Deck 19: Death, dying, and Bereavement

Question 1

In most industrialized nations today,doctors rely on __________ to signify death.

A) brain death
B) absence of heartbeat
C) absence of respiration
D) falling body temperature

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Dying people

A) should be thought of as primarily physical beings, requiring care and attention to bodily functions.
B) benefit profoundly in their last days and hours from social support responsive to their needs for emotional and spiritual closure.
C) do not benefit from a focus on the mind or spirit during their last days.
D) should not be troubled with details about the dying process and instead should focus on pain management.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

We can ensure the most dignified exit possible by

A) allowing doctors and nurses to make all of the decisions for the dying person.
B) hiding or minimizing the truth about the diagnosis from the dying person.
C) assuring the dying person that everything will be okay and they will improve.
D) offering the dying person care, affection, companionship, and esteem.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following statements about contemporary attitudes toward death is true?

A) Death anxiety-fear and apprehension of death-is widespread.
B) Few people reach adulthood without having experienced the death of someone they know well.
C) When death occurs, people of all ages take care of tasks that involve confronting it directly.
D) Because Americans are exposed to frequent images of death in the media, death anxiety is rare.

Question 5

Which of the following statements about helping a loved one die a "good death" is true?

A) It is best to talk about the past and avoid discussing the impending death.
B) Loved ones should remember that the dying person needs time alone.
C) It is best to be candid about death's certainty.
D) Loved ones should conceal or minimize their own grief.

Question 6

Which of the following statements about gender differences in death anxiety is true?

A) In both Eastern and Western cultures, women appear more anxious about death than men do.
B) Men are more likely than women to admit troubled feelings about mortality.
C) Women are more likely than men to admit troubled feelings about mortality.
D) Men are more likely than women to develop a sense of symbolic immortality.

Question 7

Which of the following individuals will likely experience the lowest level of death anxiety?

A) Marvin, a 93-year-old
B) Santiago, a 51-year-old
C) Joyce, a 35-year-old
D) Josiah, a 17-year-old

Question 8

Queenie,age 95,sees death as an opportunity to pass a legacy to her grandchildren and their grandchildren.As a result,she does not fear death.Queenie has a sense of

A) symbolic immortality.
B) death anxiety.
C) ego integrity.
D) body transcendence.

Question 9

The development of a national organ transplant program has been hindered in Japan because

A) the standard of death is brain death.
B) the standard of death is absence of heartbeat and respiration.
C) Japanese law does not allow organ donation.
D) those in a persistent vegetative state are considered dead.

Question 10

In industrialized countries,

A) most people die in the presence of loved ones rather than surrounded by doctors and nurses.
B) people usually die at home where family members attend their last moments.
C) opportunities to witness the physical aspects of death are less available today than in previous generations.
D) most people do not want to know how we die or grasp what is happening to a dying loved one.

Question 11

Mr.Johnson was in a skiing accident.He suffered traumatic head injuries when he came in contact with a tree.Mr.Johnson's cerebral cortex no longer registers electrical activity,but his brain stem remains active.Mr.Johnson

A) is brain dead.
B) is in the agonal phase of death.
C) has entered a persistent vegetative state.
D) is in the mortality phase of death.

Question 12

During mortality,

A) the individual's regular heartbeat disintegrates, causing muscle spasms and gasping.
B) resuscitation is still possible.
C) the individual passes into permanent death.
D) the heartbeat, circulation, breathing, and brain functioning stop.

Question 13

In the days or hours before death,

A) the person becomes very thirsty.
B) skin color becomes reddish.
C) body temperature rises.
D) the hands and feet feel cool.

Question 14

Dr.Snyder decided to devote her career to the study of death and dying.Dr.Snyder's interdisciplinary field is

A) gerontology.
B) thanatology.
C) geriatrics.
D) anthropology.

Question 15

In a study of devout __________,certain factors that appear repeatedly in Westerners' responses to death,such as fear of the body decaying and of the unknown,are absent.

A) Islamic Saudi Arabians
B) Tibetan Buddhists
C) European Roman Catholics
D) Israeli Jews

Question 16

Knowing his last days were near,Harrison chose to die at home.He was clear-minded during his final hours,allowing him to review his life and say farewell.Like Harrison,

A) about 20 percent of people experience a gentle death.
B) about 25 percent of people experience a long and drawn-out death.
C) most Americans die at home.
D) most people experience a quick, agony-free death.

Question 17

During the clinical death phase,

A) the individual's regular heartbeat disintegrates, causing muscle spasms and gasping.
B) resuscitation is no longer possible.
C) the individual passes into permanent death.
D) heartbeat, circulation, breathing, and brain functioning stop.

Question 18

When the transition from life to death is imminent,a person often moves through which of the following three phases?

