Dying, Death, and Bereavement Book

UNIT 1. Issues in Dying and Death

1. Finding Better Ways to Die, Lane Jennings, The Futurist, March/April 2005

This article discusses why we fear death, controversial death-related issues, growing old, and “little deaths.”

2. Into the Oblivion, Thomas Lynch, Harper’s Magazine, May 2007

The author of The Undertaking, himself a funeral director, comments on the dead human body, based on his 35 years of dealing with dead human remains.

3. Moving Toward Peace, Karen A. Kehl, American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine, August/September 2006

An analysis of 42 articles, from the perspectives of medicine, nursing, patients, and sociological literature, to determine what is really meant by “a good death.”

4. Technology and Death Policy, Robert H. Blank, Mortality, July 2001

British political scientist Robert Blank analyzes the policy issues surrounding the definition of death within the context of technological and social changes.

5. A Survey of End-of-Life Care in Care Homes, Katherine Froggatt and Sheila Payne, Health and Social Care in the Community, July 2006

A postal survey was undertaken in care homes in the United Kingdom to examine the characteristics of end-of-life care for older individuals in nursing homes.

6. How Much Is More Life Worth?, Dan W. Brock, Hastings Center Report, May/June 2006

A discussion of the high cost of drugs in treating individuals with a terminal illness. Is it really worth the financial cost of medications to keep a person alive for an additional few weeks or months? Where do we draw the line?

7. The Unsettled Question of Brain Death, Peter Monaghan, The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 22, 2002

The author examines the issue of brain death and the removal of organs for transplant purposes from the point of view of various cultures including Canada, the United States, and Japan.

8. Studying the Black Death, Norman F. Cantor, The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 27, 2001

This article is an historical overview of an infectious disease which killed millions in Western Europe and England. The author analyzes how the plague in the 14th century has been viewed over the years and how it impacted on social change in families and society.

UNIT 2. Dying and Death Across the Life Cycle

9. Editorial: On Behalf of Children, Mary Renck Jalongo, Early Childhood Education Journal, August 2005

A teacher shares her experiences with the deaths of preschool children.

10. Knowledge of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Prevention Strategies in a Multicultural, Disadvantaged Community, Lynn Kemp, Elizabeth Harris and Roberta Chavez, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, July/August 2006

Addresses levels of maternal knowledge of sudden infant death syndrome prevention strategies in a socio-economically disadvantaged, Australian population.

11. And Then the Dog Died, Kenneth R. Kaufman and Nathaniel D. Kaufman, Death Studies, January/February 2006

Literature review and case study of childhood pet bereavement within the context of multiple prior losses.

12. To Live with No Regrets, Nina Utne, Utne Reader, September/October 2005

A married couple, who each had previously experienced the death of a spouse, learn that the husband has cancer. His wife talks about the experience of his dying and how she coped.

13. “Cast Me Not Off in Old Age”, Eric Cohen and Leon R. Kass, Commentary, January 2006

In light of the recent Florida case with Terri Schiavo, the authors discuss aging in the US today. They discuss the dilemmas of old age, life prolonged in part because of medical advancements, yet the issue of living longer but often with a low quality of life. The problems of how we age and die are not only private matters but communal practices. Social policies shape the environments in which aging and care-giving take place.

14. Trends in Causes of Death Among the Elderly, Nadine R. Sahyoun et al, Aging Trends, March 2001

This article discusses the leading causes of death (chronic diseases) among the elderly toward the end of the 20th century and observes trend patterns over the past 2 decades. Projections are made toward future breakthroughs in technological advances, public health initiatives, and social changes that may increase the length of life.

UNIT 3. The Dying Process

15. Palliative Care, R. Sean Morrison and Diane E. Meier, New England Journal of Medicine, June 17, 2004

These 2 physicians, leaders in the field of palliative medicine, present a comprehensive overview of palliative care in the United States today.

