Perinatal hospice is a newly developing model of hospice care, offered to the family in the prenatal period, which provides support, guidance and comfort to families who make the difficult choice to continue a pregnancy after the diagnosis of a fatal fetal anomaly. The model is based on the hospice philosophy of living life fully and enjoying each moment. This article describes a perinatal hospice programme that is currently in place at a hospice home care programme of a children's hospital in the USA. It includes a case example of one family's experience of this programme.
In our society, the words "dying" and "school" are not a natural fit. Recently they have occurred together all too frequently. When this happens, horror, fear, and confusion often prevail. The death of a child is always a tragedy, but handled well, it can bring positive growth and maturity to the school community. The death of a class member, teacher, or student affects the class in a way that no other event does. Accidental deaths, shootings, and other violent deaths cause multiple and complex problems within the school community. These dramatic and tragic events are present in the media and leave people with a violent concept of death. However, death sometimes comes in slow and lingering ways. In this article, the case study of a student named "Tyler" illustrates the painful but positive experiences of his class. This type of death--of a school-age child--brings a prolonged grief and struggle for students, teachers, and the school community.
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