"We just happen to live here": two social workers share their stories about Oregon's Death with Dignity Law

The End of Life Within Social Work Literature: A Conceptual Review

The current conceptual review sought to identify and describe how the end of life was conceptualized and operationalized in top-ranking, peer-reviewed social work journals considering the highly individualized and multidimensional experience of dying put forth by modern scholars and social work practitioners. An iterative content analysis of included articles (N = 103) revealed six themes within reported definitions and four themes within eligibility criteria. Definitions (n = 66) related to treatment responsiveness, the death process, dying, prognosis, admission to specific services, and old age. Eligibility criteria (n = 18) related to proxy assessment, diagnosis, prognosis, and functional ability assessments. Over one-third of included articles did not define what was meant by the end of life (36%; n = 37) and the majority did not include eligibility criteria (83%; n = 85). In conclusion, the complex lived experience of dying was not manifest within included articles raising important implications for research (e.g., measurement, meta-analysis) and social work practice (viz. service eligibility).

Hospice and palliative social workers' experiences with clients at risk of suicide

Objective:

We sought to determine the frequency with which hospice and palliative social workers encounter patients, family caregivers, and other clients at risk of suicide, and to discover the extent to which hospice and palliative social workers feel prepared to address issues related to suicide in their professional practice.

Method:

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of hospice and palliative social workers, recruiting a convenience sample of volunteer respondents through advertisements at professional conferences and listservs, and via social media accounts associated with national organizations, state hospice and palliative care associations, and individual healthcare professionals.

Results:

Most respondents reported having worked with patients, family caregivers, or other clients who had exhibited warning signs of suicide during the previous year. Fewer respondents indicated that they had worked with patients and family members who had attempted or died by suicide. While the majority of respondents believed they possessed sufficient knowledge and skills to intervene effectively with individuals at risk of suicide, they indicated that additional education on this topic would be valuable for their professional practice.

Significance of results:

These study results suggest that suicide-related competencies are important in the practice of hospice and palliative social work. Future education and training efforts should include skill development in addition to knowledge building.

Amicus Curiae brief for the United States Supreme Court on mental health, terminal illness, and assisted death

The Supreme Court will hear the case of Gonzales v. Oregon in the fall of 2005 to determine if prescriptions written under Oregon's Death with Dignity law violate the Controlled Substances Act. The Attorney General of the United States also believes that hastening death is a public health danger because of the vulnerability of people with terminal illness, primarily because of the possibility of depression.