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TWO RESPONSES TO DEATH AND DYING

E-mail: yahnk001{at}umn.edu

Several videos on the subject of end-of-life-decisions have been reviewed in this column in the past 7 years. In these videos two approaches to death and dying dominate: first-person accounts of the process of dying and a continuing debate about assisted suicide and euthanasia. For example, two videos reviewed in The Gerontologist were made by family members dealing with the death of a parent. Facing Death (38, 1, 1998) and Full Circle (39, 3, 1999) recount the interactions of adult children and their parents. Two feature-length documentaries, Dying (39, 5, 1999) and Dying at Grace (45, 1, 2005), also portray the stories of individuals facing death. Both films utilize direct cinema filmmaking styles; that is, no narration is used, no experts are called upon to analyze the patients' stories, and no one appears on camera in a direct interview format. In Dying, produced by WGBH-TV in Boston, three individuals with advanced cancers—a woman in her 40s, a man in his 30s, and a Black Baptist minister in his 70s—live their stories in front of the camera. In Dying at Grace, patients in a palliative care unit at a Toronto hospital administered by the Salvation Army face their dying with varying degrees of equanimity. On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying (40, 5, 2000) also depicts the stories of people facing life-threatening illnesses, and their stories are framed by the narration provided by journalist Bill Moyers. In this feature-length video, Moyers brings sensitivity, tact, and insight to his interactions with these individuals. All of these documentaries emphasize the integrity of the story-telling process—and suggest that there is much to learn from people who are either going through the process of dying or are intimately engaged with the dying person as family members and/or caregivers.

Another set of videos about death and dying, reviewed in previous audiovisual columns, addresses questions related to euthanasia and assisted suicide. In Self-Deliverance: Assisted Suicide in Australia (43, 1, 2003) viewers meet John Graham, a cranky and opinionated man living with cancer. As the video progresses, we hear his opinions on assisted suicide, and we also hear a debate between a euthanasia proponent and his anti-euthanasia counterpart. Although Graham does not make use of a new Australian law permitting assisted suicide (the law was overturned after only 1 year), his determination to engage that subject offers insight into this controversial subject. Tired of Living, Feared of Dying (38, 2, 1998), a documentary about euthanasia in The Netherlands, shares a number of viewpoints on the issue of assisted suicide from the perspective of those who are terminally ill as well as the doctors who are expected to serve potential patients. Death on Request (39, 2, 1999), another video on euthanasia in The Netherlands, portrays the story of one man, diagnosed with ALS, as he experiences the processes required to complete his request for euthanasia. He and his wife meet with his doctor several times, the doctor interacts with other health care professionals and discusses his feelings about his participation in the process, and finally the doctor arrives at their apartment and administers the drugs that terminate the life of his patient. Death on Request emphasizes the patient's story and his rights under Dutch law. Its patient-centered approach is reminiscent of the approaches taken by many of the documentaries noted in the paragraph above. One other documentary of note is The Way We Die: Listening to the Terminally Ill (43, 2, 2003), which focuses on the insights one doctor gains from interacting with her dying patients.

Two more documentaries about dying are reviewed in this column. The first, Live and Let Go: An American Death, introduces the subject of a dying person taking his own life. Sam Niver, diagnosed with prostate cancer, is determined to end his life with dignity. He joins the Hemlock Society, and he discusses his options with family members—and finally settles on suicide. This documentary again focuses on the individual's point of view. There is no debate between health care professionals or academic experts. This is Sam's take on how to deal with death and dying.

The second video reviewed below, Pioneers of Hospice: Changing the Face of Dying, tells the story of the hospice movement from the point of view of the four individuals most closely involved in its development: Dame Cicely Saunders, Florence Wald, Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, and Balfour Mount. They tell their own stories and thus personalize this significant historical account.

The subjects of death and dying are inevitable, universal, and personal components of the aging process. Filmmakers continue to be drawn to those subjects and doubtless will generate more documentaries worthy of consideration by gerontologists.

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Yahnke, R. E. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Yahnke, R. E.