the child's comfort, especially when it comes to pain relief. Give the dying youngster access to enough painkillers around-the-clock to stop their suffering from returning or getting worse.
  • Reduce noise and light in order to maintain a peaceful and quiet environment.
  • Apply comfort measures to improve the child's quality of life and reduce pain. Examples include regular positioning, using pillows as needed, changing damp sheets, giving the child attentive skin and mouth care, and giving back rubs and massages.
• Providing Nutrition
  • Give the youngster frequent, little meals. Ensure that the meal is provided in a welcoming setting.
  • To lessen nausea in the youngster, keep strong smells away from them.
  • As needed, administer an antiemetic.
  • Maintain the lips moisturized and take care of oral hygiene.
• Providing emotional support to the dying child and family members
  • Encourage the youngster and the entire family to express their emotions
  • Make sure the child can reach out to the family. Include family members in all aspects of the care of the child.
  • Encourage the family to be with the child as much as they can.
  • When conversing with children, be honest and exact.
  • Encourage the child to engage in decision-making and support their need for independence.
  • Give parents and siblings information on grieving support organizations and medical professionals.
  • Accept the family's sorrow reactions; refrain from passing judgment. Parents sometimes go so far as to wish the child dead, and they frequently feel guilty and blame themselves for this.
  • Give advice in advance of the child's real death and any subsequent immediate choices and obligations.
  • Assure the parents that every effort will be made to ensure the child's comfort at the moment of death.
  • Clarify and respect the parents' intentions for attendance at the child's passing. Whether it is before, during, or after the death, ask if they want to hold the kid.
• Providing support to family members at the time of death
  • Stay with the family; do not leave the family alone. If they would rather remain silent, simply sit.
  • Maintain contact and availability with family members and offer them help as they cope with their loss.
  • Assure the family that the youngster is receiving the best care possible.
  • Express your own sorrow or annoyance, for example, "We shall miss him so much," or "We did everything; we are so sorry we couldn't help her."
  • Be honest and provide the family with the information they request.
  • If family members wish to be there, make every attempt to arrange for them to be with the child at the time of death. This goes especially for the parents.
  • Permit the family to spend as much time as they'd like with the deceased child and to hold the child.
  • When you can, offer practical assistance, such gathering the child's stuff.
  • Instead of keeping quiet so as not to disturb another family member, encourage all parents and siblings to express their feelings and thoughts to the dying kid.
  • Stress that mourning is a difficult process that frequently takes years to complete.