Can terminal illness ever be fun? At the peak of his career as an eco-architect, Christopher Day developed Motor Neurone (Lou Gehrig's) Disease. Initially, the future seemed bleak, but as the illness progressed, his attitude changed. The more things went wrong, the more hilarious life became. He began to appreciate the gifts illness has brought. (my) Dying is Fun is for anyone, or anyone who knows anyone, who might one day die. Especially, it's for anyone who needs to laugh. This book transforms disability and dying into a testament for life.
Can terminal illness ever be fun? At the peak of his career as an eco-architect, Christopher Day developed Motor Neurone (Lou Gehrig's) Disease. Initially, the future seemed bleak, but as the illness progressed, his attitude changed. The more things went wrong, the more hilarious life became. He began to appreciate the gifts illness has brought. (my) Dying is Fun is for anyone, or anyone who knows anyone, who might one day die. Especially, it's for anyone who needs to laugh. This book transforms disability and dying into a testament for life.
SCHROEPFER Tracy A., NOH Hyunjin, KAVANAUGH Melinda
Journal article citation:
Gerontologist, 49(6), December 2010, pp.755-766.
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
This study explored the role control plays in the dying process of terminally ill older people by investigating the aspects of the dying process over which they seek to exercise control, the strategies they use and whether they desire to exercise more control. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with 84 terminally ill older people receiving hospice care. Results revealed that all 84 respondents were using at least one primary control strategy in their dying process, 83 of whom did so in combination with another primary or compensatory secondary control strategy. Decision making, independence, mental attitude, instrumental activities of daily living, activities of daily living and relationships were aspects of the dying process over which the respondents sought to exercise control. Over half of the respondents wanted more control but felt their illness prevented it. The findings highlight the importance of terminally ill older people having opportunities to exercise control in the dying process.
This study explored the role control plays in the dying process of terminally ill older people by investigating the aspects of the dying process over which they seek to exercise control, the strategies they use and whether they desire to exercise more control. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with 84 terminally ill older people receiving hospice care. Results revealed that all 84 respondents were using at least one primary control strategy in their dying process, 83 of whom did so in combination with another primary or compensatory secondary control strategy. Decision making, independence, mental attitude, instrumental activities of daily living, activities of daily living and relationships were aspects of the dying process over which the respondents sought to exercise control. Over half of the respondents wanted more control but felt their illness prevented it. The findings highlight the importance of terminally ill older people having opportunities to exercise control in the dying process.
THE KOSH, (Producer), MERWITZER Michael, WILLIAMS Sian, (Directors)
Publisher:
The Kosh
Publication year:
2007
Pagination:
(44 mins.), DVD
Place of publication:
London
Funded by The City Bridge Trust and Comic Relief, this two year video project began in October 2005. It has been developed in collaboration with the Oxford Befriending Network, the Policy Research Institute for Ageing and Ethnicity, St. Christopher's Hospice and Help the Hospices. Conversations to Remember is an intimate portrayal of how people deal with end-of-life issues. People with life-threatening conditions and carers talk freely about what is important to them, ways of coping and in their words “living with dying”. Conversations to Remember gives a voice to those people who are rarely heard and is based on a series of open-ended video interviews with eleven participants, involving a wide range of respondents in terms of age, gender, terminal illness, ethnic background and location. Conversations to Remember is designed to stimulate discussion, to communicate what people dealing with end-of-life issues really think and want and to help health professionals and policy makers develop appropriate services and responses
Funded by The City Bridge Trust and Comic Relief, this two year video project began in October 2005. It has been developed in collaboration with the Oxford Befriending Network, the Policy Research Institute for Ageing and Ethnicity, St. Christopher's Hospice and Help the Hospices. Conversations to Remember is an intimate portrayal of how people deal with end-of-life issues. People with life-threatening conditions and carers talk freely about what is important to them, ways of coping and in their words “living with dying”. Conversations to Remember gives a voice to those people who are rarely heard and is based on a series of open-ended video interviews with eleven participants, involving a wide range of respondents in terms of age, gender, terminal illness, ethnic background and location. Conversations to Remember is designed to stimulate discussion, to communicate what people dealing with end-of-life issues really think and want and to help health professionals and policy makers develop appropriate services and responses
Caring for someone with a terminal illness can be a devastating experience. This book is designed to help the carer through some of the difficulties they may face in the days ahead. It offers positive and constructive advice, ideas and information on the practical side of caring. Contents include the diagnosis; understanding the illness; getting help with caring; living with the illness; money and legal matters; bereavement and grief.
Caring for someone with a terminal illness can be a devastating experience. This book is designed to help the carer through some of the difficulties they may face in the days ahead. It offers positive and constructive advice, ideas and information on the practical side of caring. Contents include the diagnosis; understanding the illness; getting help with caring; living with the illness; money and legal matters; bereavement and grief.
