The Good Death : An Exploration of Dying in America

Following the death of her father, journalist and hospice volunteer Ann Neumann sets out to examine what it means to die well in the United States. When Ann Neumann's father was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, she left her job and moved back to her hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She became his full-time caregiver--cooking, cleaning, and administering medications. When her father died, she was undone by the experience, by grief and the visceral quality of dying. Neumann struggled to put her life back in order and found herself haunted by a question: Was her father's death a good death? The way we talk about dying and the way we actually die are two very different things, she discovered, and many of us are shielded from what death actually looks like. To gain a better understanding, Neumann became a hospice volunteer and set out to discover what a good death is today. She attended conferences, academic lectures, and grief sessions in church basements. She went to Montana to talk with the attorney who successfully argued for the legalization of aid in dying, and to Scranton, Pennsylvania, to listen to "pro-life" groups who believe the removal of feeding tubes from some patients is tantamount to murder. Above all, she listened to the stories of those who were close to death. What Neumann found is that death in contemporary America is much more complicated than we think. Medical technologies and increased life expectancies have changed the very definition of medical death. And although death is our common fate, it is also a divisive issue that we all experience differently. What constitutes a good death is unique to each of us, depending on our age, race, economic status, culture, and beliefs. What's more, differing concepts of choice, autonomy, and consent make death a contested landscape, governed by social, medical, legal, and religious systems. In these pages, Neumann brings us intimate portraits of the nurses, patients, bishops, bioethicists, and activists who are shaping the way we die. The Good Death presents a fearless examination of how we approach death, and how those of us close to dying loved ones live in death's wake. From the Hardcover edition Following The Death Of Her Father, Journalist And Hospice Volunteer Ann Neumann Sets Out To Examine What It Means To Die Well In The United States. If A Good Death Exists, What Does It Look Like? This Question Lies At The Heart Of Neumann's Rigorously Researched And Intimately Told Journey Along The Ultimate Borderland Of American Life: American Death. From Church Basements To Hospital Wards To Prison Cells, Neumann Charts The Social, Political, Religious, And Medical Landscape To Explore How We Die Today. The Good Death Weaves Personal Accounts With A Historical Exploration Of The Movements And Developments That Have Changed The Ways We Experience Death. With The Diligence Of A Journalist And The Compassion Of A Caregiver, Neumann Provides A Portrait Of Death In The United States That Is Humane, Beautifully Written, And Essential To Our Greater Understanding Of The Future Of End-of-life Care-- If A Good Death Exists, What Does It Look Like? This Question Lies At The Heart Of Sitting Vigil, A Rigorously Researched And Intimately Told Journey Along The Ultimate Borderland Of American Life: American Death. From Church Basements To Hotel Lobbies, Hospital Wards To Prison Cells, Journalist And Hospice Volunteer Ann Neumann Charts Contemporary Society And Political, Religious, And Medical Culture To Tell Us How We Die Today. In 2005, Neumann Left Her Job In New York City To Care For Her Father Who Had Been Suffering From Non-hodgkins Lymphoma. She Became A Full-time Caregiver--cooking, Cleaning, And Coordinating Medications With Hospice For Three Months In Her Hometown Of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. When Her Father Died, Two Days After Thanksgiving, She Was Undone By The Experience, By The Grief And Visceral Quality Of Death. It Set Neumann On A Course Of Research And Investigation. Was Her Father's Death A Good Death? Do Others Die This Way? Is There A Best Way To Die? Sitting Vigil Is The Result Of More Than Six Years Of Hospice Work, Research, And Examination Into These Questions And More. Sitting Vigil Deftly Interweaves These Personal Accounts With A Historical Telling Of The Movements And Developments That Have Changed The Way We Die, Including The Medical Advancements That Have Altered The Definition Of Death Forever, Patients' Rights Legislation, The Prevalence Of Hospice And Palliative Care, Catholic Hospitals That Apply The Vatican's Laws To A Pluralistic Society, The Increasing Successes Of The Death With Dignity Movement, Health Care Reform, And The Rise Of Excessive, Ineffective Medical Treatment. Sitting Vigil Is The First Book To Survey The Breadth And Variation Of Death In America, And Neumann Writes With Engaging Warmth, Wit, And Frank Detail.-- Terminal Restlessness -- Mortality Parade -- Priceless Days -- Double Effect -- Hunger And Thirst -- As Mall But Significant Minority -- The Most Vulnerable -- Dying Inside -- A Good Death. Ann Neumann. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "If a good death exists, what does it look like? This question lies at the heart of SITTING VIGIL, a rigorously researched and intimately told journey along the ultimate borderland of American life: American death. From church basements to hotel lobbies, hospital wards to prison cells, journalist and hospice volunteer Ann Neumann charts contemporary society and political, religious, and medical culture to tell us how we die today. In 2005, Neumann left her job in New York City to care for her father who had been suffering from non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She became a full-time caregiver--cooking, cleaning, and coordinating medications with hospice for three months in her hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. When her father died, two days after Thanksgiving, she was undone by the experience, by the grief and visceral quality of death. It set Neumann on a course of research and investigation. Was her father's death a good death? Do others die this way? Is there a best way to die? SITTING VIGIL is the result of more than six years of hospice work, research, and examination into these questions and more. SITTING VIGIL deftly interweaves these personal accounts with a historical telling of the movements and developments that have changed the way we die, including the medical advancements that have altered the definition of death forever, patients' rights legislation, the prevalence of hospice and palliative care, Catholic hospitals that apply the Vatican's laws to a pluralistic society, the increasing successes of the Death with Dignity movement, health care reform, and the rise of excessive, ineffective medical treatment. SITTING VIGIL is the first book to survey the breadth and variation of death in America, and Neumann writes with engaging warmth, wit, and frank detail."-- Provided by publisher