Chapter 8: The Funeral: Flora Benson’s Spanner
Overview:
- The advantages of publicly announcing a residents death are examined
- How to help residents ‘tie up loose ends’ before their death
- Discussion of the importance of celebrating and recognising significant events
- Case studies and stories to aid all of the author’s explanations
Description:
This chapter demonstrates the importance of recognising each resident in their unique, historical, cultural context. The stories included also reveal the place of ritual in encouraging residents to celebrate life in its fullness.
Topics:
- The funeral: Flora Benson’s spanner
- Wrapping it up: I’ve seen the angels
- Anniversaries: it’s three years tomorrow
Speaker / Author:
Rosalie Hudson
Rosalie Hudson is Director off Nursing at Harold McCracken House in Melbourne, Australia, where a palliative care philosophy provides the framework for the care of residents who are dying, and a partnership philosophy guides all relationships. Rosalie’s postgraduate research in gerontic nursing and theology has stimulated further insights for several journal articles and for this second book on living and dying in a nursing home. Personhood, death and community are the themes for her PhD thesis, inspired by the ordinary and extraordinary experiences in a rather special nursing home. Rosalie is married with a daughter, two sons, two daughters-in-law and three grandchildren.
Jennifer Richmond
Jennifer Richmond’s first career was in nursing. In hindsight, she says, the highlight of her nursing years was a long association with Melbourne’s Harold McCracken House. During this time her creative partnership with Rosalie yielded a valued friendship and a number of nursing publications. At Harold McCracken House Jennifer worked with many extraordinary and gifted staff, one of whom is novelist Michel Faber whose photographs appear in this book. After the privilege of an editing association with Ausmed Publications and a postgraduate qualification in editing and writing, Jennifer now writes fiction and works part-time as an in house medical and scientific editor for a major publisher. She lives in inner city Melbourne with her family, which includes dogs Minnie and John.
|
Resources 
