I found this chapter very interesting. I'm not sure why, since it is one of the scariest subjects to talk about these days. It seems like more and more people are afraid to die these days. Of course it is understandable because none of us know what will happen whenever we do pass on. There are so many theories, basically it is whatever you want to believe. Hillier and Barrow (2011) state, "Fear of death is a normal human condition - we struggle for our life, and for the lives of tohers, and we desperately desire to avoid unknowns" (p. 376). This chapter goes into a bunch of depth about death and dying, and put it in a very blunt manner. The first part talks about a death-denying society saying that people do not like the word "died," but prefer to use the term "passed away" or "passed" on. I understand this completely I feel if I am telling someone about someones passing, "died" is too much of a "straight-forward" term. It then goes into the fear of death which is a big issue with society today. People are not sure what is going to happen so they choose to live in fear or just avoid the subject all together. Next, the text goes into living fully until death and under that are the subcategories of the life review stages of grief which include denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Next it has the care of the dying in hospitals, then a matter of choice, informed consent of treatment, funerals, facing and preparing for death, and bereavement.
The most interesting part of the chapter to me was the "Fear of Death" categorey. I knew that everybody had a fear of death I just did not know all the different types of fears. Hillier and Barrow (2011) state in the text, "The fear of death is understiood in terms of specific fears that dying people express. Some people have many, if not all, of these fears. For some, one particular fear becomes hauntin, dominating their dying process" (p. 378). The specific fears they talk about are fear of pain and suffering, fear of the unknown, fear of nonexistence, fear of eternal punishment, fear of loss of control, and fear of what will become of loved ones.
I believe what could help me from this chapter in my future is working with "The Matter of Choice" described in the book such as hospice, reframing the craft of dying, right to die, advance directives, suicide, and assisted suicide. After volunteering and "shadowing" a social worker in a nursing home. She had to deal with most of every single one of these in the nursing home with the patients and residents. So it's only inevitable that if I go into the geriatric feild, I will too.
Hillier, S. & Barrow, G. (2011). Aging, the individual, and society. 373-401. 9th ed. California: WADSWORTH.
I also agree this was a very interesting chapter as it pertains to death and dying. It is understandable how many people have a fear of dying and how uncomfortable it is to speak of death, such as referring to a person who has died as passing on or passing away instead of using the term “died”. It is often a subject that is avoided or not dealt with until someone has no other choice but to face it. Being fearful of the unknown is a natural reaction. Although I am not afraid to die, I do worry about what will become of loved ones. I lost my father at a young age and it made a huge impact in my life. The thought of my children, although they are older of going through this is an uneasy feeling, since they are still somewhat dependent on me financially. Knowing and understanding the stages of grief will be beneficial in the field of social work as we may need to address problems they face as they work through their feelings of denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance
ReplyDeleteCara,
ReplyDeleteI also agree that this chapter was very interesting. Death is always a fascinating subject. I have dealt with death many times in my life, and always wondered where people went after they died. I lost my mother when i was ten years old and did not understand what it meant when someone said "she passed". I wondered what it was that she passed, was it a test or something? The terminology used for informing of a person's death should be used accordingly and based on the person being told. A child does not understand the term "someone passing away", but do understand "they died". As people get older, they prefer the lighter versions of most things, especially when it is an unpleasant topic.