Abstract
Dying has become both a private and a shared process, one that involves not only family, friends and caregivers but society as a whole. Although caring for a dying patient requires intimacy and compassion, it also demands recognition of such societal considerations as ethics, law, and economics. Less than a century ago, people typically died at home. The patient, family and friends, and the physician met at the deathbed with few, if any, constraints imposed by societal concerns. Today most people die while old, hospitalized, and under the care of multiple health care providers. The constraints imposed by society’s concerns are many and pervasive. Foresight and thoughtfulness are essential if the care and compassion that dying elderly persons need are regularly to be given.
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Murphy, D.J., Lynn, J. (1990). Care Near the End of Life. In: Cassel, C.K., Riesenberg, D.E., Sorensen, L.B., Walsh, J.R. (eds) Geriatric Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2093-8_46
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2093-8_46
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