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INTRODUCTION TO DEATH AND DYING

Death is inevitable.  Yet are we sure of exactly what it is? We understand medical death. Respiration stops due to terminal illness, accidents or natural causes. Medical death is the end stage of life as we know it.

We are born, we live and die.  The heart is no longer pumping, organs, tissues and all cells cease their functions. This is biological death.

Religion offers us the concept of theological death, defining the moment when the soul leaves the body. It gives the hope of something further, while offering closure.

Psychological death is said to occur when there is severe brain damage such as with Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, other illnesses, accidents, major infections or traumas. Lost are the awareness of self and environment.

We live in a death denying society. Death has been in the closet for years, a forbidden topic. Just thinking of dying brings feelings of panic and helplessness to many people. One way we disguise the connotations and fears of death is through the use of euphemisms such as bloody murder, only the good die young, and angel of death, to name a few.

Death Education

Death education is essential. It enables us to think and talk productively about our own death as well as that of others. Many people have difficulty making important decisions regarding Advance Directives, wills and funerals. Becoming familiar with these issues greatly alleviates the stress of performing these tasks.

Learning to feel comfortable and accepting of our own death, we can become valuable sources of help and support to others. We can dispel fears people have about aging or illness by providing educational information about death and related events. We can learn to cope with our own grief, and thus offer better support to the dying.

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Donalyn Gross’ 30 year career as a Thanatologist includes working with hospitals, hospice, correctional systems, and long term care facilities. An Adjunct Professor, she teaches college courses in Death and Dying, and offers training workshops for healthcare professionals. The author of several books, therapeutic music CD’s, and a video, she is the creator of the Good Endings® Program (www.goodendings.net).