The way you live impacts the way you die. Sociologists see that dying itself is a social problem. People’s experience differs depending on their culture, beliefs and values. Their experiences of power and privilege impact when and how they die in complex ways. Issues about who decides when to get medical treatment at the end of life or who decides when to die are complex social questions. People and communities are grappling with these complex issues, and creating interdependent solutions that reinforce the value of human life.

10.6.1 Key Terms

ageism: discrimination based on age

a good death:        a death that is free from avoidable death and suffering for patients, families and caregivers in general accordance with the patients’ and families’ wishes.

Advanced Directive: a legal document that states a person’s wishes about receiving medical care if that person is no longer able to make medical decisions because of a serious illness or injury. An advance directive may also give a person (such as a spouse, relative, or friend) the authority to make medical decisions for another person when that person can no longer make decisions.

cultural lag: when material culture changes faster than non-material and there is a struggle to process the meaning and implications of the changes in order to adapt

brain death: brain death, or what became known as the “whole-brain” definition of death, involved the following criteria: the absence of spontaneous muscle movement (including breathing), lack of brain-stem reflexes, the absence of brain activity, and the lack of response to external stimuli.

death: a permanent cessation of all vital functions : the end of life, the state of being no longer alive : the state of being dead

Death with Dignity Act: a 1997 Oregon law allowing terminally ill individuals to end their lives through the voluntary self-administration of lethal medications, expressly prescribed by a physician for that purpose.

end of life: the period preceding an individual’s natural death from a process that is unlikely to be arrested by medical care

green burial: a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health, and the restoration and or preservation of habitat

hospice: specialized healthcare for those approaching end-of-life. Focuses on quality of life, comfort care, and medical, psychological, and social needs; treats the person and the symptoms of disease and illness rather the disease itself, supports the patient and family

life course: the period from birth to death, including a sequence of predictable life events such as physical maturation.

life expectancy: the number of years a person can expect to live, based on an estimate of the average age that members of a particular population group will be when they die.

palliative care: medical care focusing on relief of pain and symptoms. Meant to enhance a person’s current care by focusing on quality of life and addressing what matters most to the patient.

POLST a POLST form tells all health care providers during a medical emergency what you want. At the national level, it is simply called POLST: Portable Medical Orders, or POLST for short. Portable means that the order is valid outside the clinic or doctor’s office, similar to a drug prescription. A POLST gives seriously ill or frail people more specific direction over their health care treatments compared to advance directives and more options than Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders.

Right-To-Die Laws: the laws that allow a person who suffers from a terminal disease and meets the required criteria to choose to end their life on their terms.

social death: the loss of social identity, loss of social connectedness, and loss associated with the disintegration of the body.

technical imperative: the concept that new technological advancement is inevitable and necessary and must be accepted and utilized for the overall good of society

thanatology: the scientific study of death, the dying process, and bereavement

10.6.2 Discussion Questions

• How has COVID-19 challenged our expectations around a good death?
• How do technology and COVID-19 change how we deal with death and dying?
• Who decides when someone has the right to die?
• Why is right to life an example of the social construction of death?
• Does your access to power and privilege also change over the course of your life?
• How does your own culture and experiences impact how you hope to die?