How to offer help to a terminally ill patient

• May 20, 2024

For Dr. Alfonso Reyes, pioneer of the soatology in Mexico, this specialty "cures" the terminal patient of the pain of death and of despair. The terminally ill patient is helped to remain productive, have a real quality of life and prepare for die with acceptance , dignity and totally at peace with himself.

Although the sootology is relatively new in our country, some hospitals and homes for the elderly already have this type of services that, not only offer support for patients terminals, but also to the relatives of the patient. According to the specialist, the family is helped to know how to face the death of the loved one and to handle the duel . "The duel is to move from the shock of death to acceptance, and we try to get the family member to follow this path in the shortest possible time, so that their suffering is less."

Irreconcilable Enemies: Euthanasia and Thanatology

According to the founder of the Mexican Association of Thanatology, the difference is very clear. The Euthanasia does not help a person to die well, since in that individual negative feelings can remain and he / she dies with hatred to the life. In this sense, says Dr. Reyes, the word euthanasia is false because dying in despair is not a good death. On the contrary, theatologists talk about proper death which, in the words of the specialist, "is one in which there is absence of moral, emotional, family, spiritual and physical suffering as well as persistence of the significant relationships of the patient. East He wants to be with the people he loves, that's death adequate, while euthanasia only seeks to apply something to accelerate the death and the patient does not count. "

Caring beyond healing, pillar of the Thanatology

For the Spanish and International Society of Thanatology (SEIT), this vast discipline addresses various facets and fields of knowledge that are related to biological, ethical, moral, religious, ritual and bioethical issues. However, they say in SEIT, the main purpose of the Thanatology is to demystify death and dying by learning to live with it. In this sense, specialists consider that it is necessary to educate children and adolescents and adults for life and death so that starting from personal, cultural and social knowledge and in the light of science, we can all not only live but also die with dignity.

Video Medicine: A Lesson in Dying: A Nurse With Cancer Offers Herself as Instruction in Caring | The New York Times (May 2024).