A Matter of Life and Death: Teaching Undergraduates About the End of Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 443-448
Author(s):  
Philip Lemaster ◽  
Emily Moyer
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Developmental Process ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
College Classroom ◽  
Life And Death ◽  
Aging Populations ◽  
Difficult Subjects

As the population ages, the number of careers that intersect with aging is expected to grow. However, many young people lack an interest in working with aging populations. As previous work has shown, though, students’ interest in aging careers may be stimulated by coursework and experiential activities related to aging. Despite being a normative developmental process, anxiety about death and dying may be particular barriers to students developing interest in aging, and these topics may be particularly difficult subjects to teach in the college classroom. Here, strategies and activities for teaching the end of life are offered.

Death and Dying

2018 ◽  
pp. 203-226
Author(s):  
Philip A. Mackowiak
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Assisted Dying ◽  
Life And Death ◽  
History Of

Chapter 9 (“Death and Dying”) concerns a number of issues related to the end of life: the age-old question of what happens to one after death, the litany of problems encountered in old age, the mixed benefits of defying death, and the long history of assisted dying. These weighty issues and others are addressed in a series of compelling works that celebrate dying in the presence of friends and family, both glorify and demonize death in battle, and question the value of ICU care that suspends patients in a web of tubes and wires simply to create a kind of purgatory between life and death.

Quality Insights of University Students on Dying, Death, and Death Education—A Preliminary Study in Hong Kong

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 387-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mui Hing June Mak
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
University Students ◽  
Attempted Suicide ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Death Education ◽  
Life And Death ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Death And Loss

Death is a subject seldom studied in school and often misunderstood and feared by many people. Children often learn about death from their family and mass media. From the literature review on dying, death, and death education, it may be concluded that people are generally ignorant about the issues of death and dying. There is a need to investigate what young people, such as university students, know about death and dying, and their attitudes toward them. Eight university students were recruited for this study. Most participants have had death experiences. They seldom talked about death and loss. Some of these experiences were quite pleasant but some of them were not. Most participants addressed the need to have “life and death” education in schools at their young age. Such a need is further supported by the incidents of two participants who attempted suicide unsuccessfully when they encountered a life problem which they could not solve.

scholarly journals Matters of Life and Death: An Experimental Study Investigating Psychological Interventions to Encourage the Readiness for End-of-Life Conversations

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pia von Blanckenburg ◽  
Nico Leppin ◽  
Katharina Nagelschmidt ◽  
Carola Seifart ◽  
Winfried Rief
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Primary Outcome ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Psychological Interventions ◽  
Death Attitudes ◽  
Life And Death ◽  
Very High ◽  
Death Acceptance

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Talking about death and dying is evoking discomfort in many persons, resulting in avoidance of this topic. However, end-of-life discussions can alleviate distress and uncertainties in both old and young adults, but only a minority uses this option in palliative care. Even in healthy populations, talking about death is often seen as alleviative and worthwhile, but rarely initiated. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> To investigate different psychological interventions (a) encouraging the readiness for end-of-life discussions and (b) changing death attitudes in healthy adults of different ages. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> 168 participants were randomized to four different interventions (IG1: value-based intervention with end-of-life perspective, IG2: motivation-based intervention with end-of-life perspective, IG3: combination of IG1 and IG2, CG: control group). Primary outcome was the readiness to engage in end-of-life topics. Secondary outcomes were fear of death, fear of dying and death acceptance. Assessments took place before, directly after the intervention and at 2 weeks of follow up. <b><i>Results:</i></b> IG2 and IG3 reported significantly more changes in the readiness to engage in end-of-life discussions than the CG (<i>F</i>[5.61, 307] = 4.83, <i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001, η<i>p</i><sup>2</sup> = 0.081) directly after the intervention. The effect of IG3 remained stable at the follow-up. There were no significant effects of the interventions on end-of-life fears or death acceptance. Acceptability of the interventions was very high. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Short interventions can be useful to encourage end-of-life discussions and could be integrated in health care programs. The efficacy and effectiveness of these short interventions in palliative patients are currently examined.

scholarly journals Stories from the fourth age: autonomy and the lives of older care home residents