A) clinical death, mortality, brain death
B) the agonal phase, clinical death, mortality
C) brain death, clinical death, mortality
D) the agonal phase, clinical death, brain death

Question 19

Death anxiety is especially low among adults

A) who regularly pray and attend services but doubt the existence of an afterlife.
B) who do not believe in a higher force or being.
C) who believe in a rewarding afterlife but rarely pray or attend services.
D) with deep faith in some form of higher force or being.

Question 20

The greatest dignity in death is in

A) succumbing suddenly.
B) passing without narcotic drug use.
C) overcoming pain without complaint.
D) the integrity of the life that precedes it.

Question 21

According to Kübler-Ross,most people who reach a state of peace and quiet about upcoming death do so

A) within the first two months after learning the diagnosis.
B) only in the last weeks or days before death.
C) only in the last hours or minutes before death.
D) after bargaining and before depression.

Question 22

Family members who __________ can make dying more difficult for a patient.

A) are brutally candid
B) play the denial "game"
C) question medical personnel
D) do not believe in an afterlife

Question 23

Dying of cancer,Janice promises God that she will devote her life to the church if He lets her live.According to Kübler-Ross,Janice is exhibiting which of the five typical responses to the prospect of death?

A) denial
B) anger
C) bargaining
D) acceptance

Question 24

According to Kübler-Ross,recognition that time is short promotes

A) denial.
B) depression.
C) anger.
D) acceptance.

Question 25

Which of the following statements about a dying person's reactions is true?

A) Depression in a dying person does not require treatment.
B) The course of an illness has little effect on the dying person's reactions.
C) About one-third of cancer patients experience severe depression.
D) In depressed terminal patients, life review is associated with earlier death.

Question 26

When he was dying of cancer,Jesse said,"Whenever I think I cannot stand the pain,I imagine riding my motorcycle along Route 66." Jesse views dying as

A) an experience to be transformed.
B) a mandate to live ever more fully.
C) part of life's journey.
D) imprisonment.

Question 27

According to Kübler-Ross,when denial,anger,and bargaining fail to postpone the illness,the terminally ill person

A) becomes depressed.
B) accepts death.
C) becomes enraged.
D) disengages from all but a few family members.

Question 28

Ruth regards death as a mandate to live ever more fully.In discussing her images of dying,Ruth is most likely to say,

A) "In a way, I feel like I'm already dead."
B) "After reading everything I could about my disease, I realized for the first time in my life I can handle anything."
C) "I've looked death in the eye, and now I'm really living."
D) "When I start to think too much about my illness, I recite the lyrics to my favorite songs."

Question 29

According to Kübler-Ross,the terminally ill person who reaches bargaining

A) grasps the inevitability of death.
B) denies the seriousness of the illness.
C) distorts the truth about his or her condition.
D) is despondent.

Question 30

The most serious drawback to Kübler-Ross's theory is that

A) dying people are unlikely to display denial after learning of their condition because most people trust doctors.
B) it looks at dying patients' thoughts and feelings outside the contexts that give them meaning.
C) a normal dying person goes through the five stages, but not in Kübler-Ross's sequence.
D) it fails to recognize that as dying people move closer to death, their reactions are predictable.

Question 31

Which of the following is considered to be part of dying a "good death"?

A) clarifying the meaning of one's life and death
B) being pain-free
C) relinquishing control to medical professionals
D) disengaging from loved ones

Question 32

In diverse cultures,people who are __________ report less death anxiety.

A) religious
B) clinically depressed
C) generally anxious
D) good at emotional self-regulation

Question 33

Carl is dying.He says,"In a way,I feel like I'm already dead." Carl views dying as

A) part of life's journey.
B) imprisonment.
C) a mandate to live ever more fully.
D) an experience to be transformed.

Question 34

__________ is associated with poorer survival.

A) Denial
B) Anger
C) Bargaining
D) Depression

Question 35

Kübler-Ross's five typical responses to the prospect of death

A) should be viewed as a fixed sequence.
B) are universal stages.
C) are applicable to the dying person's family members.
D) are best viewed as coping strategies.

Question 36

According to Kübler-Ross,a terminally ill person first reacts to the news that he or she is dying

A) by bargaining for extra time.
B) by denying the seriousness of the illness.
C) with anger.
D) with acceptance.

Question 37

Understanding the way that individuals __________ helps us appreciate the way they manage the dying process.

A) interact with close friends and family members
B) view spirituality and religion
C) view the medical profession
D) have coped with stressful life events in the past

Question 38

Before her death,Irene contacted her estranged sister and made amends.She took control of the time she had left,and confronted and prepared for death.Her death made sense in terms of her pattern of living and values.Irene experienced a(n)__________ death.

