What Dying People Want

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Top Five Regrets of the Dying

Author : Bronnie Ware
Publisher : Hay House, Inc
ISBN 13 : 1401956009
Total Pages : 322 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (19 download)

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Book Synopsis Top Five Regrets of the Dying by : Bronnie Ware

Download or read book Top Five Regrets of the Dying written by Bronnie Ware and published by Hay House, Inc. This book was released on 2019-08-13 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Revised edition of the best-selling memoir that has been read by over a million people worldwide with translations in 29 languages. After too many years of unfulfilling work, Bronnie Ware began searching for a job with heart. Despite having no formal qualifications or previous experience in the field, she found herself working in palliative care. During the time she spent tending to those who were dying, Bronnie's life was transformed. Later, she wrote an Internet blog post, outlining the most common regrets that the people she had cared for had expressed. The post gained so much momentum that it was viewed by more than three million readers worldwide in its first year. At the request of many, Bronnie subsequently wrote a book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, to share her story. Bronnie has had a colourful and diverse life. By applying the lessons of those nearing their death to her own life, she developed an understanding that it is possible for everyone, if we make the right choices, to die with peace of mind. In this revised edition of the best-selling memoir that has been read by over a million people worldwide, with translations in 29 languages, Bronnie expresses how significant these regrets are and how we can positively address these issues while we still have the time. The Top Five Regrets of the Dying gives hope for a better world. It is a courageous, life-changing book that will leave you feeling more compassionate and inspired to live the life you are truly here to live.

What Dying People Want

Author : David Kuhl
Publisher : PublicAffairs
ISBN 13 : 0786725834
Total Pages : 353 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (867 download)

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Book Synopsis What Dying People Want by : David Kuhl

Download or read book What Dying People Want written by David Kuhl and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2003-07-10 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Facing death results in more fear and anxiety than any other human experience. Though much has been done to address the physical pain suffered by those with a terminal illness, Western medicine has been slow to understand and alleviate the psychological and spiritual distress that comes with the knowledge of death. In What Dying People Want, Dr. David Kuhl begins to bridge that gap by addressing end-of-life realities--practical and emotional--through his own experiences as a doctor and through the words and experiences of people who knew that they were dying. Dr. Kuhl presents ways of finding new life in the process of dying, understanding the inner reality of living with a terminal illness, and addressing the fear of pain, as well as pain itself. He also offers concrete guidance on how to enhance doctor/patient relationships and hold family meetings, and provides an introduction to the process of life review. It is possible to find meaning and peace in the face of death. What Dying People Want "helps us learn to view the knowledge of death as a gift, not a curse." (New Times)

On Living

Author : Kerry Egan
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1594634823
Total Pages : 226 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (946 download)

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Book Synopsis On Living by : Kerry Egan

Download or read book On Living written by Kerry Egan and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-10-24 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A poetic and philosophical and brave and uplifting meditation on how important it is to make peace and meaning of our lives while we still have them.” –Elizabeth Gilbert, bestselling author of Eat Pray Love "Illuminating, unflinching and ultimately inspiring... A book to treasure.” –People Magazine A hospice chaplain passes on wisdom on giving meaning to life, from those taking leave of it. As a hospice chaplain, Kerry Egan didn’t offer sermons or prayers, unless they were requested; in fact, she found, the dying rarely want to talk about God, at least not overtly. Instead, she discovered she’d been granted a powerful chance to witness firsthand what she calls the “spiritual work of dying”—the work of finding or making meaning of one’s life, the experiences it’s contained and the people who have touched it, the betrayals, wounds, unfinished business, and unrealized dreams. Instead of talking, she mainly listened: to stories of hope and regret, shame and pride, mystery and revelation and secrets held too long. Most of all, though, she listened as her patients talked about love—love for their children and partners and friends; love they didn’t know how to offer; love they gave unconditionally; love they, sometimes belatedly, learned to grant themselves. This isn’t a book about dying—it’s a book about living. And Egan isn’t just passively bearing witness to these stories. An emergency procedure during the birth of her first child left her physically whole but emotionally and spiritually adrift. Her work as a hospice chaplain healed her, from a brokenness she came to see we all share. Each of her patients taught her something about what matters in the end—how to find courage in the face of fear or the strength to make amends; how to be profoundly compassionate and fiercely empathetic; how to see the world in grays instead of black and white. In this hopeful, moving, and beautiful book, she passes along all their precious and necessary gifts.

