When facing death, people need more than physical care but also emotional as well as spiritual care.  Part of that care entails helping the person transition from this life to the next.  Pastoral Thanatology is the science of helping people face death.

The article, “Why help is needed when facing death” by John Dolan looks to answer the question of why individuals need help when facing death.  The article states,

“In my nearly 30 years as a priest, I have had the privilege of visiting the homebound, and those in convalescent homes, hospice and/or in palliative care. I have witnessed many families gathered together, accompanying their parents or grandparents as they died peacefully.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology Program and see if it matches your academic and professional needs.

Hospice is good for anyone who is terminally dying but the cost can sometimes be an obstacle.  In learning who pays for hospice and who is eligible is important.  Many never utilize this service for fear of price yet the service is so critical to living one’s life till the end instead of dying in a foreign and sterile place.

The article, “The Costs of Entering Hospice Care” by Maryalene LaPonsie states,

“IN 2016, MORE THAN 1 million Medicare beneficiaries died while receiving hospice care, according to data compiled by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “Few people know that hospice is not just for the patient, but for the family,” says Edo Banach, president and CEO of NHPCO, a nonprofit representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals.”

To read the entire article, please click here

The benefits of hospice are great and to be deterred because of price is something that is unfortunate.  It is many ways should be a right to die with care and compassion at the hands of trained hospice caregivers.  Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology Program and see if it meets your educational needs.

Great article about a doctor and his sister.  Learning from grief that was her own, he was able to utilize that emotion as empathy for others.  Pastoral Thanatology, Grief Counseling and other care giving modalities are all founded on empathy and the ability to utilize it.  Please also review also review our program and see if it matches your professional needs.

The article, “Grief as My Guide: How My Sister Made Me a Better Doctor” by Joseph Stern states. 

“As I left the room, Meghan thanked me and said this was the first doctor’s appointment she had had in a long time where she didn’t cry. I never used to cry when speaking with patients. I would gird myself, push forward, distract myself with new and pressing problems to fix; I focused on technical, rather than human, matters. Now, I told Meghan that I would cry for us both. My sister was present in that room, in the patient sitting before me and in the way I was newly able to comfort and reassure her.”

To read the entire article, please click here

This article shows that sometimes the best way to under empathy is to experience it literally yourself.  Doctors can be caring and involved.  They can learn better patient skills through various Pastoral Thanatology Programs, as well as Grief Counseling Programs.  Please review AIHCP’s programs in both Grief Counseling and Pastoral Thanatology

Good article on how more Americans are learning of the luxury and peace of dying at home if possible over the sterile environment of dying in the hospital. Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology Program 

The article, Fewer Americans are spending their final days in the hospital and more are dying at home, by Melissa Healy states,

That’s the upshot of a new study that finds that seniors insured by Medicare who died in 2015 were less likely to do so in a hospital and more likely to pass away in a home or other community setting than those who died in 2000.”

Good article on end of life decisions and the importance of good Hospice type care toward the end.  Many people wait to the very end to discuss or to utilize the care to prevent unnecessary suffering and discomfort

The article, Shedding New Light On Hospice Care: No Need To Wait For The ‘Brink Of Death’, by Judith Graham states

“A few weeks ago, Kathy Brandt’s 86-year-old mother was hospitalized in Florida after a fall. After rushing to her side, Brandt asked for a consult with a palliative care nurse.

“I wanted someone to make sure my mother was on the right medications,” Brandt said.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology Program

Dying well seems contradictory but it is true that since death is unavoidable that we must learn how to die gracefully and also in a dignified way.  Palliative care, as well as hospice can help those who are lucky enough to be in the position to experience it, but some individuals do not die as comfortably as they could, at least from a physical experience.  Albeit, some people depending on the nature of their death cannot, there are many who undergo many unnecessary troubles before death

The article, How to Die Well, by Jessica Nutik Zitter states

“I first met Stephanie in the Intensive Care Unit. She was an urgent admission — in shock, her blood pressure was almost unmeasurable. Over the previous month, the rate of cancerous fluid building up around her lungs had increased.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology Program.

Good article about the importance of end of life care as not only a service but an important ingredient for better life.  Qualify of life includes dignity in dying and end of life care can help others die with respect, comfort and the necessary care

The article ,Palliative Care is Vital for Improved Quality of Life, by Barbara Jones states,

“In a recent CNN debate about health care, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz claimed people confronted with life-threatening diseases who receive palliative care services were “essentially doped up with some drugs” and told “well, now is your time to go.”

We find these statements absurdly misrepresentative of the goals of palliative care.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology Program

During the Oncology Stakeholder’s Summit 2015 hosted by AJMC, healthcare experts discuss the value of introducing palliative and end-of-life care discussions early in oncology care.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.ajmc.com

When cancer comes, one is scared and worried beyond belief.  Yet even worst is the option that one may not win the battle and need extra care.  Utilization of this extra care sometimes is correlated with defeat but it does not have to.  Extra care and comfort does not mean one has given up but it does mean one is looking for care needs that can relieve suffering both mentally and physically.  If we are dying, it does not have to be a horrible time but a phase of entry into another life. A PHASE that can be entered into with dignity while still fighting on earth

If you would like to learn more about AIHCP’s Pastoral Thanatology Program then please review

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