Death & Dying Flashcards
Hospice
an organization that treats dying patients by focusing on palliative care rather than curative treatment
Palliative Care
treatment focused n the relief of pain and suffering, not on a cure
Euthanasia
the purposeful taking of life to relieve suffering
Voluntary Euthanasia
the intentional ending of life as a result of a competent, informed person having made a personal decision to have assisted death
Non-Voluntary Euthanasia
the intentional ending of the life of a person who has not expressed his or her preference in terms of an assisted death
Involuntary Euthanasia
the intentional ending of life of a person who made an informed choice and expressed his or her refusal to have an assisted death
Assisted Dying
a self-inflicted death as a result of someone intentionally providing the knowledge or means to die by suicide
Terminal Sedation
the practice of relieving distress in the last hors or days of life with the use of sedatives
Living Will
a document, prepared when a person is well, that outlines the person’s desires concerning medical care should he or she become incapacitated or unable to speak for him/herself
it can provide directives for healthcare providers to terminate life-sustaining treatment
Bereavement
the state of deprivation brought about by the death of a family member or close friend
Grief
emotional suffering resulting from a death
Mourning
customary methods of expressing grief
Disenfranchised Grief
grief that is not acknowledged by society
What is death and mortality?
extremely influenced by our religious, cultural and personal beliefs
denial of death is embedded in Canadian culture
What is the First Nation, Metis, and Inuit approach to death?
family takes care of preparations
conduct community based ceremonies
death feasts, making traditional caskets, star blankets, and “giveaways” to commemorate the death of a loved one
rituals help with the transition
What is children’s understanding of death?
preschoolers believe death can be reversed and that death people can still breathe and feel
but direct experience with death can speed their understanding
understanding seems to increase with learning about the biology of human bodies
by school age, children seem to have grasped the permanence and universality of death but they still think they can avoid it
cultural concepts of surviving death renders death less permanent and less frightening to many children
focusing in the concrete aspects can scaffold understanding and coping
How can experiencing death shake a child’s sense of security and well-being?
may feel guilty (wishing = causing death)
may display aggressive behaviors (anger)
may display regressive behaviors
may fear death when learning about it
What is the meaning of death for adolescents?
understands the universality, permanence, and inevitability of death
however, still underestimate their own changes of death (personal fable)
adolescents who attempt suicide seem to think that death is a pleasurable experience
personal experience with death of someone close affects their perspective
if terminally ill might feel angry and cheated
What is the meaning of death in early adulthood?
sense of unique invulnerability, time in life when people feel ready to begin their own lives
come up with reasons of why someone died early (near-sainthood)
loss of opportunities experiencing new things and loss of family
What is the meaning of death in middle and late adulthood?
beyond simple understanding of universality, permanence, and inevitability of death, but does not make it easy to accept
a death changes their role in their family and relationships
loss of time to complete inner work
may fear disability/discomfort nearly as much as death
What is the fear of death?
religious beliefs frames death as transition rather than an end
people with sense of purpose in life are less fearful
What existential uncertainties does fear of death stem from?
the finality of death
the uncertainty of what follows
annihilation anxiety or fear of nonexistence
the ultimate loss
fear of pain and loneliness in dying
fear of failing to complete life work
What is the Kubler-Ross theory of stages of dying?
denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance
critiques: just talking about terminal illness, not other causes of death