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Lucy V. Pocock ◽  
Fiona MacKichan ◽  
Francesca Deibel ◽  
Anna Mills ◽  
Lesley Wye
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Life And Death ◽  
Care Home Resident ◽  
Loss Of Autonomy ◽  
Privately Owned

Abstract Transition to a care home often follows a hospital admission and can be distressing. Care home settings play an important role in the care of many people at the end of life. This longitudinal study employed a narrative approach, aiming to explore the perspectives of older care home residents on transitions to, and life and death within, care homes. Five participants, aged 85 years and over, were recruited from two privately owned care homes in the South-West of England. All participants had a diagnosis of an advanced progressive condition (excluding advanced dementia), or were thought to be frail. Longitudinal interviews (19 in total) were conducted over a ten-month period. A structural narrative analysis was performed and participants’ narratives are presented under three headings, with one participant's story chosen to illustrate each narrative type: ‘becoming a care home resident’, ‘living in a care home’ and ‘death and dying’. Findings revealed that care home residents experience a loss of autonomy and a lack of agency; they are often excluded from decision-making. Older care home residents have few choices with regard to care at the end of life. Further work is required to improve transition into care homes, including support and advocacy during decision-making, which often takes place in hospitals at a time of crisis.

scholarly journals Conversations About Death and Dying, End-of-Life Care Plans and Preferences Between Aging Parents and Adult Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 417-417
Author(s):  
Hyo Jung Lee ◽  
Jacobbina Jin Wen Ng
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Joint Decision ◽  
Aging Parents ◽  
Care Plans

Abstract This study aims to investigate whether attitude and perception on late-life death and dying, end-of-life care plans and preferences could be better understood from current values shared between aging parents and their adult children in the multi-cultural city-bound country, Singapore. We are in the process of interviewing 20 aging parent-adult child dyads. Up to date, six semi-structured interviews were completed and transcribed. We performed Content analysis to analyze the transcripts. Preliminary findings showed that both aging parents and adult children rarely discussed this issue, although parents had their own plans or preferences. The major barriers against open conversations about death and dying of aging parents include: the perception of not-yet time to talk about this issue (without knowing when the right time is) and tendency to have conversations about death in tandem with finances, but not death itself. Although specific end-of-life care plans or arrangements were not thought out thoroughly, aging parents expressed a high level of trust and reliance on close family members’ decisions regarding their end-of-life care. They tended to agree on joint decision-making process within family, even though adult children had no or unmatched ideas about their aging parents’ end-of-life wishes. This did not necessarily align with previous findings in Western countries, underscoring individuals’ control over their own death and dying process. Open conversation within family, family-involved advance care planning, or joint decision-making processes may be warranted to promote quality of life and death in older Singaporeans and well-being of their family members of all ages.

scholarly journals Before the 2020 Pandemic: an observational study exploring public knowledge, attitudes, plans, and preferences towards death and end of life care in Wales

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ishrat Islam ◽  
Annmarie Nelson ◽  
Mirella Longo ◽  
Anthony Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Service Utilisation ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Manner Of Death ◽  
Attitudes Towards Death

Abstract Background Understanding public attitudes towards death and dying is important to inform public policies around End of Life Care (EoLC). We studied the public attitudes towards death and dying in Wales. Methods An online survey was conducted in 2018. Social media and the HealthWiseWales platform were used to recruit participants. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results 2,210 people participated. Loss of independence (84%), manner of death, and leaving their beloved behind were the biggest fears around death and dying. In terms of EoLC, participants sought timely access to care (84%) and being surrounded by loved ones (62%). Being at home was less of a priority (24%). Only 50% were familiar with Advance Care Planning (ACP). A lack of standard procedures as well as of support for the execution of plans and the ability to revisit those plans hindered uptake. The taboo around death conversations, the lack of opportunities and skills to initiate discussion, and personal fear and discomfort inhibited talking about death and dying. 72% felt that we do not talk enough about death and dying and advocated normalising talking by demystifying death with a positive approach. Health professionals could initiate and support this conversation, but this depended on communication skills and manageable workload pressure. Participants encouraged a public health approach and endorsed the use of: a) social media and other public platforms, b) formal education, c) formal and legal actions, and d) signposting and access to information. Conclusions People are ready to talk about death and dying and COVID-19 has increased awareness. A combination of top-down and bottom-up initiatives across levels and settings can increase awareness, knowledge, and service-utilisation-drivers to support health professionals and people towards shared decisions which align with people’s end of life wishes and preferences.