Lessons from the Dying

Author : Rodney Smith
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 0861711408
Total Pages : 226 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (617 download)

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Book Synopsis Lessons from the Dying by : Rodney Smith

Download or read book Lessons from the Dying written by Rodney Smith and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 1997-09-09 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In everyday language, "Smith offers us important teachings and reflections for dealing with death and embracing life" (Jack Kornfield, author of "A Path with Heart").

What the Dying Teach Us

Author : Samuel L Oliver
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317790308
Total Pages : 129 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (177 download)

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Book Synopsis What the Dying Teach Us by : Samuel L Oliver

Download or read book What the Dying Teach Us written by Samuel L Oliver and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-12-22 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What the Dying Teach Us: Lessons on Living is a spiritual approach to health care that teaches the reader about values, hope, and faith through actual experiences of terminally ill persons. This unique approach to health care teaches the living how to deal with grief and the bereavement process through faith and prayer. Priests, pastors, chaplains, and psychotherapists will learn how to treat parishioners or patients with the values the dying leave behind, allowing part of their deceased loved one’s beliefs and teachings to guide them through the grieving process. In the end, you will also become aware of your spiritual self while helping others heal and renew their soul. While What the Dying Teach Us concentrates on the values you can learn from the terminally ill, the author includes his own views on: how our tears manifest the depth into which our relationship with a deceased loved one travels how dimensions of reality lead us to appreciate the present experiencing events in life without judgment or comparison the role faith may play in health care as a healer of the terminally ill how the strength of prayer can drastically change lives What the Dying Teach Us celebrates the spirit loved ones leave behind and teaches you how to surrender into an eternal relationship with them. Furthermore, because of this experience, you will be able to find a new and deeper realization of your own existence. What the Dying Teach Us will help you spiritually connect with yourself as well as with deceased loved ones that continue to live on through faith.

Dying: A Memoir

Author : Cory Taylor
Publisher : Tin House Books
ISBN 13 : 1941040713
Total Pages : 78 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (41 download)

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Book Synopsis Dying: A Memoir by : Cory Taylor

Download or read book Dying: A Memoir written by Cory Taylor and published by Tin House Books. This book was released on 2017-08-01 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Bracing and beautiful . . . Every human should read it." —The New York Times A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice and 2017 Critics' Pick One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2017 At the age of sixty, Cory Taylor is dying of melanoma-related brain cancer. Her illness is no longer treatable: she now weighs less than her neighbor’s retriever. As her body weakens, she describes the experience—the vulnerability and strength, the courage and humility, the anger and acceptance—of knowing she will soon die. Written in the space of a few weeks, in a tremendous creative surge, this powerful and beautiful memoir is a clear-eyed account of what dying teaches: Taylor describes the tangle of her feelings, remembers the lives and deaths of her parents, and examines why she would like to be able to choose the circumstances of her death. Taylor’s last words offer a vocabulary for readers to speak about the most difficult thing any of us will face. And while Dying: A Memoir is a deeply affecting meditation on death, it is also a funny and wise tribute to life.

What Does It Feel Like to Die?

