...Death and Dying How a positive attitude may help us to overcome death with dignity. Agnieszka Schultes North Island College ESL 090 Suzanne Schiller June 21, 2013 TABLE OF CONTENT 1. Introduction 3 2. Definition of Death 4 3. Religious Views of Death 6 4. Psychological Assessment of Death 8 5. Face to Face with Death 10 6. Facing Death with Dignity 12 7. Conclusion 14 8. References List 15 Introduction The human understanding of death and our own mortality seems to change drastically throughout history, as well as the various cognitive and physical developments experienced by different cultures. One can only begin understanding the concept of death clearly however, if they are to encounter an experience that is somehow related with it themselves. According to Frank Rosenzweig, a very famous Jewish theologian as well as scholar, in a study he and his colleagues previously conducted, they found out that: “by the age of 65, about 50% of women and 10% of men have suffered the loss of a spouse at least once…” (as cited in Kesler, 2003, p. 54). So, based on the research given above, one may safely assume that quite a few of us will eventually witness someone dying in a very personal manner; but the real question is, do we truly understand the nature of death? And what does our society, as well as religious beliefs, say about this understanding? Definition of Death In various...
Words: 2106 - Pages: 9
...Aging and Death 1 . Running head: AGING, DEATH AND DYING Aging, Death, Dying, Aging and a Meaningful Life ________________________________________ Aging and Death 2 Introduction This analytical paper will examine the topics of death, aging and a meaningful life based on the novel Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. By exploring these topics, we will be exploring the life lessons Albom received from his dying college professor Morrie Schwartz. Albom shares the life lessons his professor passed down to him on death, fear, family and having a meaningful life. By disclosing these he topics, one can appreciate Albom’s thoughtfulness to share his story in discovering life through the death of his professor Morrie. Aging Aging is the process of growing older and includes changes in both biology and psychology. Biology refers to the way the body functions. Psychology describes how the mind functions. How people age has to do with genetics, environment, and lifestyle over a lifetime. The process of aging is complex, and may derive from a variety of different mechanisms and exist for a variety of different reasons. (Health-cares.net). As Morris grown old and was unable to wipe himself during his final days, he says to Albom, “I began to enjoy my dependency. Now I enjoy when they turn me over on my side and rub cream on my behind so I don’t get sores. Or when they wipe my brow, or they message my...
Words: 1098 - Pages: 5
...Preparing for Death and Dying The pastor of a small church in rural Kentucky once asked his congregation, “How many of you want to go to heaven today?” At first several people began to raise their hands. Then they quickly lowered their hands as they began to fully understand what the preacher was asking them. He didn’t really want to know who wanted to go to heaven, which would undoubtedly include the whole church, but rather who was ready and willing to go to heaven that very day. Death is a very touchy subject for most people; however, death is coming for each and every one of us. According to many professionals, there are typically five stages that must be endured and dealt with as a person approaches the end of his or her life. For a small percentage of people, death comes quickly and without any warning, by such means as an accident, heart attack, or some other tragic incident. Most people, however, have at least some hint or sign that the end of life is drawing near. For the person who has a forewarning that time on earth is drawing near an end, he will experience several stages of assorted length and depth, which will have various effects on his life. When a person is told that he has a terminal illness or physical condition that indicates that his lifetime is drawing near the end, the first stage that usually occurs is “denial and isolation.” During this stage, the patient often tries to find an error or reason that either the test results are wrong, or that the...
Words: 344 - Pages: 2
...Late Adulthood: Death and Dying Late adulthood (old age) is generally considered to begin at about age 65. Erik Erikson, a famous psychoanalyst, suggests that at this time it is important to find meaning and satisfaction in life rather than to become bitter and disillusioned, that is to resolve the conflict of integrity vs. despair. Integrity occurs when the individual can look back on the events of earlier life with pleasure about what has taken place and the people one has helped to develop, and a sense of having lived a complete life (Carducci 193). Despair occurs when the elderly individual looks back on his or her life with a sense of incompleteness about what has not been done or will never be done and realizes that his or her time on earth is running out (Carducci 193). In late adulthood, attitudes about death shift: anxiety decreases, hope rises. According to the text, “this shift in attitudes is beneficial…many developmentalists believe that one sign of mental health among older adults is acceptance of mortality, increasing altruistic concern about those who will live after them” (Berger 580). There are three proposed explanations for the relatively low level of fear of death among older adults: “(1) they may accept death more easily than others because they have been able to live long, full lives; (2) they may have come to accept their own deaths as a result of a socialization process through which they repeatedly experience the death of others; and (3) they may...
