Death and Dying Flashcards
the dying process
is much longer and delayed today because we have technology that keeps people alive longer
how do we define death?
- vegetative state aka brain dead
- according to the presidential commission:
-when all brain activity ceases
including the brain stem**
what have court rulings state about the dying process?
if a person is in a vegetative state, then family can choose to withhold all means of life prolonging medical treatment ( ie. food water, etc.)
What are the psychological stages associated with dying
- denial
- anger
- bargaining
- depression
- acceptance
important note about the psychological stages associated with dying
people do not have to go through them in order
who came up with the stages for death and dying
Elizabeth Kubler ross
what percentage of people spend their final years in a nursing home in pain and alone?
80%
examples of extraordinary treatments
-O2, respirators, pacemakers, artificial organs, defibrillators
what are living wills/advanced directives?
tell people who you want done if you can’t make your own decisions in terms of life prolonging care
passive and active euthanasia
passive-allowing someone to die (ie. a DNR)
active-someone else ends patients life at their request
what percentage of the US believes euthanasia should be legal?
72%
what is physician assisted suicide?
when the physician provides the means for patients to take their own life (ie. giving an overdose of Rx)
what are the 2 legal cases pertaining to assisted suicide?
- a couple with a sick wife. Wife wanted husband to end her life. They attempted a double suicide, but by accident only the wife passed and the husband stayed alive.
- An older cognitively impaired woman. her worst fear is being put into a nursing home. She feared her daughter was going to put her into a nursing home, so she shot her. They daughter was then put on life support
