Death Care Books

This book was extremely helpful to understand what people do and need when they are experiencing the death of a loved one. I was advised to read this book in preparation for work on my church's bereavement team. Those of us who read it felt prepared to assist families during this difficult time. I would certainly suggest it to anyone looking for a book of this type.

Laura Seftel did a tremendous job, writing this unique piece of work about people who experience pregnancy loss. Pregnancy loss often means an invisible loss, because we tend to keep early pregnancy a secret. People can easily remain silent about it because many of us are afraid to grieve and the people around us encourage us to move on. Also it is important to acknowledge that it is a real loss, is Laura's message. So for every loss, we need a healing process. We need to express our feelings and emotions and this takes a lot of time. This unseen grief has no shape, but Laura encourages us to develop personal forms of expression through the arts. By writing, making art and creating rituals we can materialize this loss and share it with others. In "Grief Unseen" we can find many examples of personal stories and all kinds of expression, of rituals and how we can get healed from this painful loss. There are many illustrations in the book by different artists, which makes it attractive and easy to read.
I can highly recommend this book for both people who experienced pregnancy loss and people who have loved ones who experienced it and want to become informed.

Humorous, provocative, sensitive, intuitive, refreshing---
are all words that describe
John Chuchman's approach to the mystery of life.
John's own spiritual journey
enables him to recognize and minister to hearts, minds
and yes, souls
of those mired in grief and sorrow
because of the death of a loved one.
For the casual reader, John is a verbal artist
whose writings paint images of loss, joy, sorrow, wonder,
and questions that all of us have asked of ourselves
at different points in our lives.
This prolific writer generously shares the wisdom
he has acquired from his own introspection, personal experiences
and insights shared with him by others.
In John's books,
one discovers that openness to relationships, experiences,
and our willingness to listen to the whisperings of God
can become a trustworthy guide through life.
Each and every page of John's books encourages his readers
to enter deeply and authentically into the dance of life
with all of its steps, with all of its rhythms,
and thereby realize a true freedom of heart and mind.
On our journey through life,
we all need someone who celebrates with gusto
the everyman/everywoman status of our lives.
We need to meet someone who gently, but persistently leads us
to recognize in the brights and shadows of our lives,
in the ups and downs and neutral points of our lives
the joyousness of the gift of life itself.
And that someone is John Chuchman
guide, companion, and friend.

This book is an excellent source of encouragement for cancer patients and caregivers. The side bar notes add much, often giving insight for living in difficult situations.

I bought this book after my dad died of cancer. I have a 3 and 5 year old and the information in this book is great. It is clear, concise and really helped! Thanks!

In Healing The Bereaved Child, Alan Wolfelt draws upon his many years of experience and expertise as the "Children and Grief" columnist for Bereavement magazine and a bereavement workshop instructor to author an outstanding book designed for parents and caregivers in dealing with children who have suffered seemingly irreconcilable loss. Wolfelt compares caregiving to bereaved children with that of a gardener tending a garden. Grief is not seen as an illness requiring a cure, but as a normal, natural, and necessary process leading to adaptation to, and reconciliation with, the processes of life and growth. Practical caregiving guidelines and insights are offers on how a grieving child thinks, feels and mourns; what makes each child's grief unique; how the bereaved child heals (the six needs of mourning); foundations of counseling bereaved children; counseling techniques; a family systems approach to counseling; support groups for bereaved kids (including a ten session model); helping grieving children at school (including a crisis response team model); helping the grieving adolescent; and self-care for the child's bereavement caregiver. Healing The Bereaved Child is essential, invaluable reading for parents, teachers, counselors, clergy, and anyone else trying to assist a bereaved child of any age or circumstance. Also highly recommended is Alan Wolfelt's How I Feel: A Coloring Book For Grieving Children.

In the foreword to this book, Tom Droege takes the long historical approach to seeing connections between spirituality and healing, something that the medical profession seems to be rediscovering at an increasing if uneven pace after generations of clinical isolation. This is an idea that crosses cultures, classes, and religions, affecting all of humanity in similar ways. Droege states, 'This book is a major contribution toward charting the changes that have taken place and mapping the course we must follow for spirituality to have its rightful place in health care.'

Spirituality and religion are not synonymous, and understanding the connections and differences are key. One section deals with the interplay of Health Care and Spirituality from the perspective of belief systems, exploring some key differences in systems such as Roman Catholic or Jewish cultures, as well as dealing with pluralistic issues.

The first section deals with professional issues and perspectives - what does it mean to be a nurse with a care toward the spiritual dimension of the patient? While this may seem a no-brainer for chaplains, there are two chapters devoted to seeing chaplaincy in health-care setttings, one looking at 'early years', including the connections historically between military and civilian/hospital chaplaincy, and the other (written by the volume's editor, Richard Gilbert) looks at contemporary challenges, and where the chaplain fits in the changing world of health care provision.

The third section looks at different ethnic and gender issues. There are chapters on male patients, female patients, Native American patients, and GLBT patients. There is at least one missing piece here, if not more - there should be a portion on African American patients, and perhaps one on Asian American patients, too; Hispanic patients represent an important and growing part of the population as well. These represent in many ways the most critical areas of health care in that the 'norm' in so much of health care provision is still calibrated toward the white, middle-class patient.

The final section looks at the perspectives from various patients of types of conditions - chronically ill, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimers, trauma, addictions, terminally ill patients (both pediatric and adult), domestic/sexual assault victims, and more. Each of these areas of concern offer challenges to ministry that differ from what one might think of as the 'run-of-the-mill' patient. Of course, what one finds in doing actual chaplaincy (and from reading Gilbert's book) is that there is no such thing as a run-of-the-mill patient - each patient brings unique situations and problems, as well as individual gifts and graces to the presence.

I know several of the authors whose work is included in this text, including the editor, Richard Gilbert. For example, John Vanderzee is chaplain at the hospital in my community, and his book on ministering to people with chronic illnesses has given me insight into my own chaplaincy with elderly persons - his chapter in this book is on the same topic. I first met Gilbert at an Anglican meeting several years ago, from which I mostly noted his passion for chaplaincy and concern for patient well-being. This kind of care shows in the selection of articles, and the introductions Gilbert provides throughout the text.

This is a very worthwhile book for ministers (ordained or not) who have a concern for how hospital chaplaincy and ministry can be more effective and helpful for patients, their families, health-care workers, and the ministers themselves.

Ms. Klein explains the basics about the grieving process. She has a wonderful way of talking about a very painful and uncomfortable subject. It allowed me to look at death and grief as issues which can be talked about openly. I was refreshed after reading her clear and consise way of confronting the issues of multiple loss. An excellent choice!!!!!

Sensitively written by Clydene Lockler, a devout Christian who survived the loss of her husband to a twenty-month bout with terminal cancer, Help! Someone I Love Is Dying is a powerful and profound guide to surviving the emotions that arise within from saying goodbye to a loved one. Help! Someone I Love Is Dying offers practical advice, quotes from scripture, vignettes, and straightforward responses to hard questions, including the most difficult one of all: Why? Divided into two sections, one addressing coping before death, and one addressing coping after, Help! Someone I Love Is Dying embraces the power of faith and the love of God. A final chapter, titled For Christians Only, expressly discusses eternal life through accepting Jesus Christ as one's savior. A comforting testimony, most attuned to Christians due to the numerous quotes from Scripture, yet offering wisdom and guidance to readers of all faiths.

This book, written by several well known and published authors lends experienced commentary as to what to do to help; what to say and what not to say. It should be in the library of every counselors, pastors and those interested in helping others. It covers a wide variety of crisis, disaster and traumatic events.