Author : Jennie Dear
Publisher : Citadel Press
ISBN 13 : 0806539879
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (65 download)

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Book Synopsis What Does It Feel Like to Die? by : Jennie Dear

Download or read book What Does It Feel Like to Die? written by Jennie Dear and published by Citadel Press. This book was released on 2019-06-25 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compassionate, honest, and illuminating look at the dying process . . . As a long-time hospice volunteer, Jennie Dear has helped countless patients, families, and caregivers cope with the many challenges of the dying process. Inspired by her own personal journey with her mother’s long-term illness, Dear demystifies the experience of dying for everyone whose lives it touches. She spoke to doctors, nurses, and caregivers, as well as families, friends, and the patients themselves. The result is a brilliantly researched, eye-opening account that combines the latest medical findings with sensitive human insights to offer real emotional support and answers to some of the questions that affect us all. Does dying hurt? A frank discussion of whether dying has to be painful—and why it sometimes is even when treatment is readily available. Is there a better way to cope with dying? Comforting stories of people who found peace in the face of death , and some of the expert methods they used for getting there. The last few hours: What does it feel like to die? Powerful glimpses from dedicated professionals into the physical experiences of people in their final moments—plus comforting words and insights from those who are there to help.

Final Gifts

Author : Maggie Callanan
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1451677294
Total Pages : 222 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (516 download)

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Book Synopsis Final Gifts by : Maggie Callanan

Download or read book Final Gifts written by Maggie Callanan and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-02-14 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this moving and compassionate classic—now updated with new material from the authors—hospice nurses Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley share their intimate experiences with patients at the end of life, drawn from more than twenty years’ experience tending the terminally ill. Through their stories we come to appreciate the near-miraculous ways in which the dying communicate their needs, reveal their feelings, and even choreograph their own final moments; we also discover the gifts—of wisdom, faith, and love—that the dying leave for the living to share. Filled with practical advice on responding to the requests of the dying and helping them prepare emotionally and spiritually for death, Final Gifts shows how we can help the dying person live fully to the very end.

The Art of Dying Well

Author : Katy Butler
Publisher : Scribner
ISBN 13 : 1501135473
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (11 download)

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Book Synopsis The Art of Dying Well by : Katy Butler

Download or read book The Art of Dying Well written by Katy Butler and published by Scribner. This book was released on 2020-02-11 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This “comforting…thoughtful” (The Washington Post) guide to maintaining a high quality of life—from resilient old age to the first inklings of a serious illness to the final breath—by the New York Times bestselling author of Knocking on Heaven’s Door is a “roadmap to the end that combines medical, practical, and spiritual guidance” (The Boston Globe). “A common sense path to define what a ‘good’ death looks like” (USA TODAY), The Art of Dying Well is about living as well as possible for as long as possible and adapting successfully to change. Packed with extraordinarily helpful insights and inspiring true stories, award-winning journalist Katy Butler shows how to thrive in later life (even when coping with a chronic medical condition), how to get the best from our health system, and how to make your own “good death” more likely. Butler explains how to successfully age in place, why to pick a younger doctor and how to have an honest conversation with them, when not to call 911, and how to make your death a sacred rite of passage rather than a medical event. This handbook of preparations—practical, communal, physical, and spiritual—will help you make the most of your remaining time, be it decades, years, or months. Based on Butler’s experience caring for aging parents, and hundreds of interviews with people who have successfully navigated our fragmented health system and helped their loved ones have good deaths, The Art of Dying Well also draws on the expertise of national leaders in family medicine, palliative care, geriatrics, oncology, and hospice. This “empowering guide clearly outlines the steps necessary to prepare for a beautiful death without fear” (Shelf Awareness).

The Inner Life of the Dying Person

Author : Allan Kellehear
Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231536933
Total Pages : 283 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

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Book Synopsis The Inner Life of the Dying Person by : Allan Kellehear

