Which is the coldest planet in the solar system?                          

As we explored this week, late adulthood is a dynamic, rich time of life with many transitions and times of both growth and loss. One of the most profound experiences in late adulthood is that of death and dying – both our own death and the loss of loved ones. In our readings this week, we learned about how important cultural contexts are in understanding the death and dying process. As current/future healthcare professionals, having an understanding of how others process death and grief is key to being able to provide quality support and care. For our final assignment for this class, you will be reflecting on the following scenarios. Part I: Imagine…you are 77 years old. You have lived a happy, fulfilling life, but have recently learned you have terminal cancer and are reflecting on how you want to spend your last few months and what you would like for your final wishes. In 1-2 pages, describe what you would like this last chapter of your life to look like. Consider: What is your cultural heritage? What cultural traditions do you or your family hold that would impact your dying process and last wishes? (i.e. I’m Irish and my family and cultural heritage view death as a time to celebrate the life of a loved one with a long Irish wake, stories about our loved one, laughter, etc. We view funerals as a time to be very emotionally expressive about our loss). How does your family communicate about or view death? What impact does communication with loved ones have on the death and dying process? Part II: Imagine…you are a nurse, social worker, hospice volunteer or other healthcare professional working with a 77-year-old terminal cancer patient who is struggling with her end of life decisions. She is stoic and hard-working. Her culture values privacy and independence. She doesn’t wish to burden her family and so changes the subject anytime her children try to broach the topic of her final wishes, taking care of her house/pets, her will, etc. She becomes uncomfortable anytime you or other care providers ask to discuss her wishes on things such as DNR orders, religious wishes, or final arrangements. Her children are concerned about her and are worried they don’t know how to best fulfill her wishes and are imploring you to help. In 1-2 pages, consider: How might your own views on death and dying impact your work with this patient? How might you seek to guide or help this patient and her family through this time? What cultural context might be at work here to consider? Remember, as you reflect on these topics, connect your own experiences and ideas to the theory and research we are learning about in class, referencing your text and at least two other sources.

Part 2 - Graphic and Paper For this portion of the assignment, you will submit two files: the graphic and the paper. Graphic: Using a tool of your choice, create a graphic that illustrates your own theoretical orientation. Identify particular perspectives that you consider integral to your own approach to social work practice. Provide brief explanations for using/planning to use these perspectives (similar to the example provided for you). You may use any tool you prefer to create the graphic so long as you can save or scan the file to PDF or image (PNG, JPG) file format. Some suggestions are: Microsoft PowerPoint drawings tools, Google Drawings, other free online diagram software. Paper Narrative: Provide a narrative that addresses your theoretical orientation as depicted by the graphic. First, discuss the perspectives that were important to you prior to starting this course. (return to your Self-awareness and Professionalism Assessment-Part One where you discussed your initial knowledge of theories and perspective). Second, discuss your current understanding of how you will incorporate various theories (choose at least 3 theories) into your social work practice. Include a discussion of which course readings and activities helped you more fully develop your theoretical orientation (provide the citations for readings). Then, choose one of the social work theories and explain how you will use that theory in your social work practice. Remember to discuss literature that addresses these points. Third, provide a paragraph that summarizes how you envision integrating your personal theoretical perspective to enhance your cultural sensitivity when working with Hispanic and Latino clients.