16. Hospice Referral Decisions: The Role of Physicians, Brenda S. Sanders, Tracy L. Burkett, George E. Dickinson, and Robert E. Tournier, American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care, May/June 2004

The authors distinguish between religion and spirituality and discuss how hospice care considers the spiritual and religious dimensions of the dying patient.

17. Spirituality and Religion in the “Art of Dying,” Lois M. Ramondetta and Deborah Sills, Journal of Clinical Oncology, December 1, 2003

Oncologists relate to patients with tumors, often malignant, and thus have a high probability of having patients with life-threatening illnesses. This article points out the role played by spirituality and religion in the doctor-patient relationship.

18. Dying on the Streets, John Song et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, April 2007

In-depth interviews with 53 homeless individuals in Minnesota regarding end of life care concluded that they worry about dying and end of life care.

19. Aging Prisoners’ Concerns Toward Dying in Prison, Ronald H. Aday, Omega, Vol. 52, no. 3, 2005/2006

A study of death anxiety among a group of aging prisoners concluded that their fear of death is slightly higher than among similar groups in the community. Age, inmate social supports, and a number of health related variables are important predictors of death fear.

UNIT 4. Ethical Issues of Dying, Death, and Suicide

20. Death and the Law, Lawrence Rudden, The World & I, May 2003

This article discusses the legality of the Oregon Death With Dignity Act and Attorney General John Ashcroft’s challenge to the law in his attempt to prevent terminal patients of Oregon from exercising their legal right to end their suffering with a physician’s help.

21. What Living Wills Won’t Do, Eric Cohen, The Weekly Standard, April 18, 2005

Also inspired by the Terri Schiavo case, this article discusses the limitations of living wills and durable powers of attorney for health care.

22. Competent Care for the Dying Instead of Physician-Assisted Suicide, Kathleen M. Foley, The New England Journal of Medicine, January 2, 1997

Legalized physician-assisted suicide is not a substitute for competent palliative care of the dying. Attention to the emotional, psychological, spiritual, and physical needs of the dying patient is the mark of a good doctor.

23. Colleen’s Choice, Barry Yeoman, AARP The Magazine, March/April 2003

In this article, we follow the actions of Colleen Rice, who, with the assistance of her daughter, ends her life of suffering from cancer. This act of self-deliverance is portrayed as a rational and dignified attempt to bring closure to a life that Rice no longer felt was worth living.

24. Ethics and Life’s Ending, Robert D. Orr and Gilbert Meilaender, First Things, August/September 2004

This article provides a point-counterpoint discussion of the quality of life arguments for passive euthanasia and the right to die. Knowledge from both points of view challenge the student who is attempting to formulate an understanding of the complex issues surrounding this controversy.

25. When Students Kill Themselves, Colleges May Get the Blame, Ann H. Franke, The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 25, 2004

Suicide among college students has always been a nightmare for parents, now it has become a risk management issue for college administrators and professors. This article addresses the issue of responsibility for suicides among college students and how and when students are at risk.

26. Life Everlasting, Garret Keizer, Harper’s Magazine, February 2005

This article juxtaposes Dr. Lloyd Thompson against Drs. Timothy Quill and Jack Kevorkian and provides a critique of Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS). As Oregon and other states move toward making PAS legal, the author of this article provides arguments against what might be a "slippery slope" to the legalization of mercy killing.

27. Who Will Speak for You When You Can’t?, Ellen McGirt, Money, May 2005

Inspired by the Terri Schiavo case, this article provides a practical guide for those who wish to avoid the fate experienced by Ms. Schiavo. It addresses the intellectual gap created by the fact the majority of Americans would prefer their health-care guardian to remove a feeding tube, while only 18 percent have living wills or durable powers of attorney for health care.

UNIT 5. Funerals

28. The Contemporary American Funeral, Michael R. Leming and George E. Dickinson, Understanding Dying, Death, and Bereavement, Thomson, 2006

This article provides an overview of the present practice of funeralization in American society, including the traditional and alternative funeral arrangements. The functions of funerals relative to the sociological, psychological, and theological needs of adults and children are also discussed.