Download or read book The Inner Life of the Dying Person written by Allan Kellehear and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2014-05-27 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This unique book recounts the experience of facing one's death solely from the dying person's point of view rather than from the perspective of caregivers, survivors, or rescuers. Such unmediated access challenges assumptions about the emotional and spiritual dimensions of dying, showing readers that—along with suffering, loss, anger, sadness, and fear—we can also feel courage, love, hope, reminiscence, transcendence, transformation, and even happiness as we die. A work that is at once psychological, sociological, and philosophical, this book brings together testimonies of those dying from terminal illness, old age, sudden injury or trauma, acts of war, and the consequences of natural disasters and terrorism. It also includes statements from individuals who are on death row, in death camps, or planning suicide. Each form of dying addressed highlights an important set of emotions and narratives that often eclipses stereotypical renderings of dying and reflects the numerous contexts in which this journey can occur outside of hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices. Chapters focus on common emotional themes linked to dying, expanding and challenging them through first-person accounts and analyses of relevant academic and clinical literature in psycho-oncology, palliative care, gerontology, military history, anthropology, sociology, cultural and religious studies, poetry, and fiction. The result is an all-encompassing investigation into an experience that will eventually include us all and is more surprising and profound than anyone can imagine.

What Dying People Want

Author : Dr. David Kuhl
Publisher : National Geographic Books
ISBN 13 : 0385658842
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (856 download)

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Book Synopsis What Dying People Want by : Dr. David Kuhl

Download or read book What Dying People Want written by Dr. David Kuhl and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2003-04-29 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An internationally renowned palliative care physician offers guidance on living with a terminal illness. Based on research funded by the Soros Foundation and extensive interviews with dying people. A profound and practical book about living with a terminal illness over a long period of time. It offers guidance, solace, and helpful strategies for people who are terminally ill, their families and caregivers. Facing death results in more fear and anxiety than any other human experience. Western medicine has accomplished a great deal in addressing physical pain and controlling symptoms for people with a terminal illness, but much slower progress has been made in understanding and alleviating psychological and spiritual distress. In What Dying People Want, Dr. David Kuhl begins to bridge that gap. He does so by addressing end-of-life realities — physical, psychological and spiritual — through his own experiences as a doctor and through the words and experiences of people who know that they are dying. He presents ways of addressing the pain, of finding new life in the process of dying and of understanding the inner reality of living with a terminal illness. He acknowledges the despair and recognizes the desire for hope and meaning. Dr. Kuhl also makes the provocative case that insensitive communication by doctors creates more suffering for patients than either the illness or the knowledge of impending death, and offers both the dying and their caregivers guidance on preventing painful interactions. He provides ways of speaking about difficult topics with physicians, family members, friends and those who have a terminal illness. “This book started with a research question: What is the daily experience of living with a terminal illness? How does that experience affect your sense of self, your relationship with others, and your understanding of the spiritual? Many of those I interviewed asked me to share what they had given me with others who would follow — those with a terminal illness as well as their friends and family members who would care for them and about them. They asked specifically that I write a book for a general audience, and not only for my colleagues in the medical profession. This is the book that grew out of that research.” — Dr. David Kuhl

A Better Death

Author : Ranjana Srivastava
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1925750965
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (257 download)

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Book Synopsis A Better Death by : Ranjana Srivastava

Download or read book A Better Death written by Ranjana Srivastava and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-06-01 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A powerful, timely exploration of the art of living and dying on our own terms by one of Australia’s most respected voices Of all the experiences we share, two universal events bookend our lives: we were all born and we will all die. We don't have a choice in how we enter the world but we can have a say in how we leave it. In order to die well, we must be prepared to contemplate our mortality and to broach it with our loved ones, who are often called upon to make important decisions on our behalf. These are some of the most important conversations we can have with each other - to find peace, kindness and gratitude for what has gone before, and acceptance of what is to come. Dr Ranjana Srivastava draws on two decades of experience to share her observations and advice on leading a meaningful life and finding dignity and composure at the end. With an emphasis on advocacy, leaving a legacy and staying true to our deepest convictions, Srivastava tells stories of strength, hope and resilience in the face of grief and offers an optimistic meditation on approaching the end of life. Intelligent, warm and deeply affecting, A Better Death is a passionate exploration of the art of living and dying well. Dr Ranjana Srivastava OAM is a practising oncologist, award-winning writer, broadcaster and Fulbright scholar. See www.ranjanasrivastava.com

