Caring for the Dying: Critical Issues at the Edge of Life (Contemporary Issues (Buffalo, N.Y.).)

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Summary: Caring for the Dying: Critical Issues at the Edge of Life (C
Review: Baird and Rosenbaum have created a stellar work regarding critical issues involved with dying patients and their families. Their book is divided into four sections. Section 1 discusses controversies regarding hospice care; section 2 highlights issues that emerge in palliative care; section 3 examines the nature and purpose of spiritual care; and section 4 describes legal issues at the end of life. This is an edited series of papers; the content is rich and thought-provoking. This is not another "how-to" book that reduces dying to a list of tasks to be checked off by the professional caring for patients and families, nor is it a romantic notion of the dying process. Rather, the authors are direct, attentive, and deal with serious questions, such as "is there a possibility of affirming oneself in the face of non-being?" The authors neither hedge controversy nor moralize. Rather, each presents balanced and well-documented analysis of serious controversies related to the process of dying for patients, families, caregivers, and professionals. A refreshingly straightforward and sensitive piece of work. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals; two-year technical program students.