Peaceful Dying: The Step-by-step Guide To Preserving Your Dignity, Your Choice, And Your Inner Peace At The End Of Life - Softcover

Daniel R. Tobin; Karen Lindsey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0738200344 ISBN 13: 9780738200347

Publisher: Balance, 1968

Synopsis

A physical, psychological, and spiritual transition that can bring with it the potential for great personal growth and family closeness, dying requires special care and understanding. Peaceful Dying, based on the FairCare program founded by Dr. Dan Tobin, presents a 26-step program designed to return control and peace to those who have entered this stage of life and to help all involved—the dying, their families, and health-care providers alike—appreciate the challenges dying presents. From addressing such formal concerns as creating a living will and pain relief to finding forgiveness, love, and peace of mind, this compassionate and empowering guide will ease our natural anxieties about the end of life, turning this fearful prospect into a fulfilling legacy.

About this title

About the Author

Daniel R. Tobin, M.D., piloted the FairCare program for peaceful dying at the V.A. Hospital in Albany, New York. He is now expanding the program to a network of other hospitals and consulting for insurers on end-of-life issues. Karen Lindsey is coauthor of Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book and Dr. Susan Love's Hormone Book.

Reviews

When he was in medical school, Tobin recognized a significant deficiency in modern medicine regarding what he somewhat demurely terms "end-of-life situations." He reports, "To the physicians and the staff, death was seen as a defeat... a personal failure." Worse, while he observed doctors "fighting the dying process to the bitter end," patients died "in moderate to severe pain and... living wills [were] often ignored." Tobin is against suicide, assisted or otherwise, and offers his program of "palliative, comfort-based care" as an alternative. Whether the dying process is experienced in a hospital, nursing home, hospice or home, Tobin's "FairCare Health System," which he developed at the VA Hospital in Albany, N.Y., addresses the specific needs of the dying: pain management, psychological and spiritual counseling and assistance with such practical matters as writing a living will and appointing a medical proxy. Tobin delineates six stages of dying: "shock, grasping, grief, letting go, healing, and serenity." He then breaks down those stages to show readers 26 steps they can take to make the process of dying easier, including taking control of choices, facing fears, communicating with doctors and loved ones and planning a funeral. Suggesting that patients take back the dying process in the same manner that women have changed birthing practices, Tobin offers compassion, complete information and sound advice that will be of great use to the terminally ill, their loved ones and their health care providers.

Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Balance
• Publication date: 1968
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0738200344
• ISBN 13: 9780738200347
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 228