32. DEATH AND DYING (PART 2) Flashcards
(35 cards)
1
Q
- What social aspects can you identify in this case?
A
- the path to death
- how the doctors are handling the situation
2
Q
- What does Christine mean by saying: “It is a torture for all of us.”
A
- the lack of communication by the doctors has lead to uncertainty
3
Q
- What are the two types of death that are talked about in Sociology?
A
- Biological Death
- Social Death
4
Q
- What is Biological Death?
A
- it is the end of life
5
Q
- What is Social Death?
A
- this happens when a person is no longer capable of mastering their own life
- they rely on others to act on their behalf
6
Q
- What are some conditions that are associated with Social Death?
A
- brain injuries
- coma
- brain death
7
Q
- In the past, what was the relation between Social and Biological death?
A
- biological deaths used to occur before social death
- funerals and mourning customs were used to help people cope with unexpected loss and uncertainty
8
Q
- In the present, what is the relation between Social and Biological Death?
A
- social death is likely to happen before Biological death
- some families may find it to be a difficult separation before the biological death occurs
9
Q
- Are there any coping contexts for social death?
A
- no
- this period is often characterised by uncertainty and confusion for the relatives of the patient
10
Q
- How is death perceived currently?
A
- it is wild, feared and unfamiliar
- it has been privatised
- it is not observed in public spaces
- there has been a huge decline in the exposure to
death and dying - death has been moved into hospitals
- it is not seen within the community
- we fear death because we do not casually see it
11
Q
- What kind of approach is there to death, with regards to modern societies?
A
- a scientific understanding
- there has also been a decline in the importance of the sacredness of death
- science has taken over religion
- there is no longer an explanation of death within
communities
12
Q
- What is Medicalisation?
A
- it is a process that ensures that more aspects of daily life are brought into the biomedical sphere
- these aspects of life are now influenced by the medical sphere
- this means that some normal events have been turned into controversial and problematic idea
- a scientific approach can cause many arguments
13
Q
- What are some examples of aspects of daily life that have been Medicalised?
A
- pregnancy
(women and children have been saved by medicine) - ageing
- dying
(less people are dying from brain injuries)
14
Q
- What is the negative side effects of Medicalisation?
A
- Cultural Iatrogenesis
15
Q
- What is Cultural Iatrogenesis?
A
- biomedicine undermines people’s ability to:
- manage their own life
- the ability to cope with pain
- the ability to cope with suffering and death - it creates a culture of individuals being dependent on the medical world
- this stops them from being independent in the way they deal with their own issues
16
Q
- What does it mean when we say that death is hospitalised?
A
- dying is presented as a disease
within the hospital - death is seen as curable
- death is now viewed as something abnormal
17
Q
- Which phenomena now characterise the treatment of dying?
A
- over treatment
- heroic medicine
18
Q
- Which regards to the case, if the patient could communicate and understand, would you let him know that he was dying?
A
- yes
- he has the right to know
- this allows the patient to have some say in their
treatment plan - this can bring about a holistic decision
- telling the patient can have a negative impact on their treatment process
19
Q
- What were the 4 forms of Awareness Contexts that were termed by Glaser and Strauss in 1965?
A
- Closed
- Suspicion Awareness
- Mutual Pretence
- Open Awareness
20
Q
- What is Closed Awareness?
A
- this is where the staff knows about the patient’s impending death
- the patient does not know about their death
- it is based on the idea that the patient’s do not want to know that they are dying
21
Q
- What is Suspicion Awareness?
A
- the doctors and the nurses behave in a way to avoid talking about the topic of death
- the patient does not press the issue of death
- they assume they are dying, but do not talk about it
- the patient does recognise that they are terminal
22
Q
- What is Mutual Pretence?
A
- the doctor and the patient pretend that nothing is wrong
- there may be some pressure on the doctor from the
family - they want the doctor to tell the patient about their
condition
23
Q
- What is Open Awareness?
A
- the patient is openly informed that they are dying
- they are informed by health care professionals
- this requires a much greater emotional commitment by nurses and the medical staff
24
Q
- What is Open Awareness associated with?
A
- the concept of good death
25
25. Who termed the idea of the Good Death?
- Kellehear
- in 1990
26
26. What is meant by the idea that a death can be good?
- the patient can settle all their affairs because they are aware that they are dying
- they leave behind no pending issues
27
27. What are the 5 features of a good death?
1. Awareness of Dying
2. Personal Preparations and Social Adjustments
3. Public Preparations
4. The Relinquishing of Formal Roles
5. Farewells
28
28. What is the Awareness of Dying?
THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE ARE AWARE THAT THE PATIENT IS DYING:
- the dying person
- family
- friends
- health care professionals
29
29. What are Personal Preparations and Social Adjustments?
- the dying individual has the chance to settle their
accounts
- they can resolve any family disputes
- this can put them at peace
30
30. What are Public Preparations?
- the dying individual can settle practical accounts
- they can sort out their will
- they leave nothing unfinished behind
31
31. What is the Relinquishing of Formal Work Roles?
- this allows the dying individual to prepare a soft
withdrawal from their work place
32
32. What is meant by Farewells?
- a good death involves formal and informal farewells
- these can be to:
- family
- friends
- staff
33
33. What type of death has been experienced?
Why?
- a social death
- he cannot communicate with other people
- he has to rely on others
34
34. Has his imminent death been medicalised?
In which ways?
- yes
- the doctors continue to treat him
- even though he is dying
35
35. What type of death awareness could be used in his case?
Which is most beneficial for the patient?
- Open Awareness is the most commonly used form of awareness in Western Hospitals
- Open Awareness is linked with the concept of a good
death
- this gives the dying person the opportunity to close
their pending matters
- they get the chance to say goodbye