The Good Death

Author : Ann Neumann
Publisher : Beacon Press
ISBN 13 : 0807076996
Total Pages : 250 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (7 download)

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Book Synopsis The Good Death by : Ann Neumann

Download or read book The Good Death written by Ann Neumann and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2017-02-07 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following the death of her father, journalist and hospice volunteer Ann Neumann sets out to examine what it means to die well in the United States. When Ann Neumann’s father was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, she left her job and moved back to her hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She became his full-time caregiver—cooking, cleaning, and administering medications. When her father died, she was undone by the experience, by grief and the visceral quality of dying. Neumann struggled to put her life back in order and found herself haunted by a question: Was her father’s death a good death? The way we talk about dying and the way we actually die are two very different things, she discovered, and many of us are shielded from what death actually looks like. To gain a better understanding, Neumann became a hospice volunteer and set out to discover what a good death is today. She attended conferences, academic lectures, and grief sessions in church basements. She went to Montana to talk with the attorney who successfully argued for the legalization of aid in dying, and to Scranton, Pennsylvania, to listen to “pro-life” groups who believe the removal of feeding tubes from some patients is tantamount to murder. Above all, she listened to the stories of those who were close to death. What Neumann found is that death in contemporary America is much more complicated than we think. Medical technologies and increased life expectancies have changed the very definition of medical death. And although death is our common fate, it is also a divisive issue that we all experience differently. What constitutes a good death is unique to each of us, depending on our age, race, economic status, culture, and beliefs. What’s more, differing concepts of choice, autonomy, and consent make death a contested landscape, governed by social, medical, legal, and religious systems. In these pages, Neumann brings us intimate portraits of the nurses, patients, bishops, bioethicists, and activists who are shaping the way we die. The Good Death presents a fearless examination of how we approach death, and how those of us close to dying loved ones live in death’s wake.

The Needs of the Dying

Author : David Kessler
Publisher : Harper Collins
ISBN 13 : 0061137596
Total Pages : 250 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (611 download)

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Book Synopsis The Needs of the Dying by : David Kessler

Download or read book The Needs of the Dying written by David Kessler and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2007-01-09 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In gentle, compassionate language, The Needs of the Dying helps us through the last chapter of our lives. Author David Kessler has identified key areas of concern: the need to be treated as a living human being, the need for hope, the need to express emotions, the need to participate in care, the need for honesty, the need for spirituality, and the need to be free of physical pain. Examining the physical and emotional experiences of life-challenging illnesses, Kessler provides a vocabulary for family members and for the dying that allows them to communicate with doctors, with hospital staff, and with one another, and—at a time when the right words are exceedingly difficult to find—he helps readers find a way to say good-bye. Using comforting and touching stories, he provides information to help us meet the needs of a loved one at this important time in our lives.

Facing Death, Embracing Life

Author : David Kuhl
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780385660662
Total Pages : 330 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (66 download)

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Book Synopsis Facing Death, Embracing Life by : David Kuhl

Download or read book Facing Death, Embracing Life written by David Kuhl and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A practical and compassionate guide to living with a terminal illness, written by a well-respected palliative care doctor. In his highly regarded bestseller What Dying People Want, Dr. David Kuhl provided valuable insights into the experience of living with a terminal illness. In this guide, Dr. Kuhl distills the practical advice he presented in his first book and helps readers to cope with a terminal illness by providing concrete, step-by-step suggestions, as well as offering space for private reflection. This format will allow readers -- those contending with terminal illness as well as their family and friends -- to sort through difficult but vital conversations with loved ones and caregivers before they take place. This guide includes advice on: - Talking to health care providers about treatment and diagnosis - Learning the right questions to ask specialists - Finding out about alternative treatments - Considering home care vs. hospitalization - Finding sources of financial support - Offering space and guidance for recording and reflecting on larger, more emotional themes

