Using the Power of Hope to Cope with Dying

ntroducing Cathleen Fanslow's "Hope System," which incorporates the four stages of hope (hope for cure, for treatment, for prolongation of life, and for peaceful death), this book shows both the living and the dying how to use the power of hope to cope with the inevitable. This powerful and simple system enables families, friends, and professional caregivers to understand and assist the dying on their journey - regardless of their beliefs - by addressing all levels of the experience: physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual. Concentrating on solutions for the day-to-day emotional needs of the dying, this practical guide also features examples and stories from families that have experienced loss, as well as helpful passages that provide hope throughout the ordeal. AUTHOR: Cathleen Fanslow, MA, RN, is an internationally acclaimed expert in the fields of death, dying, grief, nursing, and hospice care who developed the "Standards of Care for the Dying Patient," which is used throughout the U.S. Veterans' Administration Hospital System. An acclaimed pioneer in the field of hospice, she created the Hospice Program for New York's Visiting Nurse Service and the first free-standing hospice in Switzerland, worked at the first certified hospice in Long Island, and was director of nursing at Calvary Hospital in New York, considered by many to be the first hospice in the United States. She is the recipient of the National Hospice Organization's President's Award, the Award for Excellence from the National Hospice Association, the Healer of the Year Award for outstanding achievement in the field of healing from the Nurse Healers Professional Associates, and an award from the New York State Hospice Organization in recognition of extraordinary service to the New York Hospice movement.