Includes bibliographical references and bibliography: p. [79]-80.
"Ours is a death-denying society. Fifty years ago sex was the taboo subject; now its death. Society pretends that death is not there and hides it away in dimly lit, solitary rooms in institutions such as hospitals and nursing homes. The dying person is often an embarrassment to medical staff who are oriented to cure, and unendurable to family members who want to avoid unpleasantness. .... Terminal care, when all active treatment of a patient's disease becomes ineffective and irrelevant to his needs, becomes palliative care. Palliative care is not a medical speciality. It is a concept and philosophy of care. Palliative care tries to alleviate distress in any of its forms, keeps patients as free from pain as possible without drugging them into insensibility, and provides medical, psychological, social, and spiritual support for the family as well as the patient." -- Intro.
"This book has evolved from [Beverly Hall's] working experience with terminally ill people through St. Mary's Anglican Church, Richmond Hill, and Hospice King (the prototype of community homecare in Canada)." -- back cover.
Contents: Introduction -- Learning from the Dying -- Physical-Medical Needs -- Psychological-Social Needs -- Spiritual Needs -- Understanding the Needs of AIDS Patients -- Care of the Caregiver -- The Hospice Concept -- Epilogue -- Endnotes -- Bibliography.
The author "has been holding the hands of the dying for years, and he knows how to help. Whether you are the one with diagnosis, or the one who is caring for the dying, this book will offer support, encouragement, and some helpful tips. From dealing with medical staff to talking with family and friends who are in denial, [this book] is an ideal companion for perhaps the most important journey of all". -- back cover.
Contents divided into three parts.
Contents: Introduction -- Defining a "good and blessed death" -- Meditating on the psalms -- Admitting that you know -- Releasing control -- Asking your questions -- Dealing with privacy -- Grasping the present tense -- Crying -- Saying "no" or "NO!" to heroic measures -- Partnering with physicians -- Putting choices into writing -- Living until dying -- Dealing with the physical changes -- Embracing God -- Expressing anger -- Forgiving -- Befriending your fears -- Deciding how you want to be remembered -- Reviewing your life -- Making room in your dying for some living -- Making Doxologies -- Making life easier for your survivors -- Making a valid will -- Giving it to them now ! -- Guarding the gate -- Offering hospitality -- Making visitors comfortable -- Ignoring the well-intentioned -- Dealing with strugglers -- Leaving an ethical will -- Composing your goodbyes -- Food for the journey -- Requesting and receiving the gifts of prayer -- Embracing the silences -- Accepting the mystery -- Telling your stories -- Holding on for special red-letter days -- Making room for humor --Clinging to hope -- Enjoying dessert -- Choosing the time to die -- Finishing the race -- Endnotes.
Author "is an adjunct professor in the doctoral program at Northern Baptist Seminary and has taught courses at Nazarene Theological Seminary. He is a public speaker who frequently leads workshops for hospice training events and pastoral leadership conference. He is the author of many books on bereavement." -- p. [222].