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The article Researchers map how the brain regulates emotions from Science Daily informs us on the studies they have done on why it might be hard to regulate our emotions within being flexible. They state that some aspects of mental health can be tied back to the inability to be flexible. They found emotional regulation is most strong in the anterior of the prefrontal cortex. This article can help inform educators on why it is important to help regulate your students ability to be flexible as it has many benefits and can improve mental health for the long run. It can be brought up during a mental health lesson to take time and think about decisions being made and if they are being flexible about certain situations. I think it is essential for educators to know about this topic because it can play a huge role in their students' mental health which can affect their learning and joy around school.

Dartmouth College. (2024, April 3). Researchers map how the brain regulates emotions. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 11, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240403170916.htm

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Ever want to scream during a particularly bad day, but then manage not to? Thank the human brain and how it regulates emotions, which can be critical for navigating everyday life. As we perceive events unfolding around us, the ability to be flexible and reframe a situation impacts not only how we feel, but also our behavior and decision-making.

In fact, some of the problems associated with mental health relate to individuals' inability to be flexible, such as when persistent negative thoughts make it hard to perceive a situation differently.

To help address such issues, a new Dartmouth-led study is among the first of its kind to separate activity relating to emotion generation from emotion regulation in the human brain. The findings are published in Nature Neuroscience.

"As a former biomedical engineer, it was exciting to identify some brain regions that are purely unique to regulating emotions," says lead author Ke Bo, a postdoctoral researcher in the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab (CANlab) at Dartmouth. "Our results provide new insight into how emotion regulation works by identifying targets which could have clinical applications."

For example, the systems the researchers identified could be good targets for brain stimulation to enhance the regulation of emotion.

Using computational methods, the researchers examined two independent datasets of fMRI studies obtained earlier by co-author Peter Gianaros at the University of Pittsburgh. Participants' brain activity was recorded in an fMRI scanner as they viewed images that were likely to draw a negative reaction such as a bloody scene or scary- looking animals.

The participants were then asked to recontextualize the stimulus by generating new kinds of thoughts about an image to make it less aversive, before a neutral image was presented followed by another dislikable image.

By examining the neural activity, researchers could identify the brain areas that are more active when emotions are regulated versus when emotions are generated.

The new study reveals that emotion regulation, also known in neuroscience as "reappraisal," involves particular areas of the anterior prefrontal cortex and other higher-level cortical hierarchies whose role in emotion regulation had not previously been isolated with this level of precision. These regions are involved in other high-level cognitive functions and are important for abstract thought and long-term representations of the future.

The more people are able to activate these emotion regulation-selective brain regions, the more resilient they are to experiencing something negative without letting it affect them personally. These findings build on other research linking these areas to better mental health and the ability to resist temptations and avoid drug addiction.

The results also demonstrated that the amygdala, which is known as the threat-related brain region responsible for negative emotion and has long been considered an ancient subcortical threat center, responds to aversive experiences the same way, whether people are using their thoughts to self-regulate down-regulate negative emotion or not. "It's really the cortex that is responsible for generating people's emotional responses, by changing the way we see and attach meaning to events in our environments," says Bo.

The researchers were also interested in identifying the neurochemicals that interact with emotion regulation systems. Neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin shape how networks of neurons communicate and are targets for both illicit drugs and therapeutic treatments alike. Some neurotransmitters may be important for enabling the ability to self-regulate or "down-regulate."

The team compared the emotion regulation brain maps from the two datasets to neurotransmitter binding maps from 36 other studies. The systems involved in regulating negative emotion overlapped with particular neurotransmitter systems.

"Our results showed that receptors for cannabinoids, opioids, and serotonin, including 5H2A, were especially rich in areas that are involved in emotion regulation," says senior author Tor Wager, the Diana L. Taylor Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience and director of the Dartmouth Brain Imaging Center at Dartmouth. "When drugs that bind to these receptors are taken, they are preferentially affecting the emotion regulation system, which raises questions about their potential for long-term effects on our capacity to self-regulate."

