Meant to be viewed in the company of a health or social work professional, and absolutely dependent upon the accompanying handbook, this tape interviews five people who have recently lost family members, as they discuss caretaking decisions (both for patient and loved ones), including sharing bad news and communication in general, letting go, and life post-death. While the participants are all candid, thoughtful, reassuring, and inspiring, their comments are largely anecdotal; the tape's handbook presents more practical information and helpful suggestions than the tape itself. For instance, one of the interviewees says that she negated her mother's wishes to donate her organs because the hospital would harvest them before she actually died; the handbook informs us that this is an error. Though the publisher provides permission to copy the handbook if need be, I'm afraid that circulation problems, and the tendency of many people to ignore accompanying material, renders this tape unsuitable for public library collections, although it might find a home in the controlled environment of a medical or social service agency. Better choices here would be relevant volumes from the series Death: A Personal Understanding (VL-11/99) and On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying (reviewed above). Aud: C. (K. Glaser)
Those Who Stay Behind: When a Family Member is Dying
(1999) 31 min. $195 (includes handbook). Video Dialog (dist. by Fanlight Productions). PPR. Color cover. Vol. 15, Issue 6
Those Who Stay Behind: When a Family Member is Dying
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