Abstract
This journey cannot be told without first starting from the beginning and sharing some insights into a Masters experience. I became a Palliative Care nurse after experiencing the exceptional care provided by the Blue Nurses in Far North Queensland who cared for my mother during her dying. I have since then had a fascination with death and dying – and have continued to seek an understanding of what death means to me, to others, and more specifically to those that I have nursed while they were dying. Somehow, by becoming a Palliative Care Nurse I had only found more questions. How does one give comfort and dignity in dying? Does your attitude to death and dying have any impact on how well you die? How, if at all, has Palliative Care and the study and Science of Thanatology changed our thinking over the years?
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Adams, P. (2000). Death and contemporary popular culture. In A. E. Kellehear (Ed.), Death & dying in Australia (Chap. 8). Australia: Oxford University Press.
Denzin NK, Lincoln YS, editors. Handbook of Qualitative Research. London: Sage; 1994.
Dicks, B. (1994). To care is good to educate is better, Support Cancer Care 2: 1-2 Springer-Verlag
Healey, J (2003). Our Ageing World, Issues in Society, vol 191, The Spinney Press.
Kubler-Ross, E. (2004, October). Death’s dominion. Time Magazine, 12.
Moorhouse C, George M, Young D. Promoting multi-disciplinary collaboration in palliative care in rural Australian communities. Final Report: University of Tasmania; 2000.
O’Connor, M. (2005). Palliative care improvements needed in Australia. News Medical Net. Retrieved April, 2005, from http://www.news-medical.net.html
Palliative Care Australia. (2004). The hardest thing we have ever done - The social impact of caring for the terminally ill people in Australia: 2004 Canberra: Palliative Care Australia.
Patton M. Qualitative evaluation and research methods. London: Sage Publications; 1990.
Rokeach M. Beliefs Attitudes & Values. San Francisco. Washington. London: Jossey-Bass Publishers; 1976.
Sandelowski, M. (2000). Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Sampling, data collection, and analysis techniques in mixed-methods studies: Research in Nursing and Health, 23, 246-255.
Seedsman T, Feldman S. Spirituality and ageing well: Thoughts on coping with loss and grief. Education and Ageing. 2002;17(2&3).
Tashakkori A, Teddlie C. Mixed Methodology. Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. London: Sage; 1998.
Welch, P., Kamien & Waddell. (1994). Empowering rural communities: Community health needs assessment and methodology review. Perth: The University of Western Australia.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Sense Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ryan, K. (2012). Swimming With Piranha. In: Ryan, M. (eds) Reflections on Learning, Life and Work. SensePublishers, Rotterdam. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-025-5_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-025-5_14
Publisher Name: SensePublishers, Rotterdam
Online ISBN: 978-94-6209-025-5
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)