Care of the Dying Patient

Author : David A. Fleming
Publisher : University of Missouri Press
ISBN 13 : 0826272215
Total Pages : 172 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (262 download)

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Book Synopsis Care of the Dying Patient by : David A. Fleming

Download or read book Care of the Dying Patient written by David A. Fleming and published by University of Missouri Press. This book was released on 2010-04-15 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although the need for improved care for dying patients is widely recognized and frequently discussed, few books address the needs of the physicians, nurses, social workers, therapists, hospice team members, and pastoral counselors involved in care. Care of the Dying Patient contains material not found in other sources, offering advice and solutions to anyone—professional caregiver or family member—confronted with incurable illness and death. Its authors have lectured and published extensively on care of the dying patient and here review a wide range of topics to show that relief of physical suffering is not the only concern in providing care. This collection encompasses diverse aspects of end-of-life care across multiple disciplines, offering a broad perspective on such central issues as control of pain and other symptoms, spirituality, the needs of caregivers, and special concerns regarding the elderly. In its pages, readers will find out how to: effectively utilize palliative-care services and activate timely referral to hospice, arrange for care that takes into account patients’ cultural beliefs, and respond to spiritual and psychological distress, including the loss of hope that often overshadows physical suffering. The authors especially emphasize palliative care and hospice, since some physicians fear that such referrals may be viewed by patients and families as abandonment. They also address ethical and legal risks in pain management and warn that fear of overprescribing pain medication may inadvertently lead to ineffective pain relief and even place the treating team at risk of liability for undertreatment of pain. While physicians have the ability to treat disease, they also help to determine the time and place of death, and they must recognize that end-of-life choices are made more complex than ever before by advances in medicine and at the same time increasingly important. Care of the Dying Patient addresses some of the challenges frequently confronted in terminal care and points the way toward a more compassionate way of death.

Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them)

Author : Sallie Tisdale
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1501182196
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (11 download)

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Book Synopsis Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them) by : Sallie Tisdale

Download or read book Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them) written by Sallie Tisdale and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-06-12 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK CRITICS’ TOP 10 BOOK OF THE YEAR “In its loving, fierce specificity, this book on how to die is also a blessedly saccharine-free guide for how to live” (The New York Times). Former NEA fellow and Pushcart Prize-winning writer Sallie Tisdale offers a lyrical, thought-provoking, yet practical perspective on death and dying in Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them). Informed by her many years working as a nurse, with more than a decade in palliative care, Tisdale provides a frank, direct, and compassionate meditation on the inevitable. From the sublime (the faint sound of Mozart as you take your last breath) to the ridiculous (lessons on how to close the sagging jaw of a corpse), Tisdale leads us through the peaks and troughs of death with a calm, wise, and humorous hand. Advice for Future Corpses is more than a how-to manual or a spiritual bible: it is a graceful compilation of honest and intimate anecdotes based on the deaths Tisdale has witnessed in her work and life, as well as stories from cultures, traditions, and literature around the world. Tisdale explores all the heartbreaking, beautiful, terrifying, confusing, absurd, and even joyful experiences that accompany the work of dying, including: A Good Death: What does it mean to die “a good death”? Can there be more than one kind of good death? What can I do to make my death, or the deaths of my loved ones, good? Communication: What to say and not to say, what to ask, and when, from the dying, loved ones, doctors, and more. Last Months, Weeks, Days, and Hours: What you might expect, physically and emotionally, including the limitations, freedoms, pain, and joy of this unique time. Bodies: What happens to a body after death? What options are available to me after my death, and how do I choose—and make sure my wishes are followed? Grief: “Grief is the story that must be told over and over...Grief is the breath after the last one.” Beautifully written and compulsively readable, Advice for Future Corpses offers the resources and reassurance that we all need for planning the ends of our lives, and is essential reading for future corpses everywhere. “Sallie Tisdale’s elegantly understated new book pretends to be a user’s guide when in fact it’s a profound meditation” (David Shields, bestselling author of Reality Hunger).