Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Viewing death in a new way is essential
Death? Don't think about it, don't talk about it. As if denial can make it go away.
There was recently a two-day seminar in Akron titled ``The Sacred Art of Dying.'' It mainly attracted nurses and other professionals who were able to earn continuing education credits through Cleveland State University. The nonprofit Blessed Foundation, an interfaith group, co-sponsored the event.
Many of the issues raised struck at the heart of how we view life, not just death. Why is it that we, the healthy, are so often inclined to shun those who are dying? Why do we sometimes treat dying people as if they've stopped being the people they always were? Why do we so often promote a lie -- as in pretending someone might get better when everyone, including the dying person, knows there's no chance?
Richard Groves, the seminar instructor, once directed a hospice center in Central Oregon, where he still lives (in a state that allows doctor-assisted suicide for the terminally ill). More recently, Groves researched the history of hospice care for a doctoral dissertation.
``Terminally ill people say that one of the worst things is when people they've had a close relationship with stop coming around,'' Groves said. ``Or they do come around, but treat them differently.
``More times than not, the most terrible deaths we witness are those of people who are in spiritual agony. By spirituality, we don't necessarily mean formal religion, but the issues of the human condition, such as forgiveness and loss of meaning and hope.''
The hospice movement was built on the idea of tending to the total needs of a dying person. Yet spiritual needs can be easy to overlook, because not everyone feels comfortable approaching these issues.
In July, an article in the British Medical Journal, titled A Healthy View of Dying, stated that spiritual pain often goes completely unrecognized in dying patients, especially those in nursing homes. The article, written by a rabbi, took the view that Western society has been unable to come to terms with the reality of death. Attitudes need to change, the writer argued, so that we're more aware of what constitutes a healthy death, with spiritual support being essential.
There are appropriate ways to offer spiritual support without foisting a set of beliefs on anyone. In Akron, Thomas Strauss, the chief executive of Summa Health System, encourages hospital employees to pray with patients and talk about faith issues -- when the patients want to, and when it's comforting to them. Summa operates nonreligious community hospitals, but there is an openness to tending to people's spirits.
Richard Groves suggested we all might do better dealing with dying people if, as a culture, we better accepted death as a natural part of life.
By 1960, he said, the vast majority of Americans were dying in institutions.
In December, the American Hospital Association and the AARP reported on a survey that found that most people would like to die at home, but that only one in four Americans does. The survey found that only 23 percent of hospitals offer hospice care.
Mother Teresa once said that ``when you are dying, help comes more from faith than from medical practice.''
Permalink
