HDFS Chapter 19

hospice

a comprehensive program of support services for terminally ill people and their families. It aims to provide a caring community sensitive to the dying person's needs so patients and family members can prepare for death in ways that are satisfying to them.

appropriate death

a death that makes sense in terms of the individual's pattern of living and values and, at the same time, preserves or restores significant relationships and is as free of suffering as possible

model of coping with loss

a recent perspective that states that effective coping requires people to oscillate between dealing with the emotional consequences of loss and attending to life changes, which-- when handled successfully-- have restorative or healing effects. Research shows that confronting grief without relief has negative consequences for physical and mental health.

living will

a type of advance medical directive in which people specify the treatments they do or do not want in case of a terminal illness, coma, or other near-death situation. For example, a person may state that without reasonable expectation of recovery, he or she should not be kept alive through medical intervention of any kind.

durable power of attorney for health care

a type of advance medical directive that authorizes the appointment of another person (usually, though not always, a family member) to make health-care decisions on one's behalf. It is more flexible than the living will.

voluntary active euthenasia

a type of euthanasia in which doctors or others act directly, at a patient's request, to end suffering before a natural end to life. This is a criminal offense in most countries, and in the majority of US states.

involuntary active euthanasia

a type of euthanasia in which the doctor ends a suffering patient's life without the patient's permission.

assisted suicide

a type of euthanasia in which the doctor helps a suffering patient take his or her own life. For example, the doctor enables the patient to swallow or inject a lethal dose of drugs.

passive euthanasia

a type of euthanasia when life-sustaining treatment is withheld or withdrawn, permitting a patient to die naturally.

advance medical directive

a written statement of desired medical treatment should someone become terminally ill.

anticipatory grieving

acknowledging that the loss of a loved one is inevitable and preparing emotionally for it. This allows people to feel less overwhelmed following the death.

palliative/comfort care

care that relieves pain and other symptoms (nausea, breathing difficulties, etc) rather than prolonging life.

grief

intense physical and psychological distress, and their total way of being is affected.

brain death

irreversible cessation of all activity in the brain and the brain stem (which controls reflexes)

mourning

the culturally specified expression of the bereaved person's thoughts and feelings. Customs, such as wearing black to the funeral, vary greatly among societies and ethnic groups.

bereavement

the experience of losing a loved one by death.

mortality

the final phase of death in which the individual passes into permanent death

agonal phase

the first phase of death in which the regular heartbeat disintegrates, causing gasps and muscle spasms

euthanasia

the practice of ending the life of a person suffering from an incurable condition, with the consent of the patient.

clinical death

the second phase of death is a short interval in which heartbeat, circulation, breathing, and brain functioning stop, but resuscitation is still possible.

thanatology

the study of death and dying

death anxiety

the widespread fear and apprehension of death

persistent vegetative state

when the cerebral cortex no longer registers brain activity but the brain stem remains active. Even if someone recovers from this (which is extremely rare), their functioning will be very limited.