Serotonin is well-known for its role in depression, as the most widely used antidepressant drugs inhibit its reuptake in synapses, which transmit signals from one neuron to another.

5H2A is the serotonin receptor most strongly affected by another exciting new type of treatment for mental health -- psychedelic drugs. The study's findings suggest that the effects of drugs on depression and other mental health disorders may work in part by altering how we think about life events and our ability to self-regulate. This may help explain why drugs, particularly psychedelics, are likely to be ineffective without the right kind of psychological support. The study could help improve therapeutic approaches by increasing our understanding of why and how psychological and pharmaceutical approaches need to be combined into integrated treatments.

"It's important to consider these types of connections that come from basic science," says Wager. "Understanding drug effects requires understanding the brain systems involved and what they're doing at a cognitive level."

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nervous system; psychology research; mental health research; brain tumor; intelligence; neuroscience; brain-computer interfaces; disorders and syndromes

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Researchers map how the brain regulates emotions

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A new study is among the first of its kind to separate activity relating to emotion generation from emotion regulation in the human brain. The findings provide new insights that could help inform therapeutic treatments regarding mental health and drug addiction.

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Healthy eating - Dietary recommendations

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Healthy eating - Dietary recommendations

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The article current dietary Guidelines helps inform us on nutritional guidelines. The dietary guidelines for Americans provide information on healthy eating, meeting nutritional needs and disease prevention. These dietary recommendations are updated every five years by the U.S department of health and human services and agriculture. They have a downloadable document that ranges for all ages starting at infants and toddlers. This website is a science-based nutritional guide! This website pertains to teaching health education to K-4th grade as it provides useful information for a well balanced nutritional meal. It is important to learn at a young age how to get all the nutrition you need to grow big and strong! In the classroom teachers can use the blank image of MyPlate and have children fill in nutritious foods that fit the category of each section of the plate.

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2024, April 1). Current Dietary guidelines . Current dietary guidelines. https://health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/dietary-guidelines/current-dietary-guidelines

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Dietary Guidelines for Americans | health.gov

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The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Dietary Guidelines) provides advice on what to eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and prevent disease. It is developed and written for a professional audience, including policymakers, healthcare providers, nutrition educators, and federal nutrition program operators. The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) work together to update and release the Dietary Guidelines every five years. Each edition of the Dietary Guidelines reflects the current body of nutrition science.

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(It won't link the correct article no matter how many times I try so the link to the article is in at APA reference)

From the article Low cardiorespiratory fitness in youth is associated with decreased work ability throughout adulthood from science daily they discuss the importance of physical activity in the youth. They found that with less physical activity came a decreased worth ethic. The end with stating how this can affect all of society as a whole. This pertains to teaching and incorporating physical activity in a classroom as it shows the importance of physical education and how it has long term effects. Teachers can stress the importance of physical activity and can help students find time in their day to be active!

University of Jyväskylä - Jyväskylän yliopisto. (2024, April 8). Low cardiorespiratory fitness in youth is associated with decreased work ability throughout adulthood. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 11, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240408130641.htm

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Personal health and Wellness: Sleep and rest

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Personal health and Wellness: Sleep and rest

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From the article Disparities in sleep health and insomnia may begin at a young age by Science Daily talks about the importance of sleep and rest. The article from Penn State shares facts about how children from racial and ethnic minority groups experience early onset of insomnia and how we should look out for signs and get age appropriate treatment as soon as possible. Insomnia in children can lead to cardiometabolic disease, depression, and anxiety throughout young adulthood. Lastly it states that many think it is a stage their children are going through of not being able to stay asleep as not wanting to sleep. Teachers in the classroom can express the importance of a good night's rest and ask those around the classroom if they feel they get a good night's rest. It is essential for teachers to know about this topic so they can be aware of the signs of students who might have it and help advocate for them.

