Responding to and Managing Emotions During ACP
It is natural for ACP discussions to generate emotional responses.n
There are many strategies you can use to respond to emotions.
If a resident or surrogate becomes too emotional to continue, it may be a good idea to take a break or even reschedule the discussion. This gives people time to collect themselves.
Emotions Vary
There is a range of responses you may encounter during ACP discussions.
These include:
- Sadness
- Grief
- Anger
- Gratitude
- Relief
Sometimes the response to ACP discussions is not strongly emotional. Instead, you may find residents and surrogates who are apathetic and seem to care little about ACP decisions
Conflict
Perhaps the most stressful part of facilitating ACP is that no matter how careful and skilled you are, there can be conflict around ACP discussions. This is especially true if there is any family conflict about the resident