A good death? How would you classify these four deaths? The following comments are from the course testers and authors. Vic's death was lonely and probably difficult, in that his breathing was laboured as a result of his disease. Seeing his children after five years and being alert enough to recognise them are positive elements in what seemed to be a sad and difficult life. Li’s death was good in many ways. Her family were with her and prepared, she was not distressed as far as it is possible
1.4.10 Unfinished business When people die suddenly we can never be sure that they have done and said what they want and are able to do. Meg’s long term-illness gave her a lot of time for reflection and preparation, so that while her death was sudden and she was unable to see her younger son, she also had the opportunity for conversations with people about her death. However, there may have been last-minute wishes that Meg was unable to express. Li’s sudden stroke may have left her with things unsaid, but her
1.4.3 Assessing the quality of dying Read the following case studies. They are accounts of deaths which take place in different settings. They have been chosen as examples of different deaths and point up some of the complexities which might exist at the time of death. You may be interested to note that they are all based on actual deaths. One of the course testers thought the accounts would be helpful to students who had limited involvement with death and dying since they gave insight into different types and settings of death.
1.3.11 The significance of the near-death experience The sociologist Allan Kellehear (1995) observes that most studies have had a medical focus, investigating whether near-death experiences could be the result of a lack of oxygen to the brain or another medical or psychological cause. Kellehear suggests that the search for psycho-medical explanations has focused on psycho-neurological and defensive mechanisms emphasising altered status of consciousness or physical functioning and not taken into account the meaning of these experiences. Kellehea
1.3.10 The impact of near-death experiences In many studies (Sabom, 1982; Toates 1999) the main effect of a near-death experience was to reduce a person’s fear of dying. Individuals surviving similar types of near-death crisis without an associated near-death experience did not show the same reduction in fear of death, as Table 2 indicates. 1.2.9 Nick In our society we tend to expect not to have to face the likelihood of death until our 70s at least, but one group of people who are having to face the prospect of death at a relatively young age are those diagnosed as HIV-positive. Controversy surrounds the issue of whether those at risk of contracting the virus should have the blood test which might give them that death sentence. At the time of writing there is no clear evidence that any treatment can improve the prognosis, even if taken at 1.2.8 Caroline Caroline’s experience was rather different. She was brought face to face with death when she was involved in a fatal car accident. Her friend who was driving at the time was killed outright whilst Caroline escaped unhurt. She found the reality of this difficult to assimilate and felt a sense of guilt. For a long time after the accident – several months – I kept replaying it over and over again in my mind and 1.2.1 Death and Tolstoy Inevitably, the way in which people deal with death, whether by denial or by the construction of a complex system of beliefs and myths, leads to questions about the meaning of life. For Julia Neuberger this is the lesson of death. ‘It is nothing to fear of itself, but it concentrates the mind powerfully in examining what it is we mean by life’ (Neuberger and White, 1991, p. 13). Click to view 'Author(s): Conclusion This free course provided an introduction to studying Health and Social Care. It took you through a series of exercises designed to develop your approach to study and learning at a distance and helped to improve your confidence as an independent learner. References 1.3.7 Models of adjustment Here we have talked about changes of place as having a particular impact on an individual's sense of well-being or self-esteem. Relocation and separation from familiar places just like separation from loved ones can be experienced as a form of loss which can have devastating effects for some people. Some authors have seen changes in self-esteem as the key to understanding how people cope with change. For example, Hopson and Adams (1976) suggest that any transition, whatever triggers it, sets 1.3.6 Relocation: acceptance Of equal importance in terms of adjustment is an acceptance of the new situation and identification with the new life (Lieberman and Tobin, 1983). Reed and Roskell Payton (1995) have shown how ‘adjusting to life in a care home is a complex process, requiring a range of social skills’. They have observed a range of strategies from those people who ‘"push" themselves on strangers’ to those who ‘construct familiarity’ using what little they know about people and places to find common 1.3.4 Change on a daily basis: Day unit care The importance of maintaining continuity of people and places is important in both cases. Many people attend day care services and find that the change is a stimulating experience, widening their daily contacts and allowing them to become part of another group. The issues of continuity of experience raised here will be familiar to day care workers. Click below to hear an audio clip describing Redwood Day Unit. 1.2.3 Place and identity Home, then, can support your ‘identity’ through the way you ‘personalise’ the space in it with your own belongings – making a statement about who you are. However, if you look back to Activity 1, you can also see other ways identity is supported: ‘I can be myself’. If you say this, it suggests that you don't have to put on an act. You fit ‘naturally’. Home is part of your identity because you are the person who ‘fits’ in that place. But it is not usually jus 1.2.2 A place for possessions One of the w Keep on learning   There are more than 800 courses on OpenLearn for you to 4.2 Using antidepressants for grief In addition to tranquilisers, antidepressant medication may be considered when a person approaches a doctor for help following bereavement. Prescribing doctors may feel under pressure to ‘do something’ to help the person who presents to them. Neither party may be aware of other options that may be effective in helping in these potentially difficult situations. Indeed, local support groups, psychotherapy, counselling and other possible alternatives may not be readily available. Undou 1 Is grief a medical problem? Grief is a fertile area for debate and controversy within health care professions, and its significance as something in need of medical attention has been debated by both health analysts and social commentators alike. Is it a ‘natural’ phenomenon that should be respected and acknowledged, but one that requires that the bereaved individual is left alone to experience it in their own way? Or should the bereaved person be assisted with intervention which relies on the presumption that grief Acknowledgements The content acknowledged below is Proprietary (see terms and conditions) and is used under licence. Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources for permission to reproduce material in this course: Course image: Margie Savage (Beedie) in Flickr made available under Author(s): 3.3 Concerns about being a carer Some of the things people mentioned were: Through their work, Jonathan and Jane identify other areas for concern. These include:
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