Penn State. (2024, April 8). Disparities in sleep health and insomnia may begin at a young age. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 16, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240408130630.htm

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Disparities in sleep health and insomnia may begin at a young age

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Children and teens from racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by persistent insomnia symptoms that begin in childhood and continue through young adulthood, according to a new study. This study is one of the first to look at how childhood insomnia symptoms evolve over the long-term and investigate how the trajectory of insomnia differs between racial and ethnic groups.

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Intentional Injury and Violence: School Violence

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Intentional Injury and Violence: School Violence

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From the article New Schools Data Examine Violent Incidents, Bullying, Drug Possession, 'Restorative' Practices, Security Staff, and More by the National Center for Educational Statistics has shocking numbers to share about violence in a school setting. It was reported that “About 857,500 violent incidents and 479,500 nonviolent incidents were recorded by public schools in 2021-22”. They also found that 71% of public schools reported use or possession of drugs. Only 46% of public schools had school resource officers on their campuses. This article is beneficial towards teachers teaching elementary education as it brings awareness of the importance of teaching peace and problem solving skills so that violence is not the answer. Teachers can implement learning about this topic in the classroom by stating how violence is bad and teaching coping mechanisms ( meditation, breathing, taking a moment to think about what to say, etc) to help those types of situations not happen.

De La Rosa, J. (2024, January 17). New schools data examine violent incidents, bullying, drug possession, “restorative” practices, security staff, and more. Press Release - New Schools Data Examine Violent Incidents, Bullying, Drug Possession, “Restorative” Practices, Security Staff, and More - January 17, 2024. https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/1_17_2024.asp

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Press Release - New Schools Data Examine Violent Incidents, Bullying, Drug Possession, ‘Restorative’ Practices, Security Staff, and More - January 17, 2024

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Gender & Sexual Identity - understanding ways in which individuals may express gender identity, including children/adolescents/family members/community members and what teachers need to know to support all children and families 

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Gender & Sexual Identity - understanding ways in which individuals may express gender identity, including children/adolescents/family members/community members and what teachers need to know to support all children and families 

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Support for teaching Gender Identity in School is Split Even Among Democrats by The New York Times talks about the divided dispute of teaching gender identity in the classroom. They describe it as a person's internal sense of their own gender and go on to talk about how democrats are one of the largest supporters of the L.G.B.T.Q+  themed instruction in school but are very divided on discussing transgender issues among young elementary age children. About a third of democrats voted on assigning a book written by a non binary and their experience for elementary classrooms. Most Republicans show much opposition to teaching about Transgender topics in the classroom. They did express more openness towards highschools learning about same-sex marriage though. This has been a topic for awhile and I am still unsure of how to properly address this in a classroom of very young children as they are so little and it could be hard for them to understand and confuse these ideas but I have had experience with talking about same sex parents and they are all very understanding and want to learn more from that topic! It is essential for teachers to know about this topic so they can teach it correctly and in the most respectable way to those around them.

Mervosh, S. (2024, February 22). Support for teaching gender identity in school is split, even among Democrats. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/22/us/gender-identity-race-education.html

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Support for Teaching Gender Identity in School Is Split, Even Among Democrats

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Americans are deeply divided on whether schools should teach about gender identity, two polls found. But there was broader support for teaching about race.

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Kubler-Ross Stages of Dying and Subsequent Models of Grief from National Library of Medicine talks about what they think the five stages of grief looks like ( denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance). In recent years many have been criticizing these stages saying they are applied to strictly. They go on to talk about how this process is not linear and can look different for everyone, where some are going through multiple stages at once. Other models of grief had been made in the past as well, one being from Bowlby and Parker stating there are only four ( shock/disbelief, searching/yearning, disorganization/repair, and rebuilding/healing). This is a very important topic to teach to elementary age children as they can experience these stages at any point in their life ( pet, family member, friend, etc). With it being a sensitive topic I find that a nice book might be helpful when talking about grief. Grief is an Elephant

I attached a book that is light hearted but gets the point across. After reading a little discussion on what everyone thinks each animal is related to can be held and how they might cope in each stage.

