Thinking

This critical thinking exercise has two goals. One is to help you identify some of your thoughts about death. The other is for you to think about how your views about death might affect your interactions with others, particularly clients you are working with in a medical, counseling, social work, or long-term care management capacity. Being aware of our own beliefs about death, including fears, biases, and preconceived notions, is important for helping others deal with this issue, particularly in situations where we may have to put our own views aside to act in someone else’s best interests.

Begin this assignment by answering the following questions:

Do you regard death more as something to be feared or as a normal part of life that we’ll all experience some day? (It’s possible to feel a mix of those two things.)
How do you feel about euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide?
How do you feel about life-sustaining treatments such as ventilators, feeding tubes, antibiotics, surgery, and CPR when used with someone who is terminally ill or in a permanent vegetative state?
What do you think has been the biggest influence on your feelings about death?
Next, answer the following:

If you were working with a client/patient or family whose views on the above issues were significantly different than your own, what specific types of challenges would you expect to face?
What would you do to overcome these challenges and work toward a solution that was best for your patient/client/family?

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