Sociological and Spiritual Aspects of Palliative Care in Ireland

Explores understandings of a 'good death' and the spiritual dimension of care in an Irish palliative care setting. This book provides a theoretical framework in which these experiences and how they are shaped by their cultural context can be understood. It makes an important contribution to the knowledge on death and dying.

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This book explores understandings of a 'good death' and the spiritual dimension of care in an Irish palliative care setting. It provides a new theoretical framework in which these experiences and how they are shaped by their cultural context can be understood. This work sets out to fill some of what Norbert Elias (1985) observed as 'blank areas on the social map of death and dying'. This 'social mapping' or cartographic approach is an original and innovative way in which the experiences of death and dying can be more clearly understood. Using this approach, features on the social map of death and dying become more visible, such as the way in which our present understandings of a 'good death' are shaped by the past, and how the location of care - inpatient and home care services - impacts and shapes the nature of relationships between the dying person, family members and health care providers. This book makes an important contribution to the existing body of knowledge on death and dying.