Tyrrell, P. (2023, February 26). Kubler-Ross stages of dying and subsequent models of grief. StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507885/

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Continuing Education Activity

Medical professionals will work with dying patients in all disciplines, and the process is difficult as care shifts from eliminating or mitigating illness to preparing for death. This is a difficult transition for patients, their loved ones, and healthcare providers to undergo. This activity provides paradigms for the process of moving toward death as well as a discussion of how they should and should not be applied, supporting the interprofessional team to address the unique needs of their patients and guide them and their loved ones through the process.

Objectives:

Describe the five stages of death, as outlined by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.

Describe alternative paradigms for experiencing death and grief, in addition to those introduced by Kubler-Ross.

Explain the potential underlying process generating these outwardly demonstrated stages to provide a context for supporting patients, families, caregivers, and healthcare providers experiencing death.

Outline interprofessional team strategies for improving care coordination and communication in a dying patient.

Access free multiple choice questions on this topic.
Introduction

Medical professionals in all disciplines work with dying patients, and doing so effectively can be difficult. In the context of death and dying, patients, their loved ones, and the health care team must shift their goals. Where treating acute and chronic illness usually involves finding a tolerable path to eliminating or preventing the progression of a condition, treating terminal illness must involve preparing for death as well as efforts to mitigate symptoms.[1] Understanding the experience of dying and grief allows providers to support the unique needs of patients, their loved ones, and other healthcare team members.[2][3][4]

Function

Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross introduced the most commonly taught model for understanding the psychological reaction to imminent death in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying. The book explored the experience of dying through interviews with terminally ill patients and outlined the five stages of dying: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance (DABDA). This work is historically significant as it marked a cultural shift in the approach to conversations regarding death and dying. Prior to her work, the subject of death was somewhat taboo, often talked around or avoided altogether. Dying patients were not always given a voice or choices in their care plan. Some were not even explicitly told about their terminal diagnosis. Her work was popular in both the medical and lay cultures and shifted the nature of conversations around death and dying by emphasizing the experience of the dying patient.[4][5] This led to new approaches to working with patients through the final phase of life. She highlighted the importance of listening to and supporting their unique experiences and needs and spurred new perspectives on ways practitioners can support terminally ill patients and their family members in adjusting to the reality of impending death.[6]

Kubler-Ross and others subsequently applied her model to the experience of loss in many contexts, including grief and other significant life changes. Though the stages are frequently interpreted strictly, with an expectation that patients pass through each in sequence, Kubler-Ross noted that this was not her contention and that individual patients could manifest each stage differently, if at all. The model, which resulted from a qualitative and experiential study, was purposely personal and subjective and should not be interpreted as natural law. Rather, the stages provide a heuristic for patterns of thought, emotions, and behavior, common in the setting of terminal illness, which may otherwise seem atypical.[7] Facility with these patterns can help health care providers provide empathy and understanding to patients, families, and team members for whom these patterns may cause confusion and frustration.[6]

Kubler-Ross's Five Stages of Dying

Denial is a common defense mechanism used to protect oneself from the hardship of considering an upsetting reality. Kubler-Ross noted that patients would often reject the reality of the new information after the initial shock of receiving a terminal diagnosis. Patients may directly deny the diagnosis, attribute it to faulty tests or an unqualified physician, or simply avoid the topic in conversation. While persistent denial may be deleterious, a period of denial is quite normal in the context of terminal illness and could be important for processing difficult information. In some contexts, it can be challenging to distinguish denial from a lack of understanding, and this is one of many reasons that upsetting news should always be delivered clearly and directly. However, unless there is adequate reason to believe the patient truly misunderstands, providers do not need to repeatedly reeducate patients about the truth of their diagnosis, though recognizing the potential confusion can help balance a patient's right to be informed with their freedom to reconcile that information without interference.

