Awake at the Bedside, edited by Koshin Paley Ellison and Matt Weingast, is an excellent collection of articles, stories and poems on the topic of contemplative palliative and end of life care. It is highly readable and very inspiring, giving a deep insight into the issues surrounding a field that one day will involve all of us, for as this book reminds us, we will all die.
It became clear to me from reading this, that the way the contributors are approaching end of life care should be the way we approach all care, that is with healing and care for all aspects of our being – physical emotional and spiritual. The vision of a world where such care is the norm is an inspiring one indeed.
I recommend this not only to caregivers and those who have a loved one drawing close to the end of their life, but also to every one.
Book Description
Thought leaders in the field of contemplative caregiving offer resilience, wisdom, and freedom for those who keep watch at the bedside.
How do we think about death? How do we think about the dying? What’s the current state of palliative and end-of-life health care, and how can we improve it? And how do we give care without becoming emotionally and spiritually depleted? In Awake at the Bedside, pioneers of palliative and end-of-life care — as well as doctors, Dharma teachers, chaplains, poets, and caregivers of all kinds — offer insights on incredibly challenging questions like these.
This book isn’t about dying. It’s about life and what life has to teach us. It’s about caring and what giving care really means. Equal parts instruction manual and spiritual testimony, it includes specific instructions and personal accounts to inspire, counsel, and teach. An indispensable resource for anyone involved in hospice work or caregiving of any kind.
Publication date: May 24th 2016
