Enhancing Compassion in End-of-Life Care Through Drama : The Silent Treatment

'Healthcare professionals spend much of their time listening to stories of sickness related by patients and their families. It thus seems appropriate that drama, which is primarily concerned with exploring narratives, change and crises and relies, like the clinical situation, on communication, is an ideal medium for healthcare professionals to gain new insights into care.' From the Introduction Good communication forms the heart of patient-centred care and is the cornerstone of a trusting relationship. Enhancing Compassion in End-of-Life Care Through Drama explores a broad range of plays from Greek tragedy to the present day and investigates how particular theatrical dynamics help to understand complexities in the setting of end-of-life care. It examines fresh ways to interpret the action and subtext represented on the stage and finds symmetries in a clinical context. It is ideal for use in a range of educational contexts, with practical ideas for workshops and summaries of key concepts in each chapter. This book will motivate all members of the multidisciplinary palliative care team including palliative care professionals, doctors, nurses, psychologists, spiritual advisers and social workers. Although based in the setting of palliative care, the learning points are relevant to all areas of clinical practice. It is ideal for use in a range of educational contexts, with practical ideas for workshops and summaries of key concepts in each chapter. This book will motivate all members of the multidisciplinary palliative care team including palliative care professi Cover 1 Title Page 2 Copyright Page 3 Table of Contents 4 Foreword 5 About the authors 7 Introduction 10 1: Communication: King Lear, William Shakespeare (1606) 20 2: Care: The Caretaker, Harold Pinter (1960) 38 3: Connection: Journey’s End, RC Sherriff (1928) 56 4: Choice: Antigone, Sophocles (441 BC) 80 5: Change: Little Eyolf, Henrik Ibsen (1894) 102 6: Concealment: All My Sons, Arthur Miller (1947) 120 7: Crises: Blasted, Sarah Kane (1995) 138 8: Complexity: Cloud 9, Caryl Churchill (1979) 154 9: Culture: Behzti, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti (2004) 172 10: Cooperation: Drama and Healthcare Education 196 11: Combinations: Virtue Ethics – the Good Doctor 206 Bibliography 222 Acknowledgements 223 Index 224 Communication;,Connection;,Cooperation;,Drama;,Healthcare,Education Communication,Connection,Cooperation,Drama,Healthcare Education This book explores a range of plays from Greek tragedy to the present day and investigates how particular theatrical dynamics help to understand complexities in the setting of end-of-life care; providing fresh ways to interpret the action and subtext represented on stage and find symmetries in a clinical context.