Kenneth Doka

This book is a collection of papers about how a prolonged illness is slowly killing a person, and how that is different from a sudden death or one with a short illness. Prolonged illness means that the care giver is on call for a much longer time; this takes a huge toll on the caregiver both mentally and physically. On the one hand, a longer illness gives time for talking, finding out about the dying person’s life and opinions, and for understanding and forgiving. But the longer time needing care can bring on feelings of guilt in the dying person, fearing they are asking too much of their family.

It’s an interesting book, but because it’s written by several people, certain passages are much more user friendly than others. It goes over such things as anticipatory grief, ethical considerations, hospice care, and sections on AIDS, cancers, and Alzheimer’s disease. The final part consists of how long term disease effects children and teens, things the caregiver should do, and the use of rituals both before and after death. I’d give it five stars for useful information, but only 3 ½ stars for being reader friendly- many passages seem to be written for the professional hospice worker, mental health professional, or MD. So that leaves it with a 4 star rating.… (more)

LIVING WITH GRIEF BEFORE AND AFTER THE DEATH
Kenneth J. Doka

This book is filled with excellent chapters that bring us up to date with the most current information on both pre-death and post-death interventions. These experts tell us what we currently know and point us in the direction of what we still need to investigate. These chapters include:
• The Dying Process: Understanding anticipatory grief and anticipatory mourning
• Grief: New insights and developments
• Implications for practice
• The importance of self-care… (more)