Compassion The Essence of Palliative and End of Life Care

Since the efforts of Dame Cicely Saunders and the founders of the modern hospice movement, compassion has become a fundamental part of palliative care. In this ground-breaking book, international experts give their critical thoughts on the essence and role of compassion, in both palliative and hospice care over the past half-century.

Compassion: The essence of palliative and end of life care provides insight into the motivations for, and practice of, compassionate palliative and hospice care, featuring the reflections of leading healthcare professionals, social workers, chaplains and educators. Chapters utilise case examples and first-hand experiences to explore the historical and contemporary discourse surrounding the concept of compassion in palliative medicine.

This book is relevant to a multidisciplinary audience of palliative care practitioners, including undergraduate and graduate students in sociology, psychology and theology, and healthcare professionals in oncology and gerontology.

Philip Larkin, Associate Professor of Clinical Nursing, Palliative Care, University College Dublin and Our Lady's Hospice and Care Services, Dublin Ireland

1. Compassion: a conceptual reading for palliative and end-of-life care, Philip J Larkin
2. Healing connections, Janet Abrahm
3. Understanding Pity, Mary Baines
4. Service, Ira Byock
5. Roots, Augusto Caraceni
6. Lessons learnt, Carlos Centeno Cortes
7. Suffering, Mark Cobb
8. Courage, David Currow
9. Seeds sown, Julia Downing
10. Empathic Entree, Betty Ferrell
11. The Golden Rule, Kathy Foley
12. The Truth of Time, Charles von Gunten
13. Enlightened Resolve, Liz Gwyther
14. Spirit, Jo Hockley
15. Vulnerability, Peter Hudson
16. Community, Mari Lloyd-Williams
17. Interconnectedness, Anne Merriman
18. Compassionate Love, Daniela Mosoiu
19. Compassionate organisations, Irene Renzenbrink
20. The Light and Shadow, Mary Vachon
21. Lessons from our teachers, Philip J Larkin