Anger is commonly experienced and expressed by patients as they concede the reality of a terminal illness. It may be directed at blaming medical providers for inadequately preventing the illness, family members for contributing to risks or not being sufficiently supportive, or spiritual providers or higher powers for the diagnosis' injustice. The anger may also be generalized and undirected, manifesting as a shorter temper or a loss of patience. Recognizing anger as a natural response can help health care providers and loved ones tolerate what might otherwise feel like hurtful accusations. However, they must take care not to disregard criticism that may be warranted by attributing them solely to an emotional stage.[8]

Bargaining typically manifests as patients seeking some measure of control over their illness. The negotiation could be verbalized or internal and could be medical, social, or religious. The patients' proffered bargains could be rational, such as a commitment to adhere to treatment recommendations or accept help from their caregivers, or could represent more magical thinking, such as efforts to appease misattributed guilt they may feel is responsible for their diagnosis. While bargaining may mobilize more active participation from patients, health care providers and caregivers should take care not to mislead patients about their own power to fulfill the patients' negotiations. Again, caregivers and providers do not need to repeatedly correct bargaining behavior that seems irrational but should recognize that participating too heartily in a patient's bargains may distort their eventual understanding.

Depression is perhaps the most immediately understandable of Kubler-Ross's stages, and patients experience it with unsurprising symptoms such as sadness, fatigue, and anhedonia. Spending time in the first three stages is potentially an unconscious effort to protect oneself from this emotional pain. While the patient's actions may potentially be easier to understand, they may be more jarring in juxtaposition to behaviors arising from the first three stages. Consequently, caregivers may need to make a conscious effort to restore compassion that may have waned while caring for patients progressing through the first three stages.

Acceptance describes recognizing the reality of a difficult diagnosis while no longer protesting or struggling against it. Patients may focus on enjoying the time they have left and reflecting on their memories. They may begin to prepare for death practically by planning their funeral or helping to provide financially or emotionally for their loved ones. It is often portrayed as the last of Kubler-Ross's stages and a sort of goal of the dying or grieving process. While caregivers and providers may find this stage less emotionally taxing, it is important to remember that it is not inherently more healthy than the other stages. As with denial, anger, bargaining, and depression, understanding the stages has less to do with promoting a fixed progression and more to do with anticipating patients' experiences to allow more empathy and support for whatever they go through.[4][5][6][7]

Issues of Concern

Criticisms of the Kubler-Ross Model

The DABDA model has been increasingly criticized in recent years. The model has both historical and cultural significance as one of the most well-known models for understanding grief and loss. Many alternative models have been developed based at least in part on the original DABDA model. The principal criticisms of Kubler-Ross's stages of death and dying are that the stages were developed without sufficient evidence and are often applied too strictly. Kubler-Ross and her collaborators developed their ideas qualitatively through in-depth interviews with over two hundred terminally ill patients.[7]

Critics have focused on the fact that her research and use of "stages" have not been empirically validated. It is also said that the concept of "stages" is applied too rigidly and linearly. Instead, she aimed to describe a set of behaviors and emotions that may be experienced by a patient facing the end of life, and by describing them, improve understanding for both the patient and caregivers. Another important criticism of the model arises when it is viewed as prescriptive rather than descriptive, indicating that a patient must move through each stage to reach the final goal of "acceptance." This view holds many assumptions, including that progression through the stages is linear and that some stages are inherently less adaptive than others. Caregivers may view their job as helping a patient move through each stage, for example, moving through denial or anger onto more easily palatable stages such as bargaining or acceptance. Attempting to push the patient through the stages has the potential to cause harm, as they need to process their grief in their unique way. Dr. Kubler Ross and others have reminded readers that many patients will experience the stages fluidly, often exhibiting more than one at a time and moving between them in a non-linear fashion. It is also important to note that each stage can serve a protective role, and each patient will have a unique experience in their grief process.[4][6]

Other Models of Grief

Four additional models of grief will be described below.

