Death and Dying

Aging and the Elderly SOCI 1306 Death and Dying The quality of life was far worse than it is today for the majority of human history. With few comforts and very little in the way of medical technology, humans struggled to live. In every stage of life, there was a significant chance of dying from an illness or accident, and the average lifespan was short. Death started to be linked with old age as people lived longer. Losing a grandmother or another elderly relative may be the first death of a loved one that many teens and young adults encounter. Grief is a psychological, emotional, and social reaction to the feelings of loss that accompany death or a comparable tragedy. This might be their first experience with it. Individuals frequently view death through the lens of their culture, both their own and that of others. Some people may view death as the inevitable end to a long and fulfilling life, while others may find it terrifying to think of passing away. People typically respond emotionally and with great aversion to the thought of dying, both when a loved one passes away. In the United States, it is common to regard death as a loss rather than a peaceful or natural passage. The fact that so few research were done on death and dying until the 1960s might surprise you. Prior to a psychologist called Elisabeth Kübler-Ross starting to observe persons who were dying, the fields of death and dying had gotten little attention. Kübler-Ross saw several recurring themes in the experiences of those she observed as they approached death. Five separate stages comprised the process, according to her observations: denial, rage, bargaining, despair, and acceptance. Her research was published in the 1969 book On Death and Dying. Even now, the book is regarded as a classic in the field. According to research by Kübler-Ross, a person's initial response to the possibility of dying is denial. This is typified by the individual refusing to accept that they are dying and thinking things like "I feel fine" or "This is not really happening to me." When the loss of life is viewed as unjust and unfair, the second stage is rage. After that, a person turns to the third stage, known as bargaining, in which they attempt to persuade a higher authority to delay the inevitable by altering or reforming their way of life. When things start to look hopeless, one might become resigned during the fourth stage, psychological depression. A person comes to terms with death and accepts it in the last stage. At this stage, the individual can embrace death head-on by accepting it as a normal and unavoidable aspect of life and maximising their time left. When Kübler-Ross's work was first presented, it was illuminating. It created new avenues for the study of death and the assistance of the dying to sociologists, social workers, medical professionals, and therapists. Most people agree that Kübler-Ross made a significant contribution to thanatology—the methodical study of death and dying—through her work. Thanatologists are particularly interested in the idea of "dying with dignity." With the use of sophisticated medical technology, life can be extended in the modern day without necessarily improving one's quality of life. When someone is in continual agony and no longer enjoys life, sometimes they may decide they don't want to live. Should patients be allowed to choose to pass away honourably? Physician-assisted suicide refers to the voluntary or physician-assisted use of fatal drugs administered by a medical professional to terminate one's own life. Dr Jack Kevorkian was a strong supporter of this practice. It's debatable if a patient has the right to a doctor's assistance in dying with dignity. The first state in the union to authorise physician-assisted suicides was Oregon. The Death with Dignity Act was implemented in Oregon in 1997, requiring two doctors to be present for a lawful assisted suicide. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft successfully challenged this statute in 2001, but the Oregon law was ultimately affirmed by the appeals process. In 2019, comparable legislation permitting physician assisted suicide was approved by the District of Columbia, seven states, and one territory. The debate over dying with dignity regulations serves as a metaphor for how our culture attempts to distance itself from death. Terminally sick patients can now live comfortably in buildings constructed by health institutes. This is viewed as a kind deed, relieving the remaining family members of the responsibility of tending to the dying relative. However, research nearly always indicates that people would rather pass away in their own homes (Lloyd, White, and Sutton 2011). Should we take care of our elderly relatives till their death as a civic obligation? How can we manage our other commitments and responsibilities while taking care of an ageing relative? Answers to these topics will evolve and shift as our civilization ages and as new medical technology makes life even longer. Hospice's evolving meaning reflects how our culture is evolving in its understanding of death. When "cure-oriented treatments" are no longer a possibility, terminally ill patients can receive hospice care (Hospice Foundation of America 2012b). Hospice physicians, nurses, and therapists are specially trained in providing care for the terminally ill. The goal is to leave this life in comfort and tranquilly, not to recover from the sickness or find a cure. Hospice facilities are places where individuals may go to pass away in comfort, and more and more hospice services promote at-home care so that a person can pass away in a familiar setting with their loved ones by their side (Hospice Foundation of America 2012a). Even while the majority of us would probably prefer not to think about our impending death, it would be possible to find solace in the knowledge that, should we approach death in a hospice setting, it will happen in a comfortable and regulated environment.