Question

Which of the following is an advantage of a dying individual knowing that he or she is dying?

A) The person can seek more aggressive medical interventions.
B) The person can construct more effective means of denying death.
C) The person can close their lives in a way that is consistent with their own ideas about proper dying.
D) The person can move through the stages of dying more quickly.

Answer 1

Knowing one is dying provides the advantage of planning a personal proper closure, including hospice care and creating living wills or DNR orders, according to individual values and wishes for end-of-life care.

Step-by-step explanation:

An advantage of knowing when one is dying is that the individual can close their lives in a manner consistent with their own ideas of proper dying, as proposed by thanatologists and psychologists like Elizabeth Kübler-Ross. This process, involving the stages of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, can be faced with the autonomy to make personal and informed decisions concerning end-of-life care, including the creation of advance directives like living wills or DNRs. Furthermore, this awareness allows for the possibility of arranging hospice care, to ensure a death with dignity and comfort, potentially in one's own home.