A) fixed
B) appropriate
C) ideal
D) passive

Question 39

According to Kübler-Ross,the underlying cause of a terminal person's anger is

A) death anxiety.
B) the unfairness of death.
C) depression.
D) poor self-regulation.

Question 40

Helen regards death as part of life's journey.Helen is most likely to say,

A) "I feel like the future has suddenly been taken away."
B) "You're not ready to live until you're ready to die."
C) "When I think too much about my illness, I recite poetry I memorized as a child."
D) "After reading everything I could about my illness, I really believe I can handle anything."

Question 41

Hospice

A) aims to provide a caring community sensitive to the dying person's needs.
B) provides spiritual and emotional support, but not palliative care.
C) emphasizes rehabilitation rather than high-quality terminal care.
D) death often triggers feelings of anger, frustration, and confusion.

Question 42

Mr.Martinez is dying.Because of their cultural beliefs,his Mexican-American family will probably

A) pretend there is nothing wrong in an attempt to prevent unnecessary stress.
B) forbid the doctors to talk to him about his condition because it will bring bad fortune to the family.
C) avoid informing him of his condition because they believe doing so hastens death.
D) talk openly and honestly about his condition, so that he can focus on resolving family conflicts before he dies.

Question 43

Most American deaths take place

A) at home.
B) in nursing homes.
C) in long-term care facilities.
D) in hospitals.

Question 44

Dying patients who feel they have much unfinished business to attend to are

A) less likely to bargain.
B) more likely to reach acceptance.
C) unlikely to disengage from family members.
D) more anxious about impending death.

Question 45

Dying in intensive care

A) is especially depersonalizing.
B) requires family intervention.
C) is viewed by many as ideal.
D) less stressful for the patient than dying at home.

Question 46

As they move through a hope trajectory,many dying patients first hope for

A) a cure.
B) prolonging life.
C) strength.
D) a peaceful death.

Question 47

Ten months after a __________ death,family members continue to report more psychological stress than do family members whose loved one died elsewhere.

A) home
B) hospice
C) hospital
D) nursing home

Question 48

Which of the following ethnic groups does not believe in telling terminally ill patients about their condition partly because dying disrupts important interdependent relationships?

A) Irish
B) French
C) Middle Eastern
D) Japanese

Question 49

Crisis intervention services are needed to help survivors cope with

A) a home death.
B) sudden death.
C) prolonged death.
D) a nursing home death.

Question 50

When Maea lay dying,relatives and friends gathered around him to give spiritual strength and comfort.Older adults and other experts conducted a karakia ceremony,reciting prayers asking for peace,mercy,and guidance from the creator.Maea is most likely a(n)

A) African American.
B) member of the Maori tribe.
C) Native American.
D) Buddhist.

Question 51

For many African Americans,

A) death is met with stoic self-control.
B) a dying loved one signals a crisis that unites family members in caregiving.
C) dying leads to Nirvana, a state beyond the world of suffering.
D) calming the dying person by reading sutras in key to caregiving.

Question 52

Pat's relatives read sutras to him to calm his mind and emphasize that dying leads to rebirth in a heaven of peace and relaxation.Pat is most likely a(n)

A) African American.
B) Native American.
C) Buddhist.
D) member of the Maori tribe.

Question 53

Few U.S.doctors are specially trained in

A) handling patients with AIDS.
B) managing pain in chronically ill and dying people.
C) gerontology.
D) thanatology.

Question 54

Once patients near death stop expressing hope,

A) those close to them must accept this.
B) death is imminent.
C) they have reached a state of denial
D) they will not reach acceptance.

Question 55

Which of the following statements about hospice care is true?

A) Staff has little time for contact with family members.
B) Hospice programs do not typically provide respite care.
C) Follow-up bereavement services are not typically offered to families.
D) Hospice programs encompass a continuum of care, from home to inpatient options.

Question 56

__________ care relieves pain and other symptoms rather than prolonging life.

A) Hospital
B) Palliative
C) Intensive
D) Skilled

Question 57

Nursing home

A) care emphasizes pain management and the resident's end-of-life preferences.
B) death is especially depersonalizing for patients and family members.
C) care emphasizes rehabilitation rather than high-quality terminal care.
D) care is aimed at easing physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering at death.

Question 58

In many Native American groups,

A) death is met with stoic self-control.
B) dying people believe that it is possible to reach a state beyond the world of suffering.
C) an illness is viewed as a crisis that unites family members.
D) a karakia ceremony is conducted to ask the creator for peace.

Question 59

Reggie is a 74-year-old hospice patient.Reggie will most likely die in

A) his own home or a homelike setting.
B) a hospice inpatient unit.
C) a nursing home.
D) a typical hospital room.

Question 60

To make dying at home feasible,__________ is essential.

