Only Love Remains: Lessons from the Dying on the Meaning of Life: Euthanasia or Palliative Care? - Softcover

Stajano, Attilio

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1905570775 ISBN 13: 9781905570775

Publisher: Clairview Books, 2015

Synopsis

What happens to the dying in the final days and weeks of their lives? What emotions come to the surface, and what do they want to talk about? 

Attilio Stajano, a volunteer in the palliative care ward of a Brussels hospital, presents a series of deeply moving personal encounters with seriously ill patients. Those who are dying, he discovers, have much to teach the living. Their stories are all different, but they share one thing in common―when all is said and done, only love remains.

How should we respond to the challenge of death as a society and as individuals? We have an opportunity to choose patience and sensitivity, giving dignity to those reaching the end of their lives―even when those lives appear to have no further purpose. This period leading to death can be full of profound experiences, telling us much about the meaning of life and the abiding nature of love. If we see a terminally ill individual as an inconvenience, on the other hand, we forfeit the possibility of discovering unexpected resources in ourselves―undiscovered tenderness, touch, and readiness to assist.

Underlying this book is the momentous and very current debate over euthanasia. In a comprehensive appendix, the author reports on the provision of palliative care services and the laws governing euthanasia in European and English-speaking countries around the world, as well as the implications these facts have for the way we value and care for the dying.

About this title

About the Author:

Attilio Stajano works as a volunteer in the palliative care ward of a Brussels hospital. He has been an industrial researcher at IBM, administrator of research program on Information Technology of the European Commission, university professor on Industrial EU Research for Competitiveness in Bologna and at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, and European Union Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh. 

Review:

'A compelling narrative about care and people in the face of death. Written with grace and insight, this should be essential reading for anyone concerned about end of life care in the modern world.' - David Clark, Wellcome Trust Investigator, University of Glasgow

About this edition

• Publisher: Clairview Books
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1905570775
• ISBN 13: 9781905570775
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 220