Caring for the Dying: Critical Issues at the Edge of Life (Contemporary Issues) Reviews

Caring for the Dying: Critical Issues at the Edge of Life (Contemporary Issues)





Few things spark more heated moral debate than the idea of euthanasia, but since 1997, when Oregon enacted a law permitting physician-assisted suicide, the public discussion over end-of-life issues has shifted. A major response to this law has been increased attention to providing support for the dying in ways that lessen the felt need for assisted suicide. The result has been renewed emphasis on hospice, palliative care, and the spiritual needs of the dying, as well as on advance directives to settle legal matters. These are the four critical issues addressed by leading experts in this outstanding collection of recent articles on this controversial topic.

CARING FOR THE DYING is divided into four sections. The essays in section one clarify the role of hopsice in providing care for the dying, debunk some commonly believed myths about hospice, and discuss such issues as the funding of hospice services by Medicare.

Section two focuses on palliative care, considering the complicated nature of pain, when and to what extent suffering should be alleviated, and the use of drugs in palliative intervention.

The authors in section three examine the spiritual needs of the dying and stress that caregivers must remain sensitive to the diverse traditions in which spiritual needs are rooted.

The concluding section addresses, among other things, the legal right to healthcare at the end of life, and the importance of legal measures such as the advance directive, the durable power of attorney, and litigation to modify the requirements for Medicare-funded hospice services and to remove restrictions that might impede physicians from prescribing adequate pain-management drugs.

An underlying theme of all the essays is that individuals face death and dying differently; consequently, end-of-life needs vary. Awareness of this is crucial both for the dying and for those who see to their care. The selections in this insightful volume will help readers recognize and prepare for the difficult decisions that must be faced at the end of life.

Included are offerings from experts in the fields of law, nursing, medicine, biology, and social work, as well as from representatives of Compassion in Dying, the American Hospice Foundation, the Oregon Hospice Association, and many others.









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