E-Newsletter
|
E-Newsletter
|
|
|
Preparing for Death! Althea Taylor Jones, PhD How does one begin to prepare for death when most people
are very uncomfortable just talking about death, most especially about their own
mortality? Somehow, to speak of death as passing away, sleeping or resting seems
to soften the effect.  Decades ago, most deaths occurred in the home. Additionally, wakes or sit-ins were also held in the home of the deceased person. These practices seemed to affirm the wishes/rights of the dying person (dignity, privacy, choice regarding care and compassion). For more than three decades, Hospice has been a source of compassion and comfort emphasizing personal dignity, pain and anxiety reduction, and facilitation of family support. These services are made available in the home of the dying person as well as in a Hospice Home, with bereavement counseling for family and friends for one year following the death. We tend to postpone talking about and preparing the necessary documents that will lessen some of the stress associated with end-of-life choices. Documents include Advance Directives (living wills), Durable Power of Attorney, Medical Power of Attorney, and others. The absence of appropriate documents can impact the grief process quite negatively, prolong the pain and acceptance of the loss, extend the timeframe for readjustment to an environment without the deceased, and prolong or prevent the opportunity for investment in other supportive relationships.
Content provided by: 
What Is a "Good Death"?
By Barbara Kate Repa, Caring.com
Helping to ensure a "good death" Poets, professors, priests, and plain folks all
opine about what makes a "good death." In truth, deaths are nearly as unique as
the lives that came before them—shaped by the attitudes, physical conditions,
medical treatments, and mix of people that accompany them. Still, many have pointed to a few common
factors that can help a death seem good—and even inspiring—as opposed to
frightening, sad, or tortuous. By most standards, a good death is one in which a
person dies on his or her own terms, relatively free from pain, in a supported
and dignified setting. Other things to consider:
Having affairs in order Not everyone has the luxury of planning for
death. But those who take the time and make the effort to think about their
deaths during life and plan for some of the details of their final care and
comfort are more apt to retain some control and say-so in their final months and
days of life. Legal specifics of such planning can include
taking steps to get affairs in order by:
Controlling pain and discomfort Most Americans say they would prefer to die at
home , according to recent polls. Yet the reality is that three-quarters of the
population dies in some sort of medical institution, many of them after spending
time in an intensive care unit. As life expectancies increase, more people are
becoming proactive . A growing number of aging patients are choosing not to have
life-prolonging treatments that might ultimately increase pain and
suffering—such as invasive surgery or dialysis—and deciding instead to have
comfort or palliative care through hospice in their final days.
Having few regrets Often quoted in the literature on death and
dying are the tenets in
The Four
Things That Matter Most, by Ira Byock, a medical doctor who
professes the need for a dying person to express four thoughts at the end of
life:
This supports the idea that, for many people, a
good death requires ending life without unfinished business, and with
reconciling damaged or broken relationships when possible.
Receiving mindful care and support
More on End-of-Life:
|
|
Powered by WCP CommunicationsSend mail to
admin@wcpcommunications.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|