This paper questions how society should care for people who are suffering and near death? Underlying this issue are very difficult questions about the evolving rights of patients, medical standards, and societal norms--questions about the American way of death, which often involves needless pain and unwanted treatment. Three choices are presented…

Examined responses of 1,110 terminally ill persons with cancer at varying time periods prior to death. Disengagement and Objective Self-Awareness theories, which suggest that people nearing death would increase desire to separate from others, were not supported. Found few differences in responses of persons further from, or closer to, death.…

Reviews epidemiology of suicide among terminally ill. Discusses clinical assessment and management of suicidal terminally ill, emphasizing differences from evaluation and treatment of other suicidal individuals. Focuses on methodological issues inherent in studying treatment and characteristics of this population. Suggests blurring of line between…

Examined relationships among death anxiety, disclosure behaviors, and attitudes toward terminal care of 99 oncologists. Found death anxiety scores lower for oncologists than typically reported for physicians. Short-term repeated exposure to dying patients resulted in comfort with dying patients whereas long-term repeated exposure resulted in…

A qualitative, community study of 58 parentally bereaved children and their 35 surviving parents illustrates how families take advantage of forewarning of death to foster connections between children and dying parents and prepare for youngsters' continued attachment to dying parents after the death. Children and parents displayed strong yearnings…

Staff carers in pediatric skilled nursing facilities (PSNF) deal directly with dying residents, and are on the forefront of communication with families. These providers have expressed misunderstandings regarding the meaning of resuscitation status and redirection of care. This descriptive study evaluated perceptions and understanding of end of…

The study surveyed 135 health care professionals (74 nurses, 32 physicians, and 29 social workers) to examine their personal death attitudes and experiences in relation to their reported advance directive communication practice behavior. Negative correlations were found between collaborating with other health care professionals regarding the…

Art work produced by geriatric patient on psychiatric ward illustrated metaphors of loss. After three months, patient was diagnosed with liver cancer; she died three weeks later. All work was produced before cancer diagnosis, yet it showed similarities to work by cancer patients, suggesting that client unconsciously knew she was dying and worked…

Reviews literature on suicide and terminal illnesses. Examines suicide rate for persons with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Explores physical and psychosocial factors that may contribute to decision by person with AIDS to commit suicide. Applies Siegel's criteria for rational suicide to case of person with AIDS. Examines role of…

Reports on abandoned study examining potential benefits of psychotherapy to terminal cancer patients. Preliminary feasibility study found physicians' attitudes toward their dying patients as reformed and progressive. Interest shown by physicians did not translate into tangible research effort in spite of active pursuit by investigator over period…

Notes that caregivers of the dying would do well to consider the prescriptive power of humor when confronting the challenges of healthy care for the terminally ill. Addresses laughter as the best medicine not only for the dying person but also for family and principal caregivers. Includes examples of therapeutic use of humor with the terminally…

Notes that burnout among caregivers of the terminally ill is related to the various ways in which people meet their death. Provides examples of reactions to different types of death and makes suggestions for identifying and coping with caregiver burnout throughout the spectrum of individuals, relationships, and modes of death. (Author/NB)

This article focuses on supervision of social workers who feel despair and hopelessness in treating terminally ill patients. The emotional difficulties that may lead to these feelings are discussed. A special model of supervision that relates to hope as a strategy to help social workers cope with such difficulties is presented. The model suggests…

Depression at the end of life is a common mental health issue with serious implications for quality of life and decision making. This study investigated the reliability and validity of one of the most frequently used measures of depression, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) in 422 patients with terminal cancer admitted to a palliative…

Grounded theory-based interviews with 10 occupational therapists working with terminally ill patients resulted in a conceptual framework of practice with this population. The core phenomenon was affirming life--preparing for death. Reframing processes helped therapists acknowledge their patients' dual status of living and dying. (SK)