Bowlby and Parkes' Four Phases of Grief

Bowlby and Parkes proposed a reformulated theory of grief based in the 1980s. Their work is based on Kubler-Ross's model and describes four phases of grief. It emphasizes that the grieving process is not linear.

Shock and Disbelief

The initial phase replaced the term "denial" due to negative connotations. In this phase, the reality becomes altered as the mind responds to a stressful situation by becoming unresponsive or numb to the new situation. Over time, the mind processes the new reality, and the patient moves to a new phase.

Searching and Yearning

This phase is closely related to the Anger and Bargaining stage of the DABDA model. The patient will attempt to undo the new reality and question the reason for it.

Disorganization and Repair

This phase closely relates to the Depression stage of the DABDA model. The patient experiences full acceptance of the new reality. They show signs of depression and apathy.

Rebuilding and Healing

In this phase, the patient experiences a "renewed sense of identity," which represents overcoming the sense of loss and beginning to feel in control of their destiny. They no longer show signs of depression.

Worden's Four Basic Tasks In Adapting To Loss

Worden's model of grief does not rely on stages but instead notes that the patient must complete four tasks to complete bereavement. These tasks do not occur in any specific order. The grieving person may work on a task intermittently until it is complete. This model applies to the grief of a survivor but may also be applied to a patient facing death.

Accepting Reality of Loss

Initially, the patient may have difficulty accepting the reality of impending death. Typically, acceptance is viewed as being ready to move forward with the process of preparing for death.

Experiencing Pain of Grief

Patients may feel sadness, anger, or confusion. They are experiencing the pain of loss. The task is completed as the patient begins to feel "normal" again.

Adjusting to Environment

An all-consuming focus on impending death will cause the patient to ignore other roles in life that are important to them. The patient will typically resume daily activities such as restarting work or hobbies or becoming engaged as a spouse or parent to complete this task.

Redirecting Emotional Energy

This task is generally applicable to grieving survivors. Survivors redirect their emotional energy from suffering the loss of a loved one to engaging in new activities that bring pleasure and new experiences. Subsequent theories on grieving have transitioned from stages and tasks of grief to more experiential and narrative methods.

Wolfelt's Companioning Approach to Grieving

Wolfelt's companioning approach views grief as a natural extension of the ability to give and receive love. As such, grief is not something to avoid but should be fully experienced and even embraced in the path to healing. The grieving person must feel their grief and learn to incorporate it into their ongoing lives. A person supporting the bereaved serves as a witness and companion alongside the bereaved as they walk through their grief journey. Wolfelt states, "Companioning is about going to the wilderness of the soul with another human being; it is not about thinking you are responsible for finding the way out."[9][10][9]

There are no tasks to complete, and no focus is placed on "fixing" the grief. However, he does describe six "needs of grief" or mourning that are more experiential. He acknowledges the need for grief to be both experienced and expressed, confronting the reality of the loss in tolerable doses. The bereaved must lean into or embrace the pain of the loss while focusing on self-compassion and self-care. He includes a narrative component as the bereaved transition their relationship with the departed from one of presence to one of memory and the need to explore their new identity in living without their lost beloved. They find a sense of meaning or peace with the loss and possibly confront their spiritual beliefs and framework while doing so. They also need to explore the positive aspects of their new identity after the loss. Finally, he also stresses the need to develop a support system that will encourage the bereaved toward self-compassion as grief resurges over the coming months and years.[9]

Neimeyer's Narrative and Constructivist Model

Neimeyer views grieving as a process of meaning-making. He acknowledges that people co-construct their understanding of reality through a narrative of their own life stories, influenced by their beliefs and world views. He describes "six key realities influenced by death." In these six realities, he acknowledges that significant loss can validate or invalidate a person's framework and beliefs in life. It may require developing a new framework to heal and incorporate the loss into their worldview. Grief is simultaneously universal and unique, so the therapy for the bereaved must be tailored to each client's individual needs. The process of griefing is inherently an active rather than passive period, filled with decision-making and reconstruction both practically and existentially.