scholarly journals Life-and-Death Attitude and Its Formation Process and End-of-Life Care Expectations Among the Elderly Under Traditional Chinese Culture: A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 104365962110214
Author(s):  
Lei Lei ◽  
Quanxi Gan ◽  
Chunyan Gu ◽  
Jing Tan ◽  
Yu Luo
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Formation Process ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Life And Death ◽  
The Individual

Introduction With the global aging process intensified, the demand for end-of-life care has surged, especially in China. However, its development is restricted. Understanding the life and death attitude among the elderly and its formation process, and clarifying their needs, are so important to promote social popularization of end-of-life care. Methodology This qualitative study included 20 elderly residents in Nan and Shuangbei Communities, Chongqing City, People’s Republic of China. Data were collected through semistructured in-depth individual interviews and processed by thematic analysis method. Results Three themes and eight subthemes were identified: Characteristics of formation process (passive thinking, closed and single), life-and-death attitude (cherish and enjoy life, quality of life priority, let death take its course) and expectations of end-of-life care (preferences, basic needs, good death). Discussion Life-and-death attitude and end-of-life care expectations of the elderly support the development and delivery of end-of-life care. Furthermore, the individual-family-hospital linkage discussion channel needs to be further explored.

“Is there no Balm in Gilead?”: Health, Illness, Death, and Dying in the Hebrew Bible and Today

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-206
Author(s):  
Joel S. Kaminsky
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Life Care ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Conceptual Resources

This essay argues that the Hebrew Bible contains conceptual resources that can contribute to and enrich the ongoing discussions surrounding healthcare in the U.S. and in other modern Western societies. These biblical ideas may help us reframe our understandings of sickness and health, something urgently needed if we wish individuals and their families to have less medically invasive and less alienating experiences of illness, most especially during end of life care.

Living in the end times: a short course addressing end of life issues for older people in an English parish church setting

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 140-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Collicutt
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Content Type ◽  
End Of Life Issues ◽  
End Times ◽  
High Level ◽  
High Degree

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report a pilot study that evaluated an innovative practice in a faith community context designed to help older people live well at the end of life and prepare for death. Design/methodology/approach – A simple audit of the intervention using a contemporaneous journal kept by the author, and a follow up questionnaire completed by participants. Findings – Rich findings on the process are reported. These indicate a high degree of engagement by participants, the establishment of a high degree of group intimacy and trust, a high level of articulation of wisdom, the emergence of significant anxiety in some isolated cases, and the use made of tea and cake to manage the transition between the existentially demanding nature of the discussions and normal life. The outcome indicated very high levels of appreciation and increased confidence in relation to issues of death and dying. Practical implications – The findings of the pilot have been used to inform training of clergy in the principles of working in this area (e.g. in ways of managing group dynamics and anxiety, pacing, tuning in to archetypes and the natural symbols that people use to talk about death and dying, self-care and supervision of the programme leader/facilitator). Originality/value – The paper adds to knowledge in terms of an in depth description of processes at work in a group of older people working on spiritual and practical issues in relation to death, and offers ideas for supporting older people in this process, some of which are specific to the Christian tradition, and some of which are more widely applicable to people of all faiths and none. It gives a specific worked example of what “spiritual care” in this area might look like.

Health Education Specialists’ Attitudes toward End-of-Life Education And Planning

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron J Kruse-Diehr ◽  
Amy Piontek
Keyword(s):  
Health Education ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Community Outreach ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Attitudinal Differences ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Certified Health Education Specialists ◽  
Life Education

This study explored attitudinal differences of Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) and Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES) toward providing end-of-life education. From a national CHES/MCHES list, we stratified health education specialists by geographic location then randomly selected participants. In our sample (N = 373), older individuals, those who cared for terminally ill persons/families, and those who had death and dying education had more positive attitudes toward providing end-of-life education. We offer three approaches to address the advance care-planning crisis: 1) providing additional end-of-life education to medical professionals, 2) assisting medical schools with incorporating experiential learning, and 3) community outreach.

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