Words: 1039 - Pages: 5
...Death and Dying Kristy Kobzeff BSHS Death and Dying Living Will * Power of Attorney is often a part of a person living will that identifies and designates your personal representative to make the medical decisions for you * You also need to talk to your doctor to make sure they are aware that you have a living will and discuss the details of the documents with them. * Why do we need an advance directive? Physicians used to subjectively decide for the patient, and the patient did not have autonomy, such as CPR for cardiac arrest. Now this decision making has shifted to the patient. * The Patient Self-Determination Act is a federal law that applies to all healthcare institution receiving Medicaid funds. This law requires those institutions to provide information about advance directives to adult patients upon their admission to the healthcare facility. Most family members, having not been in an ICU before, are not prepared to make decisions. Physicians have a sense of whether the patient in the ICU is going to live or die. Typically the family will prolong life until the physician tells them that they don’t think the patient will survive. (Navasky & O’Conner, 2010). * A living will can make your preferences known regarding end of life care. These situations can come up at any age. All adults should have an advance directive, which should be clearly written and witnessed. (Sabatino, 2007). * A durable power of attorney is not the same as authorizing...
Words: 529 - Pages: 3
...according to Jacques Choron? Dying occurs after death. Survivors roles, etc. FOLLOW STUDY GUIDE. We started identifying that "I am me" is going to die. Ancestoralization is a change of identity. They're still part of the society/community but they're just ancestors. How humans saw themselves 4 million years ago is different than how humans see themselves today. We don't think about death the same way our ancestors used to. If the dead is happy, the living is happy. They could do bad stuff; make people sick, but they could also do good things. The dead could speak in the past AND the future. The dead can interpret things for us (if the leafs of the tree fall in June, people would send the Shaman to speak to the dead and they'll tell us how to fix it). The dead can be the ambassadors (we can send the shaman to go talk to them and they'll go talk to god and vice-versa). DEATH IS VERY POWERFUL. Name avoidance: -Hitler or Lucifer -Example, Do we not name our kid Hitler because we think Hitler's ghost is going to come and hunt our kid? NO, we just don't want to name our kid. It's just bad. -Example, Judeo culture: You don't name your kid after someone that's living (depending on what culture you follow, like ashkenazi). -Example, in Australia, Aboroginal man died. The community asked and forced the media to not say the man's name for a certain period of time. -Example, when a family member dies, the living gets a little death name like they always remember...
Words: 674 - Pages: 3
...Dying and Death—Extreme Grief Reactions to loss of a love one cannot be defined by a one size fits all statement, even though it is a common experience shared by man. Grief is in fact a process. One of the most widely accepted models of the grieving process is the concept of the five stages of grief that includes: (Bonanno, 2009) 1. “Denial and Isolation: first, we tend to deny the loss, and may withdraw from usual social contacts. 2. Anger: The grieving person may become furious at the person who inflicted the hurt (even if she's dead), or the world, for letting it happen. They may be angry with themselves for letting the event take place, even if, realistically, nothing could have stopped it. 3. Bargaining: the grieving person may make bargains with God, asking, "If I do this, will you take away the loss?" 4. Depression: The person feels numb, although anger and sadness may remain underneath. 5. Acceptance: This is when the anger, sadness and mourning have tapered off. The person simply accepts the reality of the loss” (Kubler-Ross, E.2005) These stages have no set pattern or pace of occurrence and cannot be forced upon the griever. The griever may go one step forward then take two steps backward. Should a person remain stuck in one stage or the other, the process of grieving cannot be complete resulting in what has been coined by the Mayo Clinic as extreme or abnormal grief. In abnormal or extreme grief healing is not achieved. This essay will provide...