A) hospice care
B) adequate support for the caregiver
C) trained nursing support
D) the presence of medical personnel

Question 61

After his father died,Jonah felt nauseous,was profoundly sad,and could not sleep,yet felt exhausted.Jonah's physical and psychological distress is known as

A) bereavement.
B) grief.
C) mourning.
D) death anxiety.

Question 62

When a doctor ends a suffering patient's life without the patient's permission,the doctor is practicing

A) involuntary active euthanasia.
B) assisted suicide.
C) voluntary active euthanasia.
D) passive euthanasia.

Question 63

Recognition of living wills is

A) essential in cases of potential organ donation.
B) usually limited to the terminally ill or those expected to die shortly.
C) rare except in cases of persistent vegetative states.
D) universal.

Question 64

Public opinion consistently favors __________ over __________.

A) assisted suicide; passive euthanasia
B) involuntary active euthanasia; assisted suicide
C) voluntary active euthanasia; assisted suicide
D) assisted suicide; voluntary active euthanasia

Question 65

Which of the following statements about assisted suicide is true?

A) Assisted suicide often occurs without the patient's consent.
B) Assisted suicide is illegal in all U.S. states and Canada.
C) Nearly 60 percent of Americans approve of assisted suicide for terminally ill patients in great pain.
D) Assisted suicide is endorsed by the American Medical Association.

Question 66

People respond to __________ with __________.

A) bereavement; grief
B) mourning; grief
C) mourning; bereavement
D) morbidity; bereavement

Question 67

Music is effective in easing the distress of those who are dying

A) but often upsets family members who desire quiet times.
B) because hearing functions longer than other senses.
C) only when it replaces use of pain medications.
D) only when patients are conscious and fully aware.

Question 68

A recent study showed that music vigils for dying patients result in

A) increased wakefulness.
B) more effortful breathing.
C) reduced anxiety.
D) increased stimulation in the hippocampus.

Question 69

Hospice care results in

A) less family involvement.
B) greater death anxiety.
C) prolonged life.
D) improved family functioning.

Question 70

Bereavement is

A) the response to the loss of a loved one.
B) the experience of losing a loved one by death.
C) the culturally specified expression of thoughts and feelings after a death.
D) intense physical and psychological distress.

Question 71

The durable power of attorney for health care

A) cannot anticipate all future medical conditions and, thus, the living will is more flexible.
B) is illegal in almost all U.S. states because it covers children and adolescents who cannot authorize a legal contract.
C) is only appropriate for those who support passive or voluntary active euthanasia.
D) can ensure a partner's role in decision making and in advocating for the patient's health-care needs.

Question 72

Health-care proxies

A) can sometimes be appointed when a patient fails to provide an advance medical directive while competent.
B) cannot make medical decisions for patients in persistent vegetative states.
C) are appointed under living wills.
D) are permitted in all U.S. states and Canada.

Question 73

Which of the following individuals is the most likely to support voluntary active euthanasia?

A) Roger, who is from Great Britain
B) Kate, who is from Australia
C) Tessa, who is from the Netherlands
D) Greg, who is from the United States

Question 74

At his patient's request,Dr.Feiger administers a legal dose of drugs.Dr.Feiger practices

A) involuntary active euthanasia.
B) assisted suicide.
C) voluntary active euthanasia.
D) passive euthanasia.

Question 75

At her patient's request,Dr.Yobst withholds or withdraws treatment,permitting the patient to die naturally.Dr.Yobst practices

A) involuntary euthanasia.
B) assisted suicide.
C) voluntary active euthanasia.
D) passive euthanasia.

Question 76

When doctors engage in voluntary active euthanasia,

A) they enable the patient to take his or her own life.
B) they withhold or withdraw treatment.
C) about 80 percent of the population disapproves.
D) judges are usually lenient, granting suspended sentences or probation.

Question 77

In a famous case involving assisted suicide,Dr.Jack Kevorkian

A) presented evidence in court that his patient wanted to kill himself.
B) was convicted of second-degree murder.
C) was a vigorous opponent of euthanasia.
D) received probation for helping a patient die.

Question 78

Voluntary active euthanasia is __________ in __________.

A) illegal; almost all U.S. states
B) legal; most Western European countries
C) legal; Canada and in most U.S. states
D) illegal; all countries

Question 79

Advance medical directives

A) are not recognized in the United States or Canada.
B) guarantee personal control over the right to die.
C) state in writing the desired end-of-life medical treatment.
D) authorize mercy killing.

Question 80

Katherine stated in writing that without reasonable expectation of recovery,she should not be kept alive through medical intervention.This document

A) is called a durable power of attorney for health care.
B) is called a living will.
C) creates a health-care proxy.
D) is illegal in almost all U.S. states.