SOC375 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Advance Healthcare Directive, Funeral Director, Palliative Care

• School: University of Alberta
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC375
• Professor: Kwame Boadu

Document Summary

Some argue that we begin to die at birth or even at conception: u(cid:374)(cid:272)lear (cid:449)he(cid:374) d(cid:455)i(cid:374)g (cid:271)egi(cid:374)s a(cid:374)d depe(cid:374)ds o(cid:374) o(cid:374)e"s poi(cid:374)t of (cid:448)ie(cid:449) Seniors define themselves as dying, or not, depending on their assessments of their health: may assess their health realistically, or in overly optimistic or pessimistic terms. In the past, we defined death as the cessation of cardiac and respiratory function. I(cid:374) (cid:373)ore re(cid:272)e(cid:374)t de(cid:272)ades, its defi(cid:374)ed i(cid:374) ter(cid:373)s of (cid:272)essatio(cid:374) of (cid:271)rai(cid:374) fu(cid:374)(cid:272)tio(cid:374) (cid:894)(cid:862)(cid:271)rai(cid:374) dead(cid:863)(cid:895: brain death, coma, persistent vegetative state, minimal consciousness, and life on a life-support. When society overlooks or ignores seniors, social death precedes physical death: physical death sometimes precedes social death. O(cid:373)e do(cid:374)"t a(cid:272)k(cid:374)o(cid:449)ledge the death u(cid:374)til the fu(cid:374)eral takes pla(cid:272)e: often keep the dead alive in our minds, memories, and rituals. New view of death and dying science/technology has extended life and pushed dying/death into late-old age. Death challenges our moral and ethical codes.