Words: 1530 - Pages: 7
...Recommended Citation Gifford, Elizabeth Joy, "The Experience of African American Hospice Patient/Family with Board Certified Music Therapy as a Component of their Plan of Care" (2009). Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects. Paper 14. This Project is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at USF Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact zjlu@usfca.edu. COMPREHENSIVE EXAM 2 Section I: Introduction Statement of the Problem Although 60% of African Americans in the United States have stated that they would want hospice care when they are dying (AARP, 2003), they only comprise 8% of all hospice enrollees (NHPCO, 2007), despite the fact that they represent 13% of the total population in this country (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008). In fact, hospice care in this nation has always been underutilized by African Americans (Connor, Elwert, Spence, & Christakis, 2008). In the San Francisco Bay Area, among Medicare-certified hospice agencies that submit data to the State of California, only 2% of all the hospice enrollees in 2007 were African American (OSHPD, 2008). In the Oakland Bay Area, African Americans represent 36% of the general population, yet only 15% of the patients of Pathways Hospice, which serves the Oakland population...
Words: 17954 - Pages: 72
...Evidence Based Analysis Paper The Impact of Advance Care Planning on End of Life in Elderly Patients Amber Frederick April 9, 2013 College of Saint Elizabeth Professor Marranca Many patients do not have advanced directives and often enter the hospital where various medical care is received and sometimes unwanted. This is because many patients are not given the opportunity to plan ahead and choose the care they would want. In order to improve patient satisfaction, reduce family burden and decrease health care cost, advance care planning is suggested. Health care providers play a major role in facilitating discussions and planning for patients’ medical future. All too often patients come into the ER in some type of distress and are often resuscitated or intubated by medical personnel in order to save their lives. When patients are extubated and coherent, they become upset because those resuscitation efforts were not wanted by the patient. Other times, family sees their family member on mechanical ventilation and is disheartened because they know their loved ones didn’t want to be in that situation. These patients may have terminal illnesses and resuscitative efforts only prolong their suffering and impede their comfort. There is a way to educate patients and families about their different options and it starts with the Primary Care Provider (PCP). PCP’s are able to help their patients with advanced care planning. This is a process “whereby a patient, in consultation...
Words: 669 - Pages: 3
...Death and Dying Tonia Larson Kaplan Univerity HS101 Unit 9 03/26/2013 1. List 2 examples of legal issues affecting healthcare and describe how you determined your choices to be legal issues. Two examples of legal issues affecting health care are- labor and employment issues because it seems like there is always some kind of a lawsuit being brought forth about age discrimination or requests for accommodations for employees with disabilities. Medical malpractice and tort reform how can you not determine that to be legal issue when even the President of the United States of America talks about it in a State of the Union address. 2. Give 2 examples of ethical issues affecting healthcare and describe how you determined your choices to be ethical issues. Two examples of ethical issues affecting health care are- equal treatment vs VIP treatment for donors and influential people this is an issue that seems like it will never go away because some people fight with the idea of feeling like they have to spend more time and or give special treatment to large financial donors, and trustees family members because they are helping keep the doors open and the business functioning properly and as well have the power of your job placement. Another ethical issue in health care is the addressing nurse moral distress about providing care with minimal benefit. As we learned in the case of Terry Schiavo these cases can be difficult for everyone and drain some bedside nurses to the point...
Words: 776 - Pages: 4
...Countless human beings build bonds with other individuals throughout their lifetime. Once the bonds are broken as a result of death and dying, majority of the human beings will go through a period of mourning. There are multiple aspects that can contribute to the way an individual mourns the death of loved ones, however, gender plays a leading role in the human being’s reaction. I am going to show this by examining the natural stimuli, historic stimuli and social stimuli. In my opinion I feel that the way in which human beings mourn is most times unique to that individual and should not be compared to anyone else’s. In view of that, no human being should be judged by another individual’s personal experiences (Kahane 49). Many individuals mourn in different ways and this is heavily related to the gender of the individual. Gender is very influential on an individual’s awareness of mourning, knowledge of mourning and the individual’s display of mourning. For that reason, males and females most times do not require the same needs during their period of mourning because their reaction to the loss of their loved ones vary (Huang 4-29). The difference in males and females mourning is influenced by numerous natural stimuli, historic stimuli and social stimuli and I believe that if both genders are more knowledgeable of the other gender’s requirements, desires and expectations they would be more helpful to each other during their mourning periods. Furthermost, males and females both...
