Using the book, Facing Death, at the End of Life

End of life care is a very specialized field of study and practice. In more recent years this field has enjoyed a strong forward motion as health and allied care professionals, along with patients and family members, have contributed to standard-setting and review.

Some of the principles that guide good end of life care include the following:

• respecting the dignity of the person as a unique individual;
• honoring both the value of life and the natural process of dying;
• working to improve both the quality of life and the quality of death; and
• serving the whole person.

The content of Facing Death: A Companion in Words and Images honours both the value of life and the process of dying. It also dignifies the reader as the person who will pick and choose what is of use to them and discard the rest. Most important, it has the potential to allow for a focus upon the spiritual and meaning-making dimensions of life -- making space for what is called "completion" to be accomplished -- thus improving quality of life. It could be part of a strategy to promote opportunities for enriching experience as death approaches, and thus complement other interventions for the person preparing for death.

I wrote Facing Death expressly to open the door to personal, relational and spiritual growth during a very sensitive time. It is intended that the simple existence of the book, made available to the dying, recommended to caregivers, and in the list of potential resources for the end of life, will improve end of life care.

I have been very gratified that Facing Death has won three awards to date: the 2009 USA Book News National Best Book Award in the Spirituality: Journaling & Quotes category, the 2010 Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence in Publishing in the Gift Book category sponsored by the Independent Book Publishers Association, and the 2010 National Mature Market Silver Award in the Book (Editorial) category.

Please check out My Blog for more in this vein.