Death, Dying and Bereavement (Published in association with The Open University)

`The book does give a broad overview of many of the issues around death, dying and bereavement. It raises the reader′s awareness and encourages deeper investigation at every level. It is easy to read and therefore accessible to a wide audience. In all it is a very useful addition to the literature′ - Changes

`A fine course reader for the Open University course on Death and Dying. It is a collection of articles from every perspective′ - Social Innovations

`Provides a richly woven tapestry of personal, professional and literary accounts of death, dying and bereavement′ - Health Psychology Update

`Easy to read and refer to; it can be read in sections and made me think of issues about bereavement that I hadn′t considered. It has poems and personal accounts of grief which reminded me that bereavement is not just a topic to be learned about but a personal life event that touches us all′ - Nursing Standard

`Offers a unique collection of factual information, research, stories, poems and personal reflections. It is unusual to experience such a diversity of writings in one book and, if they were not so expertly arranged, they might prove bewildering to the reader′ - Nursing Times

`This book is clearly written for a multi-disciplinary studentship. It brings together the knowledge and skills from a multi-occupational group and thereby offers an opportunity, to whoever reads it, to enable better experiences for those who are dying and bereaved′ - Journal of Interprofessional Care

`Neither a clinical guide nor an academic critique, this unusual book is a scholarly compilation of 65 separate writings expressing diverse viewpoints on the complex human issues surrounding death.... The layout of the parts, along with the introduction and index, not only makes casual exploration easy but also lends the collection a sense of coherence, even completeness, for which the authors should be commended.... In summary, by approaching their subject through many perspectives - historical, medical, sociological, legal, theological and personal - Dickenson and Johnson have created a thoroughly readable, informative and enjoyable book which, at an affordable price, will hopefully open up new avenues of inquiry for a very wide readership. For those trying to help the dying and bereaved, this volume will inspire and move you as much as it will inform and guide your work′ - Bereavement Care

`Provides a unique overview, and in many areas, penetrating insights into various aspects of death, dying and bereavement. Aimed primarily at Open University students the book will undoubtedly find its way onto other academic courses and become a valuable reference text for professionals and laypersons caring for the dying and the bereaved. One of its major strengths is that it brings together a wide and varied discourse on death across cultures and through time.... The juxtaposition and brevity of the articles gives the reader freedom to concentrate on whole sections or merely to ′dip in and out′ of areas of interest to them′ - British Journal of SociologyThis remarkable and novel collection of essays will be of great interest to all those concerned with the issues surrounding death, and in particular, to those directly involved in the support of dying or bereaved people, whether as paid carers, family members, friends or volunteers.

Death, Dying and Bereavement addresses both the practical and metaphysical aspects of death. Topics such as new methods of pain relief, guidelines for breaking bad news and current attitudes to euthanasia are considered, while the mystery of death and its wider implications are also explored.

A highly distinctive interdisciplinary approach is adopted, including perspectives from literature, theology, sociology and psychology. By drawing together information, reflection and experience, this authoritative text will broaden the understanding of a subject area that society has chosen to deny.

Death, Dying and Bereavement is the course reader for the Open University course Death and Dying.

PART ONE: LIFE AND DEATH
Introduction
Death in Staithes - David Clark
Death Denied - Philippe Ari[gr]es
Not Going Gently - David Widgery
Death in Ireland - Rosemary Power
Death, Wakes and Funerals in Contemporary Irish Society
Approaches to Death in Hindu and Sikh Communities in Britain - Shirley Firth
Modern Death - Tony Walter
Taboo or Not Taboo?
Demographic Change and the Care of the Dying, 1969-1987 - Clive Seale
Health Policy and Services for Dying People and their Carers - Christina R Victor
Sudden Death from Suicide - Stella Ridley
Contemporary Representations of `Good' and `Bad' Death - Mary Bradbury
Little Henry; Or, God Will Take Care of Me - H M Benson
The Dream - TRS
Death Be Not Proud - John Donne
Aubade - Philip Larkin
Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night - Dylan Thomas
The Prophet - Kahlil Gibran
Doctor's Mask on Pain - Jane Martin
The First Day - Mary Benjamin
Death and the Meaning of Life - Leo Tolstoy
PART TWO: PREPARING FOR DEATH
Introduction
My Husband the Stranger - Elizabeth Forsythe
Tell Me a Riddle - Tillie Olsen
Learning the Hard Way - Clare Williams
Professionalism and Paternalism - Dennis F Thompson
Paternalism and Moral Deficiency - R S Downie and K C Calman
The Nurse's Dilemma - Basiro Davey
Truth-Telling or Big White Lies?
Professional Liars - Alan Ryan
Organ Transplants - David Lamb
Dying to Help - Martyn Evans
Moral Questions in Organ Procurement
The Living Will in Clinical Practice - Ursula Gallagher
Euthanasia in the Netherlands - Henk ten Have
Assisted Death - Institute of Medical Ethics Working Party on the Ethics of Prolonging Life and Assisting Death
Assisted Death - Robert G Twycross
A Reply
A Student's Story - Anonymous
Why Do Doctors and Nurses Disagree? - Gwen Adshead and Donna Dickenson
PART THREE: CARING FOR DYING PEOPLE
Introduction
Breaking Bad News - Robert Buckman
Why Is It Still So Difficult?
Communicating with Cancer Patients - Peter Maguire and Ann Faulkner
1. Handling Bad News and Difficult Questions
Communicating with Cancer Patients - Peter Maguire and Ann Faulkner
2. Handling Uncertainty, Collusion and Denial
Communicating with Dying Children - Dorothy Judd
Jewish Perspectives on Dying, Death and Bereavement - Jeanne Samson Katz
Complementary Medicine - Its Place in the Care of Dying People - Patrick C Pietroni
Dying Trajectories, The Organization of Work and the Expectations of Dying - Anselm Strauss
Spiritual Care of Dying People - Alyson Peberdy
Sitting It Out - Elizabeth Dean
A Very Easy Death - Simone de Beauvoir
A Way to Die - Rosemary and Victor Zorza
Caring for Mother - Sue Leifer
PART FOUR: BEREAVEMENT: PRIVATE GRIEF, COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
Introduction
Bereavement as a Psychosocial Transition - Colin Murray Parkes
Processes of Adaptation to Change
The Social Distribution of Sentiments - Lindsay Prior
Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Bereavement - Shirley Firth
Psychological Defence Mechanisms and Coping Strategies - Stella Ridley
When Life Moves On - George Castledine
I Desperately Needed to See My Son - Sheila Awooner-Renner
A Single Parent Confronting the Loss of an Only Child - Evelyn Gillis
Epitaph of Libby Dickinson, 1798-1818 - Anonymous
Care of the Suddenly Bereaved - D W Yates, G Ellison and S McGuinness
The Loss of a Baby - Nancy Kohner
Parents' Needs and Professional Practice After Early Loss
When a Baby Dies - A Father's View - Gavin Fairbairn
Gay and Lesbian Bereavement - Dudley Cave
The Grief that Does Not Speak - Maureen Oswin
Personal and Medical Memories from Hillsborough - Tom Heller
Ruth - Lesley Moreland
Death by Murder
Essays Upon Epitaphs - William Wordsworth
For Rose Albert (26 June 1895-19 May 1988) - Ellen Jaffe Bitz
How to Live with Ghosts - Ellen Jaffe Bitz
December - Douglas Dunn