How the management of death has changed for patients and families in the last 25 years: People in primitive societies handle death better than we do. They are more apt to view death as a natural occurrence, partly because they have a shorter life expectancy. They also frequently see friends and relatives die. Because they view death as a natural occurrence, they are better prepared to handle the death of loved ones. In our society, we tend to shy away from thinking about death. The terminally ill generally die in institutions (hospitals and nursing homes), away from their homes. Therefore, we are seldom exposed to people dying. Many people in our society seek to avoid thinking about death. They avoid going to funerals and avoid conversations about death. Many people live as if they believe they will live indefinitely. Fortunately, the hospice movement has been developing in recent years in an attempt to foster death with dignity. A hospice is a program that is designed to allow the terminally ill to die with dignity—to live their final weeks in a way they want. Hospices originated in the Middle Ages among European religious groups that welcomed travelers who were sick, tired, or hungry (Sullivan et al., 1980).
Hospices serve patients in a variety of settings—in hospitals, in nursing homes, in assisted-living facilities, and in the dying person’s home. Hospices provide both medical and social services,
Children should not be sheltered from death. Funerals help children learn that death is a natural process. Taboos against talking about death and dying need to be broken in our society. You may find that tactfully initiating discussions about death and dying with friends and relatives will be helpful to you, and to people close to