Terms of Endearment This paper begins with an outline of th

This paper begins with an outline of the movie Terms of Endearment, describing the main characters and events of the movie, and its main theme, which is the mother/daughter relationship of the two principal characters, Aurora and Emma. The film's climax is the death of Emma from cancer. A background section on the art of the film follows. The paper then goes on to describe the illness portrayed in the film, and assesses its effects on the main characters in the story, with support from the relevant literature. A description is given of the interventions portrayed in the movie in terms of treatment of the illness, and social support for the patient and family, which is not very evident in the film. Everyone seems to accept what is happening without much emotion or disruption of their lives. The only change to take place is who is going to raise the children after the patient dies. A critical analysis follows which looks at the interventions, or rather the lack thereof, used in the film, and what an appropriate course of action would have been for a cancer patient and her family facing terminal illness. In identifying and evaluating the outcomes of the intervention suggested, the only real change which needed to be made was in preparing the children for their mother's death, since everyone else seems to have accepted the outcome as given, and none of them appear to need any assistance in dealing with it in their own ways.

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mes. If parents were more supportive, children used more avoidant coping strategies to deal with uncontrollable situations (365). It appeared from the movie that the boys were close to Flap, the older boy seeming to blame Emma for Flap's infidelities. However, the older boy was very angry at Emma for dying. In the movie, no attempt was made to counsel the boys regarding Emma's impending demise. Description of Interventions There is never any discussion of what is wrong with Emma, or the kind of treatment she is receiving. All we are told is that she had malignant lumps removed from her axilla. There is no mention of any further tests done, or what treatment is recommended. All we know is that she is given "drugs" which do not work. This makes it difficult to determine what her specific needs would be, and her needs can therefore only be assessed in the most general terms. Obviously, she has a rapidly spreading type of malignancy since she dies in a matter of weeks after diagnosis. After her first round of drug therapy, her doctor tells her the drugs have not worked and she should put her affairs in order. Emma seems to be in a different room each time we see her in the hospital. Oddly, there is not on

Category: Film - T