Words: 2068 - Pages: 9
...ongoing lines to visit their favorite animal they only get to see on television. Little do they know, they are feeding into another reality. It is a reality of unfairness, cruelty, and depression. The animals in captivity get no chance to live the way they were born to live. They are held in tiny, small spaces only for the luxury of humans, with no regards to the animals’ natural wants. Zoos and Aquariums are inhumane and have nothing but negative effects on the animals being held. Animals that are held in Zoos and Aquariums do not get fair treatment nor freedom. The author of “Death and Dying At The Zoo,” Mary P. Benbow, uses a very powerful quote in her article to explain this. “Once an animal enters a zoo, it is essentially dead. Stripped of its behavior, social context and ecological milieu, a lion is no longer a lion, but a bag of DNA waiting for its next meal, a chance to copy its DNA or death,” (381). Visitors of the Zoos and Aquariums are beginning to become aware of this struggle. Barbra Woods, and author of the article called “Good Zoo/Bad Zoo: Visitor Experiences in Captive Settings” explains how people felt when they went to...
Words: 808 - Pages: 4
...Harrison Zacher Death and Dying Research Paper Bereavement The loss of a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences to endure in a human lifetime. The grieving process often encompasses the survivors’ entire world and affects their emotional, cognitive, spiritual, and physical selves in unexpected ways. After a major loss, such as the death of a spouse or child, up to a third of the people most directly affected will suffer detrimental effects on their physical and/or mental health (Jacobs 1993). What is Grief and it’s Stages Grief refers to the psychological reaction to the bereavement, the death of a loved one. When a person dies who has been a close companion and with whom we have had a close bond with, many changes in our life have to be taken in. Death of a long-term partner can force on us a need to redefine ourselves and it is not an easy task. Grief becomes a problem when someone gets stuck in grief, this is know as “complicated grief” or “chronic grief”. Factors that contribute to this include a lack of family support and remaining overly focused on past memories. Returning to normal everyday activities is the most obvious sign that the grieving stage is over. Grieving becomes problematic when it lasts longer than six months. Signs of this include loneliness, emptiness, regret, not acknowledging the death, and avoiding places that would be reminders of the deceased person. It is only problematic if these symptoms are excessive and interfere...
Words: 1843 - Pages: 8
...08 Fall Test One, Take Home Test 1,2,3 Jamella Aljumail [JAljumail@mercycollege.edu] Mercy College of Ohio REL 250:01- Death, Dying, and Bereavement Dr. Karen Elliott, C.PP.S. September 15, 2013 Question 1: Chapter 3 discusses the understanding of death in the Native American, African, Mexican, Asian, Celtic, and Hawaiian cultures. Choose ONE of the cultures discussed and state specifically what, in that culture’s understanding of death, is particularly meaningful to you. Explain in detail WHY it is meaningful. Mexican cultures “joked about death and poke fun at it in their art, literature and music”. In early times Aztecs believed in the sacrificial rights. Aztecs believed that a person who was a sacrificial victim was known to be the “divine dead”. Mexicans also believed a way a person lives, that’s the way a person will die. “Tell me how you die and I will tell you who you are” (DeSpelder and Strickland, 2005). Mexicans decorate graves and death is apart of everyday life in the Mexican culture. Mexican cultures have a day to celebrate the dead called El Dia de los Muertos. The celebration begins the evening of November 1st and goes into the next morning. Mexican also believe that “shedding to many tears and excessive grief may make the pathway traveled by the dead slippery” (DeSpelder and Strickland, 2005). In Islam, we follow the Quran and the beliefs that the prophet passed on to us (it states in the hadith). In my Muslim belief that the prophet (peace...
Words: 1288 - Pages: 6
...Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in 1969, published On Death and Dying and pointed to our lack of insight about our inability to care for the dying. Her work describes the five stages that patients go through before dying. They are denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Corr suggested modifications include respect patient individually. Patient empowerment for those who are dying and those involved in the caregiving of the patient. And practical guideline for medical caregivers. This is for the caregiver to improve how they deal with the problems, stresses, and issues of the dying person. 7. According to Henwood and some of my own research the parts of the nation that have the highest divorce rates are Arkansas which leads the country for divorce in men 13.5 divorces per 1000 men and Alaska, with leads with divorce of women at 16.2 divorces per 1000...
Words: 1253 - Pages: 6
