In planning end-of-life care for a client with late-stage cancer, what is most important to include?

• A. Encourage family to visit often
• B. Have a staff member sit with the client when death is imminent
• C. Move the patient to a hospice facility
• D. Initiate aggressive treatment

Answer: (B)

The key idea is ensuring continuous presence and comfort for the patient as death approaches. Having a staff member stay with the client when death is imminent provides immediate, ongoing support to relieve distress and manage symptoms, while also offering emotional and spiritual reassurance. This presence helps the patient feel cared for and less frightened, and it gives the family a sense of support and guidance during a very difficult moment.

While encouraging family visits is valuable for emotional connection, it doesn’t guarantee continuous, trained presence at the critical moment. Moving the patient to a hospice facility may be appropriate in some cases, but it isn’t universally required or the most essential action. Initiating aggressive treatment runs counter to comfort-focused end-of-life goals and is not about providing the patient’s immediate needs in the moment of death.