Towards a ‘Social Anthropology’ of End-of-Life Moral Deliberation: A Study of Australian Salvation Army Officers

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-317
Author(s):  
Andrew Cameron ◽  
Bruce Stevens ◽  
Rhonda Shaw ◽  
Peter Bewert ◽  
Mavis Salt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Salvation Army ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Pain Medications ◽  
Army Officers ◽  
Wish To Hasten Death ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Salvation Army Officers

A research project by the Schools of Theology and Psychology of Australia’s Charles Sturt University surveyed a large sample of Salvation Army officers. This article considers survey responses to two questions relating to end-of-life care: the use of pain medications that may shorten life, and the cessation of fluid and food intake. The results of the analyses are evaluated in terms of Michael Banner’s proposal that moral theology should more assiduously converse with ‘patient ethnographic study’, which the survey instantiates to some extent. Banner’s proposal and the results of the survey are contrasted to Peter Singer’s analytical moral philosophical dictums on end-of-life care. The results are also compared to a metastudy by Andrea Rodríguez-Prat and Evert van Leeuwen of 14 ethnographic studies of those who wish to hasten death at the end of life. We conclude that respondents exemplify a form of moral reasoning that is embedded within Christian spirituality; counters the assumptions of Singer’s approach; contrasts the diminishment of ‘meaning’ at the end of life, as seen in Rodríguez-Prat and van Leeuwen; and deserves further respectful ethnographic study.

Unique needs: Salvation Army officers in retirement and end-of-life care

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Allen Stevens ◽  
Rhonda Shaw ◽  
Peter Bewert ◽  
Mavis Salt ◽  
Jennifer Ma
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Salvation Army ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Army Officers ◽  
Salvation Army Officers

False Expectations? Expectations vs. Probabilities for Dying

2000 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn M. Smith
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Living Will ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Patient Attitudes ◽  
Affected Patient ◽  
Catastrophic Illness ◽  
Physician Relationship

It is widely recognized that the role of the physician has undergone dramatic changes in the last century—changes which have serious implications for the patient-physician relationship. This is an ethnographic study examining how certain changes in the role and abilities of biomedical physicians have affected patient attitudes and expectations about end-of-life care. In-home interviews were conducted with eighteen persons age fifty-five and older, including a sample of Hemlock Society members. Results indicate a broad spectrum of end-of-life concerns including capacity, autonomy, pain, and burden to loved ones. Most participants reported a reluctance to begin a discussion of death or future deteriorating capacity with their physicians. Instead, when conversations about death were reported, they had been largely limited to the scenarios of catastrophic illness (e.g., hospitalization, ventilator, etc.) and the Living Will. While this discussion does not overlook the utility of the Living Will, it proposes that reliance on this document for preparing patients for end-of-life care is inadequate.

scholarly journals Strategies to Improve Quality of Life at the End of Life: Interdisciplinary Team Perspectives

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 411-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rana Sagha Zadeh ◽  
Paul Eshelman ◽  
Judith Setla ◽  
Hessam Sadatsafavi
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Nurse Practitioners ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Improve Quality ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Care Providers

This ethnographic study draws on the experiences of members of interdisciplinary care teams working with end-of-life care patients to identify strategies to improve quality of life through care practices. We surveyed 133 staff and volunteers (physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers, chaplains, administrators, and volunteers) who provide end-of-life care to patients in both home and institutional settings for 4 organizations in 2 counties in Upstate New York. Survey responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The results identified numerous strategies to enhance and safeguard quality of life for end-of-life care patients and their family members. These strategies can be categorized into 6 domains: organization philosophy and mission; organizational policies; caregivers’ behaviors and practices; symptom management; facility design, operation and management; and patient, family member, and caregiver experience. The diverse list of identified strategies indicates that improving care to address the unique, complex, multilayered dimensions of quality of life at the end of life requires a multidisciplinary approach and consistency among care providers, including administration, clinical management, front-line caregivers, and support staff. When all of these strategies are used in harmony, care can truly be enhanced.

Next of Kin Perceptions of End of Life Care: An Investigation of Open-Ended Survey Responses to the VA’s Bereaved Family Survey (GP738)

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 268
Author(s):  
Caroline Gray ◽  
Maria Yefimova ◽  
Matthew McCaa ◽  
Joy Goebel ◽  
Scott Shreve ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Next Of Kin ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Bereaved Family

scholarly journals Co-ordination of generalist end of life care in the UK: a multi-site ethnographic study

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (Suppl_1) ◽  
pp. A4-A5
Author(s):  
B. L. Mason ◽  
S. Barclay ◽  
J. Dale ◽  
B. Daveson ◽  
A. Donaldson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Life Care ◽  
The Uk

Spiritual End-of-Life Care in Dutch Nursing Homes: An Ethnographic Study

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 679-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-José H.E. Gijsberts ◽  
Jenny T. van der Steen ◽  
Martien T. Muller ◽  
Cees M.P.M. Hertogh ◽  
Luc Deliens
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Homes ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Life Care

Dysphagia in Hospice Care: The Roles of Social Work and Speech-Language Pathologists

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 173-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Hinson ◽  
Aaron J. Goldsmith ◽  
Joseph Murray
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Hospice Care ◽  
Patient Communication ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Four Levels

This article addresses the unique roles of social work and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in end-of-life and hospice care settings. The four levels of hospice care are explained. Suggested social work and SLP interventions for end-of-life nutrition and approaches to patient communication are offered. Case studies are used to illustrate the specialized roles that social work and SLP have in end-of-life care settings.

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