Ch. 19 Death, Dying, and Bereavement

clinical death

a period during which vital signs are absent but resuscitation is still possible

brain death

irreversible absence of brain function

social death

the point at which family members and medical personnel treat the deceased person as a corpse

hospice care

a holistic approach to care for the terminally ill that emphasizes individual and family control of the process of dying

palliative care

a form of care that seeks to prevent, relieve, or soothe the dying persons’ symptoms rather than cure their diseases or disorders

unique invulnerability

the belief that bad things, including death, happen only to others

terminal decline

an individual’s decline in mental functioning accelerates a few years immediately preceding death

thanatology

the scientific study of death and dying

grieving

the emotional response to a death

prolonged grief

persistent yearning for and/or preoccupation with a deceased love one, accompanied by symptoms of intense emotional pain