Death and Dying

The life transition of death and dying is inevitably one with which we will all be faced; we will all experience the death of people we hold close throughout our lifetime. This paper will explore the different processes of grief including the bereavement, mourning, and sorrow individuals go through after losing someone to death. Bereavement is a period of adaptation following a life changing loss. This period encompasses mourning, which includes behaviors and rituals following a death, and the wide range of emotions that go with it. Sorrow is the state of ongoing sadness not overcome in the grieving process; though not pathological, persistent

7. The stages of dying, much like the stages of grief, may overlap, and the duration of any stage may range from as little as a few hours to as long as months. The process vary from person to person.

When we get older and when we deal with someone else who is nearing death we misunderstand what happens and how to understand the death process, we do not know what to expect and how to handle the process.

The first stage of grieving in Dr. Kubler- Ross’s model is denial. When someone goes through the passing of a loved one, they may feel as if it is not real, or that they are in a horrible dream. . Some people may experience denial by not being able to accept that someone has expired from this world, entered the dying process, or has a terminal illness and will leave this world. (Patricelli, n.d.)

Death is a universally experienced phenomenon. In the United States alone, over 2.6 million people die each year (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). For practitioners, it is of utmost importance to better understand the process of grief to develop better interventions for bereaved individuals.

As with how they may immediately react to the death of a loved one, the bereavement journey is unique for each individual. For some the bereavement journey is a long, slow process, requiring patient, long-term support; for some it is a shorter but far more volatile journey, needing specialised care; for others it is a variation of the two.

Death is inescapable. Praise God for the life he has blessed his children with. In Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ novel “On Death & Dying” she effectively explains the dying process in five steps: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The impact of her novel, if given the chance, on the medical field would be tremendous in the attempt of allowing individuals to die with their dignity while also remaining in peace throughout the majority of the process. In reality a funeral should not consist of mourning over what is lost. A funeral should be a celebration of the life the individual was blessed with and the impact they had on the people around them. Truly in the end, death is a blessing to those that believe and a frightening silence to the many that do

The Aftermath of Death Everyone will come face to face with death at some point in their lives: death is a part of the life cycle. After someone dies, their death affects many other people emotionally, and all the friends and family whom have been affected by begin to grieve, which is the grief or sorrow felt a tragedy or death. In Emily Dickinson's poem, “If I Should Die”, and Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, “Masque of Red Death”, the readers observe actions and thoughts of the characters in relation to death. Additionally, the aftermath of death is seen throughout the television series, Grey’s Anatomy, produced by Shonda Rhimes.

In our bereavement, we spend different lengths of time working through each step and express each stage more or less intensely. The five stages do not necessarily occur in order. We often move between stages before achieving a more peaceful acceptance of death. Many of us are not afforded the luxury of time required to achieve this final stage of grief.

Death and Dying is a normal process part of everyone’s lifecycle, and yet, is often a hidden topic and not discussed on a regular basis. Death is something we learn about over our own lifetime as we lose those dear to our hearts and mourn the loss that we experience. No two people experience death and react to death in the exact same way. Often, differing family and cultural practices can influence how one reacts and copes with death or a loss.

While reading your posts I realize my friend who I utilized in my post was experiencing Kubler-Ross five stages of grief “which views loss as series of five stages-denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance- that people go through as they come to grips with their own imminent death” (420). In the case of my friend it was not his own death but it was a death of his two parents. While grieving the loss of his mom I believe he went through the five stages in the order listed by Kubler-Ross.

Roughly, one-hundred five people die per minute or in other words, 55.3 million people die per year. Death is never a comfortable conversation to have with others but death is common especially among the elderly population. Atul Gawande in Being Mortal talks about how death takes many people by surprise and the descriptions of aging and dying. All the while living better through the understanding of death. The author is trying to express that even those in the medical field struggle with death and not ensuring the well-being of the patients that are coming in. He emphasis the idea of the elderly feeling “comfortable” in the state and location they are. Those who are growing of age never truly feel comfortable because they never know what

After experiencing this phenomenon, the near death survivor often reports a non-fear of death. They may experience feelings that death is not the end, but a new beginning in which one lives in euphoria and reunites with loved ones for eternity. Others may also have a different outlook on the experience. Where they focus more on how

About those Band –Aides is a great website for teachers. It helps teachers develop support methods to help and support students who are going through difficult times. The article I selected is called Speaking to Young Children about Death and Dying. The article highlights how to speak to children about death. In the article, they use preschoolers as an example. Toddlers may have limited capacity to understanding death so it’s important to follow the articles guidelines when explaining death to a toddler for example parents and teachers should avoid selecting the words “sleep or “sick” to the concept of death because the child may not have the capacity to understand the words sleep or sick.

I have learned a great deal through by my study of death so far. In this class, I have learned more about areas of death that I did not think would be included in this discussion, but now I see their relevance. One of the most significant points that I have gained through my study of death is learning about how to teach children about death. I found it very interesting the significance of understanding a child’s developmental stages and how that related to how they will understand death. However, a child’s age does not determine what developmental stage they are in, which is why I believe that parents, teachers, and caregivers are worried about