Subject terms:
older people, personal finance, bereavement, carers, coping behaviour, dying, grief;
Death remains a taboo subject in many societies. Few people want to talk about it, or know what to do or say when someone is dying, or dies. This book aims to cut through the taboos and place death firmly in the circle of life. Quirky without being irreverent, accessible without being glib, and challenging without being disturbing, it contains a collection of sixty thoughts and conversation starters that reflect on bringing death to life. Subjects covered include: planning a personalised funeral; ways to help people who are terminally ill; making an emotional will; organ donation; creating online memorials; opening the conversation with children; and things to do before you die. Dying to Know is the result of lengthy consultation with palliative care workers, people with terminal illness,
Death remains a taboo subject in many societies. Few people want to talk about it, or know what to do or say when someone is dying, or dies. This book aims to cut through the taboos and place death firmly in the circle of life. Quirky without being irreverent, accessible without being glib, and challenging without being disturbing, it contains a collection of sixty thoughts and conversation starters that reflect on bringing death to life. Subjects covered include: planning a personalised funeral; ways to help people who are terminally ill; making an emotional will; organ donation; creating online memorials; opening the conversation with children; and things to do before you die. Dying to Know is the result of lengthy consultation with palliative care workers, people with terminal illness, funeral industry professionals, children, religious leaders, doctors and those who have lost loved ones. It doesn't claim to be a book of answers, just of ideas, insights, advice and inspiration. As the author suggests; “Read it and then rush into the daylight to get on with the more challenging matter of living”.
Health and Social Work, 35(2), May 2010, pp.109-117.
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
... dealing with the dying process and social support. Implications for social work practice and areas for future research are discussed. The authors comment that social workers, who encounter people with HF in a variety of practice settings, can play a keen role by focusing on the needs of people with HF, addressing and strengthening their ability to manage their condition, facilitating social support, and helping them to cope with the dying process. Greater attention to these issues in the social work literature is needed, with a particular focus on the role of racial and ethnic diversity as they pertain to people with HF facing end-of-life issues.
The authors conducted a systematic literature review, combined with thematic analysis of articles addressing the lived experience of end-of-life care for people with heart failure (HF). Fifteen studies that gave first-person accounts of heart failure were included. The majority of the studies involved one-to-one interviews with people who had HF. Age distribution among the studies was from 38 to 100 years. One hundred and eleven men and 59 women participated in the studies. The majority of the studies took place in European countries. The results suggested that people with HF face many challenges, including those associated with the formal health care system, life disruption, social isolation, symptoms, and uncertainty about prognosis and symptoms. Coping strategies include HF management, dealing with the dying process and social support. Implications for social work practice and areas for future research are discussed. The authors comment that social workers, who encounter people with HF in a variety of practice settings, can play a keen role by focusing on the needs of people with HF, addressing and strengthening their ability to manage their condition, facilitating social support, and helping them to cope with the dying process. Greater attention to these issues in the social work literature is needed, with a particular focus on the role of racial and ethnic diversity as they pertain to people with HF facing end-of-life issues.
Subject terms:
long term conditions, palliative care, terminal illness, user views, coping behaviour, dying, end of life care, heart diseases;
This book describes the lives and illness of thirteen people with learning disabilities who had cancer. As accessible to family members as to professionals, more information on the research methods used by the author on ‘the Veronica project’ is appended. The author visited all the participants at home, day centres, hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, and accompanied them to GPs and outpatient departments for three years to see what it is like for individuals with learning disabilities to live with deteriorating health and recorded what happened to ten of them just before their deaths. The experiences of families, paid carers and the health and social care services that supported them are detailed. The author looks at each case in terms of diagnosis and how cancer and its implications were explained, how much was understood and how individuals coped with the treatment. The suffering experienced by people with learning disabilities at the end of their lives is highlighted, but also their resilience and strength is applauded by this author. The final chapter builds on the optimism of the latter and several recommendations for how people with learning disabilities can be supported at the close of their lives are raised.
This book describes the lives and illness of thirteen people with learning disabilities who had cancer. As accessible to family members as to professionals, more information on the research methods used by the author on ‘the Veronica project’ is appended. The author visited all the participants at home, day centres, hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, and accompanied them to GPs and outpatient departments for three years to see what it is like for individuals with learning disabilities to live with deteriorating health and recorded what happened to ten of them just before their deaths. The experiences of families, paid carers and the health and social care services that supported them are detailed. The author looks at each case in terms of diagnosis and how cancer and its implications were explained, how much was understood and how individuals coped with the treatment. The suffering experienced by people with learning disabilities at the end of their lives is highlighted, but also their resilience and strength is applauded by this author. The final chapter builds on the optimism of the latter and several recommendations for how people with learning disabilities can be supported at the close of their lives are raised.
Subject terms:
learning disabilities, palliative care, resilience, case studies, cancer, coping behaviour, death, dying;
Few older people get the chance to discuss issues relating to death and dying, but when Help the Aged held a series of ‘listening events’ to facilitate such discussions, the participants welcomed the opportunity. They talked about care and treatment options, spiritual and emotional needs, coping with bereavement and how to communicate wishes to close family. This report, with a foreword
Few older people get the chance to discuss issues relating to death and dying, but when Help the Aged held a series of ‘listening events’ to facilitate such discussions, the participants welcomed the opportunity. They talked about care and treatment options, spiritual and emotional needs, coping with bereavement and how to communicate wishes to close family. This report, with a foreword by Professor Ian Philp, National Director for Older People's Services, captures the conversations and makes recommendations for practitioners and policy-makers.