31. DEATH AND DYING (PART 1)

Question 1

1. Is Death escapable?

Answer 1

• no

Question 2

2. Which factors have led to death happening much later in life in Modern Societies?

Answer 2

• better living conditions
• high level of medical technology
• early detection of diseases
• death is mostly from chronic diseases
• death is hospitalized

Question 3

3. Who do individuals who are dying have support from?

Answer 3

• formal careers
• informal careers
• social workers
• psychologists
• help from those they see at home

Question 4

4. How could a dying person experience their imminent death?

Answer 4

• they are worried
• they are anxious
• they can come to peace with it
• they can be content

Question 5

5. Why is it important for doctors to know how people feel about their death?

Answer 5

• they are made aware if the psychological effects that death has on the patient
• this understanding helps you to become a more understanding doctor
• this allows the doctor to provide better care

Question 6

6. How many stages of dying are there?

Answer 6

• there are 5 stages

Question 7

7. Name the 5 stages of dying.

Answer 7

1. First Stage = Denial
2. Second Stage = Anger
3. Third Stage = Bargaining
4. Fourth Stage = Depression

5, Fifth Stage = Acceptance

Question 8

8. What does the First Stage of Dying (Denial) entail?

Answer 8

• people will experience shock when they learn that they are dying
• people cannot conceived their own death

COMMON STATEMENTS SAID IN THIS STAGE:
- “ no, it can’t be me ”

• COMMON RESPONSES IN THIS STAGE:
  - denial
  - isolation

Question 9

9. What does the Second Stage of Dying (Anger) entail?

Answer 9

• denial is substituted by other emotions
• emotions such as anger, rage, envy and resentment
• anger can often be random
• this anger can be aimed at healthcare professionals

QUESTIONS ASKED DURING THIS STAGE:
- “Why Me?”

Question 10

10. What does the Third Stage of Dying (Bargaining) entail?

Answer 10

• the patient can bargain with themselves
• this stage is not experienced by all dying people
• dying people negotiate openly with health professionals
• dying people can secretly negotiate with their gods to postpone death
• they can offer a promise of good behavior in return for postponement

Question 11

11. What does the Fourth Stage of Dying (Depression) entail?

Answer 11

• dying people develop a sense of great loss
• this can lead to depression
• depression can destroy the individuals sense of identity

Question 12

12. What does the Fifth Stage of Dying (Acceptance) entail?

Answer 12

• this is the final stage of dying
• this is when dying people find peace
• they can feel as though the pain is gone
• they feel that the struggle is over
• this is the stage where the family of the dying individual needs more support
• this is the stage where the individuals surrounding the dying patient struggle the most

Question 13

13. In which three locations does Death usually occur?

Answer 13

1. Home
2. Hospital
3. Hospice
   • this is where patients go when they have no treatment plan

Question 14

14. What are some characteristics of dying at home?

Answer 14

• many deaths happen at home
• the home was traditionally seen as the place to die
• many people feel more comfortable to die at home
• the individual is less stressed and less anxious
• this kind of death puts great pressure in the informal careers
• informal carers experience emotional strain
• their lives are restricted

Question 15

15. What are the characteristics of dying in a hospital?

Answer 15

• majority of deaths happen at hospitals
• the death has been medicalized
• medical doctors have turned death into a series of pathologies
• doctors try to save patients even when the patients are dying

Question 16

16. What are the characteristics of dying in Hospices?

Answer 16

• deaths may happen in hospices
• hospices provide:
  - holistic care
  - non hierarchical care
  - use of interdisciplinary teams

Question 17

18. Which kind of death is more difficult to recover from?

Answer 17

• sudden death

Question 18

18. What does terminal illness provide the people around the patient with?

Answer 18

• it gives them more time to mourn
• they can mourn before the actual death of the person

Question 19

19. Who does the bereavement when an individual has died?

Answer 19

• those who the individual has left behind
• they are left to mourn the death

Question 20

20. What are the three stages of Mourning?

Answer 20

1. A short period of shock
   
   • this occurs from the death to the funeral
2. A period of intense mourning
   
   • there is withdrawal from social activity
   • there are many physiological changes
   • this happens from the death onwards
   • there is no fixed period of time for this mourning
   • this is dependent on the person
3. A period of social and physiological
   re-establishing

Question 21

21. What is the role of a funeral?

Answer 21

• it is to honor and remember the person who has passed
• it is a coping mechanism for many
• it provides closure

Question 22

22. What are the four functions of funerals?

Answer 22

1. Funerals are a place to express intense feelings
   
   • there is a sense of community
   • everyone shares the same pain
2. They present a framework of understanding and control of death
   - religion is often a part of the funeral
3. This is seen as the end of the death cycle
   - there is no longer anything pending
4. People can be linked to a place of burial
   - this is a place of reference
   - it allows for communication with the dead

Question 23

23. Read through this summary.
    Does everything make sense?

Answer 23

• yes