End of Life: A Family Narrative
This paper is based on ethnographic research that examines family reaction to an elderly husband and father's end of life. From a group of 30 families in our study (family defined as a widow aged 70 and over and two adult biological children between the ages of 40 and 60), we offer an extreme c...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2011-01-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Aging Research |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.4061/2011/105985 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832552513711112192 |
|---|---|
| author | Helen K. Black Miriam S. Moss Robert L. Rubinstein Sidney Z. Moss |
| author_facet | Helen K. Black Miriam S. Moss Robert L. Rubinstein Sidney Z. Moss |
| author_sort | Helen K. Black |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper is based on ethnographic research that examines family reaction to an elderly husband and father's end of life. From a group of 30 families in our study (family defined as a widow aged 70 and over and two adult biological children between the ages of 40 and 60), we offer an extreme case example of family bereavement. We report our findings through the open-ended responses of a widow and two children who were interviewed ten months after the death of the husband and father. Three general themes emerged: (1) how the family imputes meaning to the end of life, (2) changes in the roles of family members, and (3) the family's ways of coping with the death, particularly through their belief system. A key finding is that the meaning family members find in their loved one's death is tied to the context of his death (how and where he died), their perception of his quality of life as a whole, and their philosophical, religious, and spiritual beliefs about life, death, and the afterlife that are already in place. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8790e7459b14452c8e4981a5939ddcad |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-2212 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2011-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Aging Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-8790e7459b14452c8e4981a5939ddcad2025-02-03T05:58:34ZengWileyJournal of Aging Research2090-22122011-01-01201110.4061/2011/105985105985End of Life: A Family NarrativeHelen K. Black0Miriam S. Moss1Robert L. Rubinstein2Sidney Z. Moss3Behavioral Research Institute, Arcadia University, 450 South Easton Road, Glenside, PA 19038, USABehavioral Research Institute, Arcadia University, 450 South Easton Road, Glenside, PA 19038, USADepartment of Sociology and Anthropology and Center for Aging Studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, USABehavioral Research Institute, Arcadia University, 450 South Easton Road, Glenside, PA 19038, USAThis paper is based on ethnographic research that examines family reaction to an elderly husband and father's end of life. From a group of 30 families in our study (family defined as a widow aged 70 and over and two adult biological children between the ages of 40 and 60), we offer an extreme case example of family bereavement. We report our findings through the open-ended responses of a widow and two children who were interviewed ten months after the death of the husband and father. Three general themes emerged: (1) how the family imputes meaning to the end of life, (2) changes in the roles of family members, and (3) the family's ways of coping with the death, particularly through their belief system. A key finding is that the meaning family members find in their loved one's death is tied to the context of his death (how and where he died), their perception of his quality of life as a whole, and their philosophical, religious, and spiritual beliefs about life, death, and the afterlife that are already in place.http://dx.doi.org/10.4061/2011/105985 |
| spellingShingle | Helen K. Black Miriam S. Moss Robert L. Rubinstein Sidney Z. Moss End of Life: A Family Narrative Journal of Aging Research |
| title | End of Life: A Family Narrative |
| title_full | End of Life: A Family Narrative |
| title_fullStr | End of Life: A Family Narrative |
| title_full_unstemmed | End of Life: A Family Narrative |
| title_short | End of Life: A Family Narrative |
| title_sort | end of life a family narrative |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.4061/2011/105985 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT helenkblack endoflifeafamilynarrative AT miriamsmoss endoflifeafamilynarrative AT robertlrubinstein endoflifeafamilynarrative AT sidneyzmoss endoflifeafamilynarrative |