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Communication as Comfort

Multiple Voices in Palliative Care

Sandra L Ragan author Elaine M Wittenberg-Lyles author Joy Goldsmith author Sandra Sanchez Reilly author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Inc

Published:13th Mar '08

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

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Communication as Comfort cover

This exceptional work explores the complexities of communication at one of the most critical stages of the life experience--during advanced, serious illness and at the end of life. Challenging the predominantly biomedical model that informs much communication between seriously ill and/or dying patients and their physicians, caregivers, and families, Sandra L. Ragan, Elaine M. Wittenberg-Lyles, Joy Goldsmith, and Sandra Sanchez-Reilly pose palliative care--medical care designed to comfort rather than to cure patients--as an antidote to the experience of most Americans at the most vulnerable juncture of their lives.

With an author team comprised of three health communication scholars and one physician certified in geriatrics and palliative medicine, this volume integrates the medical literature on palliative care with that of health communication researchers who advocate a biopsychosocial approach to health care. Applying communication theories and insights to illuminate problems and to explain their complexities, the authors advocate a patient-centered approach to care that recognizes and seeks to lessen patients’ suffering and the many types of pain they may experience (physical, psychological, social, and spiritual) during life-threatening illness.

'This book's various perspectives make it a useful resource for health care providers, patients, caregivers, family members, and students pursuing health professions or studying communications, especially those seeking to enhance their sensitivity when dealing with seriously ill patients... Summing Up: Recommended.' - CHOICE

'Applying communication theories and insights to illuminate problems and to explain their complexities, the authors advocate a patient-centered approach to care that recognizes and seeks to lessen patients' suffering and the many types of pain they may experience (physical, psychological, social, and spiritual) during life-threatening illness.'Counselling Magazine


'This book's various perspectives make it a useful resource for health care providers, patients, caregivers, family members, and students pursuing health professions or studying communications, especially those seeking to enhance their sensitivity when dealing with seriously ill patients... Recommended.' - CHOICE

ISBN: 9780805858099

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 294g

184 pages