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In Closure By Nancy Berns: An Analysis

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Death is a topic that individuals in our society seek to avoid. As a result of this social taboo, people fail to discuss what they want their death to look like which places their families in a difficult situation. The family will decide what the patient would want and decided where to draw the line between what is considered sustaining life and postponing inevitable death. The failure to engage in these conversations results in “[patients]—along with their families and doctors—[being] unprepared for the final stage” (Gawande, 154). One way to confront this issue is to have individuals establish living wills and engage in conversations with trained personnel to discuss the complexity of life support. These readings have inspired me to create …show more content…

This is the result shifting the care away from the family and onto funeral homes. I observed this phenomenon as we toured the funeral home. The tour guide talked about how they were there to serve the family and explained the vast array of options that families had to choose from. He described the biodegradable urns that people could purchase to send the ashes off in the ocean or plant them in the ground. This tour brought my attention to how many factors are involved when it comes to dealing with the remains of the deceased. One can choose to be cremated, but they can also decide to be embalmed for the service or for their loved ones to see them one last time. I also had no idea that the bodies were cremated within a container. This commoditization has resulted in multiple options for families to choose from that vary from a cardboard box to caskets. This influenced my plan because I know that my family members would feel guilty for placing me in a cardboard box to be cremated. To prevent this guilt, I explicitly stated in my plans that I wanted to be cremated in the cardboard box because I think the extravagant containers are unnecessary. Berns also describes how it can be beneficial for the family members to find ways to continue their bonds with those that have passed away. I took this into consideration when I decided what I wanted to be done with my ashes. Scattering my ashes at a place that reminded my …show more content…

Woody wanted to retrieve the prize money and fix his truck to have something to pass along to his children. This phenomenon is also described in Being Mortal. The results of the initiative to bring animals into the nursing home prove that by having a purpose in life can give meaning to both their life and death. Therefore, I would like to spend my final days at home as opposed to a nursing facility. This location will hopefully prevent loneliness which will reduce my risk of depression. I will also be around my personal items which will provide comfort and reassure that I have lived a meaningful life. How to Die in Oregon emphasized how people at the end of their life seek comfort and do not want to be in pain. This influenced my plan and resulted in the encouragement of pain medication in order to stop

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In the book Stiff, by Mary Roach, she shares her experiences in learning about the different disposal of bodies. The book explains that beyond a natural burial and cremation, bodies can also be disintegrated into the Earth or even turned into a tree. Although there are many alternative methods for the disposal of a body, cremation has less environmental concerns, is quicker, and is not as much money compared to most methods; therefore cremation is the most reasonable disposal of a body. Stiff explores different ways to dispose bodies such as tissue digestion, but compared to cremation, it seems to be more environmentally concerning.

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End of Life care This important documentary does not come close to doing justice to Gawande 's video: Being Mortal. The book is rich with excellent examples of doctors, nurses and family members doing their level best assisting others to live the fullest and richest lives possible right up until and including the very end of their lives. As Dr. Atul Gawande would say, the point isn 't to strive for a good death but rather to have the best possible life that is congruent with one 's own values; and to make medical decisions and choices accordingly. By living each day in harmony with one 's goals and values, one is likely to have a good death.

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Additionally, there is another example that proves this claim which can be seen through the Vietnam War: This is known as the Gulf of Tonkin. The year 1964 would mark the formal involvement of the U.S. entering the Vietnam War issued by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Having similar ideas like those of the CIA interventions, the U.S. also had intentions of stopping communism from happening in Vietnam. All starting because of two separate attacks on two US Navy destroyers: “U.S.S Maddox and U.S.S Turner Joy” (Gulf of Tonkin Resolution), the Gulf of Tonkin shows how similar to Operation Cyclone and Pearl Harbor it really was to the idea of increasing military supplies based on both threats of communism and threats of attacks, as well as gaining the support of Americans by justifying these threats as “major problems that must be taken care of all in the name of “protecting and serving our nation”.

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The next time this topic came up with a patient was during a visit on October 23rd. I asked her how she selected this form of burial, she hesitated at first and then said that her decision was economically based. She then continued on by listing the benefits of being cremated besides saving money, such as “I wount have bugs crawling all in me and I will always be with my family.” It seemed like she was justifying her decision with herself, so that she could be at peace.

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The documentary, A Death of One’s Own, explores the end of life complexities that many terminal disease patients have to undergo in deciding on dying and dignity. It features three patients, their families, and caregivers debating the issue of physician-assisted suicide or pain relief than may speed up death. One character, Jim Witcher has ALS and knows the kind of death he is facing and wants to control its timing. Kitty Rayl is suffering from terminal cancer and wants to take advantage of her state’s Death with Dignity Act and take medication to terminate her life. Ricky Tackett, on the other hand, has liver failure and together with his family and caregiver agrees on terminal sedation to relieve his delirium and pain.

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It is quite evident that the film views the Death With Dignity Act as a necessity when dealing with end of life care. How To Die In Oregon argues that the quality of an individual’s life is far more important than the length of it. Therefore, Death With Dignity should be universally implemented to reduce the suffering of ill patients. The film uses home videos and documents the lives of terminally ill patients to bring the story to a personal level. The overall theme is melancholy with a bit of humor to lighten up the somewhat macabre

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This is one of most common ways to be buried here because there are many people

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It’s really no different than burying yourself with thousands of dollars in cash. Funeral directors love to emphasize how beautiful and high quality their caskets are. They better be damn beautiful, because for many people it 's one of the most expensive things they 'll ever buy. Caskets are just wasteful, and when they charge upwards of ten thousand dollars for some caskets, there’s a serious problem. There are so many better options compared to “traditional” funerals.

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They were very clear that cremation was

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This is a part of the stage where finding recovery and answers challenge doctors and the loved ones that are suffering. In the Institute of Medicine’s critical report Dying in America, there is an idea that emphasizes the importance of making a decision for the patient that is on the stage of death. JoAnn Grif, writer of Dying in America, identifies that decisions for a patient should be made before as a living will from the patient’s own preference and decision. Letting the doctor know so it can improve communication and awareness for the individual that is on treatment, and this consent should ahead of time and planned out. Although, how soon should patients reveal a will to their doctor, some will ask.

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Cremation is now an accepted practice in many cultures, which has actually been around for hundreds if not thousands of years. At one time in Europe it was done in the hopes of stopping the spread of diseases. Burial in the ground is the best option, while at the same time, the most difficult to accomplish. One or even two bodies would not be a problem, but dozens would be, because either you would have to dig a mass grave, or individual ones.

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The second approach involves funeral directors, who will try to add unnecessary charges to the already-large funeral bill. They might claim, for example, that the family still has to purchase a casket, even though the deceased is being cremated. How to Avoid It: Remember that it’s difficult to make logical decisions when you’re grieving, and don’t be afraid to let a calm, trusted family member know what’s happening and ask him or her for guidance and

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Many patients who suffer from terminal illnesses often question if there will be a tomorrow. These patients often end their final days suffering because of unbearable pain. Those who suffer from a terminal illness often accept the idea of dying and refuse to take any medical treatments. Many of these patients wish to end their life in their own terms hoping to have a peaceful ending. Some wish to leave everything ready for when they are gone.

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Others opt to view the cremation as it happens while being with family and friends in a viewing room. Not all crematories offer this option, but it is becoming more popular as owners want to be with their pets during the cremation process. Some owners choose a communal cremation, in which the pet is cremated alongside other animals. During this process, the pet's creamains are not separated from those of the other animals but will still go to some kind of memorial area. No matter which option is chosen, a reputable pet crematorium will perform the procedure under strict operating policies and the highest standards of

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