Emotions during the grieving period are useful and can serve as guides in the process of reconstructing a sense of balance and meaning in life after the disruption caused by significant loss. Reconstructing an identity after a significant loss is an inherently social process, as the new identity is in part defined in relation to their community and social norms. And finally, adapting to loss involves finding a way to incorporate the loss into a new identity and self-narrative, giving the loss a sense of meaning, and making sense of the changes. This can enable not only survival after a loss but eventual thriving.[9][11]

Therapists using the narrative and constructivist model may have patients re-tell the story of their loss with visual aids exploring the thoughts and feelings that accompany the story. They may also suggest writing a goodbye letter to the deceased or exploring their feelings through metaphors.

Clinical Significance

The transition in care, from attempting to heal the patient to caring for them near death, can be difficult for everyone involved. Healthcare providers sometimes feel as if "their job is done" as they can no longer heal the patient and "drop out" of the patient's care. This can lead patients, and their loved ones, to feel they are being abandoned as they near death. They often wish for guidance on the complex changes that the patient is going through emotionally and physically. Actions that are a normal part of the dying process, such as anger and refusing visitors, can leave loved ones confused and upset. Understanding the stages of grief allows providers to give support and guidance during the dying process. The explanations provided by medical caregivers hold particular importance for patients and family members as they seek to understand and subsequently make sense of terminal illness. These key moments of communication and connection can be pivotal in the process of making sense of and healing from significant loss.[12][13] Facility with the grieving process is also imperative for the healing and resiliency of medical caregivers as they navigate through grief alongside their patients.[14]

Enhancing Healthcare Team Outcomes

For the healthcare team, caring for patients near death can be uniquely challenging for everyone involved. Healthcare providers sometimes feel as if "their job is done" as they can no longer heal the patient and "drop out" of the patient's care. This can lead to patients and their loved ones feeling abandoned by the healthcare team as they near death.[15] They often wish for guidance emotionally and physically. This is where an end-of-life interdisciplinary team can be very helpful. Physicians can provide clarity on diagnostic and prognostic information. Pharmacists participate by dispensing appropriate comfort medication in a timely fashion by working directly with the nursing staff. Hospice care providers, including social workers and nursing staff, can provide counsel, administer comfort care, deliver emotional support, and empathize with both the patient and the family. The healthcare team should possess an understanding of the models for grief, which allows providers to give support and guidance during the dying process and provides a coordinated effort to provide the patient and family with much-needed emotional support. [Level 5]

References

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Kubler-Ross Stages of Dying and Subsequent Models of Grief

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Medical professionals in all disciplines work with dying patients, and doing so effectively can be difficult. In the context of death and dying, patients, their loved ones, and the health care team must shift their goals.

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Safety & Preventing Unintentional Injury- fire safety 

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Safety & Preventing Unintentional Injury- fire safety 

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The American Red Cross has a section on their website about fire safety. They have a section on preventing your child from starting a fire which talks about keeping matches, lighters, etc away and in a safe spot and investing in flameless candles. They then have a section on helping your child survive a fire which talks about installing smoke detectors, replacing batteries, practicing a fire exit route, and emphasizing get out stay out. Most importantly they talk about teaching stop drop and roll! This information can be addressed in a classroom right before a fire drill or if freimen are coming onto campus that day. It is essential for teachers to know how to teach fire safety because it can help prevent injuries within the classroom and at home if a fire is to ever happen.

Fire safety for kids. American Red Cross. (2024). https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/fire/fire-safety-for-kids.html

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Learn how to take sensible precautions in the home and teach your children how to escape fires with safety tips from the American Red Cross.