Becky's Legacy: Personal and Professional Reflections on Loss and Hope

The author, a psychologist who has been specializing in end-of-life issues for over a decade, uses the death of his fiancée (Becky), following the withdrawal of a ventilator and the refusal to place her back on the machine, to discuss research and analysis of end-of-life care in the United States. A...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Death studies 2005-10, Vol.29 (8), p.687-736
Main Author: Werth, James L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advance Directives
Anxiety
Bereavement
Cancer
Caregivers
Coping
Death
Death & dying
Decision Making
Delirium
Depression
Depression (Psychology)
Emotional Response
Families & family life
Female
Grief
Health care
Health technology assessment
Hodgkin Disease - psychology
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Legal Responsibility
Patient Participation - psychology
Personal relationships
Personality
Personality Traits
Quality of Life
Right to Die
Self Determination
Sociology
Spirituality
Terminal Care - psychology
United States
Widows & widowers
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Summary:The author, a psychologist who has been specializing in end-of-life issues for over a decade, uses the death of his fiancée (Becky), following the withdrawal of a ventilator and the refusal to place her back on the machine, to discuss research and analysis of end-of-life care in the United States. After briefly discussing his own background, Becky's history, and their relationship, he details Becky's last weeks of life and the first weeks of his grieving process. This story provides a background for discussing end-of-life issues including what constitutes a "good death," concerns about aggressive treatment and the cost of care near the end of life, prognosis, advance directives, and demographic issues. There is also a major section on psychosocial issues that arise when a person is dying. The author concludes with a set of "lessons learned" as a result of his relationship with Becky and going through the dying process with her and her family.
ISSN:0748-1187
1091-7683
DOI:10.1080/07481180500204956