Dying at the Margins: Reflections on Justice and Healing for Inner-City Poor

by David Wendell Moller

Overview

Dying at the Margins: Reflections on Justice and Healing for Inner-City Poor gives voice to the most vulnerable and disempowered population-the urban dying poor- and connects them to the voices of leaders in end-of-life-care. Chapters written by these experts in the field discuss the issues that challenge patients and their loved ones, as well as offering insights into how to improve the quality of their lives. In an illuminating and timely follow up to Dancing with Broken Bones, all discussions revolve around the actual experiences of the patients previously documented, encouraging a greater understanding about the needs of the dying poor, advocating for them, and developing best practices in caring. Demystifying stereotypes that surround poverty, Moller illuminates how faith, remarkable optimism, and an unassailable spirit provide strength and courage to the dying poor.Dying at the Margins serves as a rallying call for not only end-of-life professionals, but compassionate individuals everywhere, to understand and respond to the needs of the especially vulnerable, yet inspiring, people who comprise the world of the inner city dying poor.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199760145
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/31/2018
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

David Wendell Moller is the Director of Health Care Ethics at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland. He is the author of Dancing with Broken Bones: Poverty, Race, and Spirit-filled Dying in the Inner City.

Table of Contents

Preface: An Invitation to Witness (and Respond)
David Wendell Moller
Chapter 1: Strangers Among Us: Poverty, Race, and the End of Life
David Wendell Moller
Chapter 2: Across the Tracks: Milton - Reflections on a Grim Beginning
David Wendell Moller
Chapter 3: Notes from the Trenches: A Conversation with Cowboy and his Team
Terry Altilio
Chapter 4: Exploring the Experiences of Mr. J.W. Green: Injustice, Poverty, Mistreatment and Evil Surrounding Serious Illness and Death in Poor African-American People
Richard Payne
Chapter 5: Voices of the Patients: The Whites - Expressing Unimaginable Indignities
Christian T. Sinclair
Chapter 6: The Story of Annie - Gratitude and Faith
Betty R. Ferrell
Chapter 7: Life on the Brink: Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler
Robert Arnold
Chapter 8: The Life and Death of Lucille Angel from Primary Care, Chaplaincy, and Palliative Care Perspectives
Rachel Diamond, Rev. Robin Franklin, and Timothy Quill
Chapter 9: Dying Poor Needn't Mean Dying Poorly: Insights from a Safety-Net Hospital Palliative Care Program
Gregory P. Gramelspacher and Richard Gunderman
Chapter 10: Notes from the Trenches: On Social Injustice: Race, Class, and Health Disparity
F. Amos Bailey
Chapter 11: Notes from the Trenches: Living, Dying, and Caring at the Margins
Tammie E. Quest and Kimberly Curseen
Chapter 12: Reflections on an Urban Thoreau: A Peaceful Ending to the Life of Cowboy
David Wendell Moller
Chapter 13: Reflections on End-of-Life Care of the Urban Poor: Cowboy's Legacy
Shirley Otis-Green
Epilogue: A Call to Action - Caring at the Margins
Diane Meier and Stacie Sinclair
A Final Muse: On Solidarity with Those at the Margins
David Wendell Moller

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Gwendolyn M. Oglesby-Odom, Ed.D, MSN, BSN, RN-BC, NEA-BC(Advocate Aurora Health)
Description: This is a compilation of lived experiences about life, death, and dying told in the voices of the inner-city poor who live and die with the daunting and discouraging effects of poverty, racism, and social ostracizing. Using photos and the frameworks of storytelling and active listening, the author and contributors aim to help the audience understand that the lived experiences shared in this book portray the true essence of marginalization. Their stories also highlight the gravity of the issues and the resilience required to live and die in the shadows; living in this world but never really feeling part of it. The book contains photos, data charts, and a unique feature, "Field Notes," which are intended to help practitioners provide end-of-life care with compassion and devoid of biases and harmful stereotypes that often lead to substandard care.
Purpose: The author provides a platform for the inner-city poor to tell their own stories about living at the margins. The purpose of this book is to help providers render compassionate care, expose the impact of poverty and racism on quality care, and stimulate a call to action that results in a safety net for this vulnerable population.
Audience: This book is written for individuals working in hospice and palliative care. According to the author, if successful, this will result in a sense of connected and oneness among patients, their families, providers, and society. I believe that providers and society can learn from these lived experiences if they are willing to actively listen and heed the author's call to action. The author currently serves as the Chief of Clinical and Organizational Ethics at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland.
Features: This book covers the devastating impact of poverty, race, and social isolation on those living and dying at the margins of society. The stories are told in the voices of patients and families who share their stories with clinical and spiritual providers working in hospice and palliative care. Photos of patients, families, and care providers strategically placed throughout the book help readers connect a face with the stories. Spiritual, motivational, and thought-provoking quotes are scattered throughout the book. The photos, stories, and quotes help draw readers in and give them the opportunity to see things from the perspective of the patients and their families. References are located at the end of each chapter.
Assessment: Get out your box of tissues, this book is a tearjerker. While there are parts that made me smile, so many of the stories opened a floodgate of tears. The stories of the courage and resilience of those who lived their lives with dignity despite the insurmountable obstacles they faced in the shadows of American society made me smile and pump my fist in the air! The author presents the book in a manner that is both inspirational and sobering. It leaves readers wondering how we can come together as a nation to improve the social-economic and healthcare status of vulnerable populations. This book clearly demonstrates a need for a public safety net.

Doody's Review Service

"Get out your box of tissues, this book is a tearjerker. While there are parts that made me smile, so many of the stories opened a floodgate of tears. The stories of the courage and resilience of those who lived their lives with dignity despite the insurmountable obstacles they faced in the shadows of American society made me smile and pump my fist in the air!" — Gwendolyn M Oglesby-Odom, Ed.D., MSN, BSN, RN-BC, NEA-BC, Doodys

"If you work in palliative care and have 'marginalized poor' amongst your clientele, this book is a must-read." — Roger Woodruff, International association for hospice and palliative care

From the Publisher