Bring Your Love: Therapeutic and Effective End-of-Life Discussions

Abstract

This article is to assist healthcare providers promote unconditional love, with the intention of the highest good and peace in the dying patient and their loved ones. It is intended to help them personally become more comfortable and knowledgeable with issues of life support, dying, critical care, and paperwork that communicates their patient's desires effectively. By gaining these skills and comfort, healthcare providers will be enabled to empower patients and families to make healthcare decisions they can live with. This in turn will also nurture and enrich the individual healthcare provider's own personal growth. This article provides examples and case studies, as well as visualization exercises to assist the health care provider in gaining self awareness and increasing their effectiveness in delivering end of life care.

Keywords

Unconditional love critical care effective living wills surrogate healthcare decision makers durable power of attorney

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

American Bar Association. (2004). Surrogate consent in the absence of an advanced directive. Retrieved January 10, 2007, from http://www.aba.net.org/

Ingalls, L. (2003). Where do you draw the line? An insider's guide to effective living wills, healing, critical care. Victoria B.C.: Trafford Publishing.