29. How Different Religions Pay Their Final Respects, William J. Whalen, U.S. Catholic, September 1990

A number of religious practices are reviewed in this article demonstrating the commonalities and differences among many religious traditions. Many of the rituals performed at the funeral are closely tied to the religious ideas of the people who perform them.

30. The Arlington Ladies, Shawn Macomber, The American Spectator, May 2005

This article discusses the role of the “Arlington Ladies” who have attended every funeral at Arlington Cemetery to ensure that no soldier is ever buried with no one in attendance, and also to serve the needs of family members, whether or not they are present at the funeral.

31. Green Graveyards—A Natural Way to Go, Barbara Basler, AARP Bulletin, July/August 2004

This AARP article provides “environmentally friendly” or “green” alternatives to earth burials and cremations. In the words of Billy Campbell, "We put death in its rightful place, as part of the cycle of life. Our burials honor the idea of dust to dust.”

UNIT 6. Bereavement

32. The Grieving Process, Michael R. Leming and George E. Dickinson, Understanding Dying, Death, and Bereavement, Thomson 2006

This article discusses the seven basic coping strategies related to the bereavement process (shock and denial, disorganization, volatile emotions, guilt, loss and loneliness, relief, and reestablishment) and the four tasks of bereavement (accepting the reality of the loss, experiencing the pain of grief, adjusting to an environment in which the deceased is missing, and the withdrawing of emotional energy and reinvesting it in other relationships).

33. Disenfranchised Grief, Kenneth J. Doka, Disenfranchised Grief: Recognizing HiddenSorrow, Lexington Books, 1989

Kenneth Doka discusses the unique situation of bereaved survivors whose loss is not, or cannot be, openly acknowledged, publicly mourned, or socially supported.

34. Enhancing the Concept of Disenfranchised Grief, Charles A. Corr, Omega, Vol. 38, No. 1, 1998/1999

This article enhances and broadens the concept of disenfranchised grief in significant ways as it indicates that there are aspects of most losses that are indeed disenfranchised.

35. The Increasing Prevalence of Complicated Mourning, Therese A. Rando, Omega, Vol. 26, no. 1, 1992/1993

This article operationalizes complicated mourning and identifies its seven high-risk factors. The author argues that the prevalence of complicated mourning is increasing today due to a number of contemporary sociocultural and technological trends, with problems in both the mental health profession and the field of thanatology that are preventing or interfering with requisite treatment. New treatment policies and models are now mandated for intervention in complicated mourning.

36. Those Left Behind, Susan Brink, U.S. News & World Report, November 29, 2004

This article discusses the special grieving of war widows and the recovery of losing a spouse to armed conflict that exists between nations at war.

37. Till Death Do Us Part, Mickie Mashburn, The Advocate, February 19, 2002

This article is a personal account of a woman who has experienced disenfranchised grief as the surviving spouse in a same-sex relationship. She tells of how she was disinherited and marginalized by her partner’s family and denied her rightful claim to personal belongings, pension, and other benefits that normally go to a surviving spouse.

38. Counseling With Children in Contemporary Society, Linda Goldman, Journal of Mental Health Counseling, April 2004

This article examines elements related to children’s developmental understandings of death, ways to talk to children about death, a broad understanding of the nature of children’s grief and bereavement, recognition of the common characteristics of grieving children, and useful interventions of the bereaved child by mental health counselors.

39. Life Is Like the Seasons, Anne Graham, Childhood Education, International Focus Issue, 2004

This article provides an understanding of the Seasons for Growth education program which aims to promote the social and emotional well-being of children and young people, ages 6-18, who have experienced significant change and loss as a result of death, separation, or divorce. It is best understood as an educational program oriented toward skill building—specifically communication, decision making, and problem solving skills.