Living with Dying

About this book

The first resource on end-of-life care for healthcare practitioners who work with the terminally ill and their families Living with Dying begins with the narratives of five healthcare professionals who when faced with overwhelming personal losses altered their clinical practices and philosophies. The book provides ways to ensure a respectful death for individuals families groups and communities and is organized around theoretical issues in loss grief and bereavement and around clinical practice with individuals families and groups. Living with Dying addresses practice with people who have specific illnesses such as AIDS bone marrow disease and cancer and pays special attention to patients who have been stigmatized by culture ability sexual orientation age race or homelessness. The book includes content on trauma and developmental issues for children adults and the aging who are dying and it addresses legal ethical spiritual cultural and social class issues as core factors in the assessment of and work with the dying. It explores interdisciplinary teamwork supervision and the organizational and financing contexts in which dying occurs. Current research in end-of-life care ways to provide leadership in the field and a call for compassion insight and respect for the dying makes this an indispensable resource for social workers healthcare educators administrators consultants advocates and practitioners who work with the dying and their families.