Death & Dying

Palliative Care

A specialized medical care focused on providing relief from pain and other symptoms of serious illness.

Hospice

A program of care for patients facing death, focusing on comfort and quality of life rather than curative treatment.

Kübler-Ross's 5 Stages

Stages of response to impending death: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance.

Advance Care Planning

The process of outlining medical decisions in the event that one cannot communicate their wishes.

Euthanasia

The act of intentionally ending a person's life to relieve them of suffering.

Artificial Nutrition and Hydration

Medical procedures to provide nutrients and fluids to a patient who is unable to eat or drink.

Anticipatory Grief

Grief experienced in anticipation of a loss, often leading to a mourning process before the actual death occurs.

Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care

A legal document that designates someone to make medical decisions on another's behalf when they are unable to do so.

Living Will

A document that details an individual’s preferences regarding medical treatment in situations where they cannot communicate their wishes.

Grief versus Major Depressive Disorder

Grief involves waves of sadness and loss focused on the deceased, while major depressive disorder is a constant depressed mood with feelings of worthlessness.

Mourning

The cultural and social expressions of grief and behaviors people engage in to cope with their loss.

Disenfranchised Grief

Grief that is not recognized by society, often because the loss involves a relationship that is not socially acknowledged.

Completion of Close Relationships

A developmental task in dying where individuals have the opportunity to say their goodbyes to loved ones.

Facilitating Death

Actions and processes that help in easing the transition of a person from life to death.

Grieving

The emotional process of reacting to loss, which can include feelings of sadness and mourning.

Anticipatory Grief

The process of grieving that occurs before an impending loss.