A 52-year-old client is in the terminal stage of leukemia. The client has been married for 25 years. He and his wife have three children, ages 15, 18, and 22. One child is graduating from high school, and the 22 year old is graduating from college. The client and his brother are co-owners of a family hardware business that has been in the family for 60 years. The client was diagnosed with leukemia 10 years ago and has been receiving treatments during reoccurrences since then. He has always been optimistic, but, for the last 2 years, the treatments have not been as successful as in the past. His symptoms have exacerbated and return shortly after the treatments. The physician has told him that, unfortunately, further treatments are to no avail. The client is distressed and in denial of the fact that life is short. He has become depressed because he is concerned about what will happen to his family and his business. The client does not want to visit family members or friends. He has always been a firm believer in God and believes that the illness is God’s punishment for wrong deeds. While trying to reassure the client, the nurse tells him that God does not punish. a. Based on your understanding of spirituality and religion, what could the nurse have done to reassure this client?
b. What measures should nurses take to increase their religious and spiritual competency?