Kathleen Stassen Berger

Epilogue
Death and Dying
Death and Hope Dying and Acceptance

Bereavement

Prepared by Madeleine Lacefield Tattoon, M.A.

Death and Dying

Death mirrors the complexity of life as death highlights cultural differences and ethical dilemmas.
thanatology is the study of death and dying, especially social and emotional aspect.

Death and Hope

What is death?
a end or a beginning a private and personal event a part of the larger culture something to deny or avoid something to welcome

Death and Hope

Death Through the Life Span

In order to understand what death means to people, we begin with developmental differences. The meaning assigned to deatheither the persons own death or the death of another persondepends partly on cognitive maturation and personal experience.
5

Death in Childhood
children as young as 2 have some understanding of death, but their perspective differs from that of older family members children have some comprehension of deathadults cannot assume that children share their perceptions
6

Death in Adulthood
a major shift in attitude about death occurs when adults become responsible for work and family death is not romanticized, but dreaded as something to be avoided or at least postponed
7

Death in Late Adulthood

in late adulthood, anxiety about death decreases a sign of mental health in older adults is acceptance of their mortality older people write their wills, designate health proxies---performing these actions does not mean that they have given up on life
8

Many Religions, Many Cultures

Views of Death in Major Religions
Buddhism Hinduism Native American Traditions Judaism Christianity Islam
9

Many Religions, Many Cultures

Respect for Ancestors Spiritual and Cultural Affirmation
near-death experience
an episode in which a person comes close to dying but survives and reports having left his or her body and having moved towards a bright, white light while feeling peacefulness and joy

10

Dying and Acceptance

A good death is one that is peaceful and quick and occurs at the end of along life, in familiar surrounding with family and friend present and without pain, confusion, or discomfort
11

Dying and Acceptance

Attending to the Needs of the Dying
Honest Conversation The Hospice
an institution in which terminally ill patients receive palliative care

Comfort Care
palliative care
care designed not to treat an illness but to relieve the pain and suffering of the patient and his or her family

double effect
an ethical situation in which a person performs an action that is good or morally neutral but has ill effects that are foreseen, though not desired
12

Dying and Acceptance Choices and Controversies

When is a Person Dead?
passive euthanasia a situation in which a seriously ill person is allowed to die naturally, through the cessation of medical intervention do not resuscitate (DNR) a written order from a physician (sometimes initiated by a patients advance directive or by a health care proxys request) that no attempt should be made to revive a patient if he or she suffers cardiac or respiratory arrest

13

Dying and Acceptance Choices and Controversies

When is a Person Dead?
active euthanasia a situation in which someone takes action to bring about another persons death, with the intention of ending that person's suffering slippery slope the argument that a given action will start a chain of events that will culminate in an undesirable outcome physician-assisted suicide a form of active euthanasia in which a doctor provides the means for someone to end his or her own life

14

Dying and Acceptance

The Netherlands Oregon

15

Dying and Acceptance

Advance Directives
living will
a document that indicates what medical intervention an individual wants if he or she becomes incapable of expressing those wishes

health care proxy

a person chosen by another person to make medical decisions if the second person becomes unable to do so
16

Bereavement
Normal Grief
Grief and Mourning
bereavement
the sense of loss following a death

grief
an individual's emotional response to the death of another

mourning
the ceremonies and behavior that a religion or culture prescribes for bereaved people

17

Bereavement
Seeking Blame and Meaning
a common impulse after death is for the survivor to asses blame the normal grief reaction is intense and irrational at first but gradually eases time, social support, and traditions help

18

Bereavement
Complicated Grief
absent grief
a situation in which overly private people cut themselves off from the community and customs of expected griefcan lead to social isolation

disenfranchised grief
a situation in which certain people, although they are bereaved, are not allowed to mourn publicly

incomplete grief
a situation in which circumstances, such as a police investigation or an autopsy, interfere with the process of grieving
19

Diversity of Reactions
bereaved people depend on the customs and attitudes of their culture to guide them though their irrational thoughts and personal grief

20