Dying With Dignity Analysis

“Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis spent her last few days of life as she had lived, with poise and dignity” (Lemming & Dickenson, 2011, p. 181). What is meant by “Dying with Dignity”? Culturally, its meaning varies. The variance can be a little or a lot, depending on the beliefs of the specific culture. Religion often plays a part in how a person spends their final moments.
The meaning of “dying with Dignity” has drastically changed over the years. As mentioned in Chapter 5, during the times of what is best known as the “old West” (Lemming & Dickenson, 2011, p. 180), someone dying wearing their boots would have meant they died with their dignity. Soldiers who die in the battle field are also said to have died with their dignity, as they have died defending their country.
For someone in the medical field dealing with a patient who is dying can be difficult if there is a language barrier. Such barriers can make it near impossible to determine what kind of care the patient needs or wants surrounding why they are on the brink of death. The book mentions a Chinese patient in England who spoke no English and therefore made it very hard for the staff to determine what she wanted in terms of care. Because she was in so much pain they provided her …show more content…
There is no single even to say that this person versus this person died with their dignity intact. Due to the different cultures in the world the definition of this phrase is different. It was learned that the Chinese culture only allows a person dignity to be maintained when they die in severe pain. In the time of the “Old West” a cowboy had to die wearing his boots to have died with his dignity. Physicians see the definition of what makes a death “good” as something different than others. “Dying with Dignity” means something so much different to others. People who have passed should always have their dignity intact as when they are dead it would mostly like have been all they had