This novel, cross-disciplinary collection explains how dying, death, and grieving have changed in America, for better or worse, since the turn of the millennium.What does dying with dignity mean in a diverse society with rapidly advancing technology, an aging population, and finite resources? In this fascinating collection, scholars from across the nation illuminate the remarkable changes that have taken place in recent years, are now underway, and loom on the horizon as they lead readers on an exploration of the ways Americans think about and handle dying and death. Volume 1, New Paths of Engagement, addresses changes in the circumstances and expressions of death, dying, and grief in 21st-century America. Volume 2, New Venues in the Search for Dignity and Grace, delves into the challenges inherent in creating a medical and social system that allows for an optimal end-of-life experience for all and proposes ways in which society can be reshaped to move toward that ideal.

1. Introduction: The Need for AccommodationChristina StaudtSECTION I: ESCAPING THE QUAGMIRE2. The Future of Death and Two Challenges That Will Shape ItJames W. Green3. Assisted Suicide in the Age of AIDS and Alzheimer'sMichael Teitelman4. Dying Persons and Their FamiliesMargaret Souza5. Decision Making at the End of Life: From Informed Consent to Family ConsentLawrence A. Frolik6. A Changing Landscape: Evolving Ethical Duties and Obligation of Patients, Families, and ProvidersMiriam Piven Cotler7. The Hippocratic and the Veterinary Oaths: Medical Ethics at the End of LifeSara WallerSECTION II: IMPROVING THE VEHICLES OF CARE8. Palliative Care and Hospice: Caring for Patients with Serious IllnessKerrianne P. Page and Maura L. Del Bene9. The Health Advocate in End-of-Life CareLinda Koebner10. Culturally Competent Care in an Increasingly Diverse SocietyKaren Bullock and Jasmin Volkel11. Attending to the Pain of the Dying: The Nursing Home Care ParadoxAnthony J. Lechich12. The Evolving Role of Hospital Chaplains at the End of LifeMartha R. Jacobs and Linda S. Golding13. Before Their Time: The Need for Communication When They Die YoungNathan IonascuSECTION III: REDRAWING THE MAP14. Advance Directives and Hospice Care: Cost Savers at the EndEdward J. Lusk, Nellie Selander, and Michael Halperin15. Conspicuous Metabolism: Life Support and Life Extension as Luxury GoodsKevin T. Keith16. Solidarity, Mortality: The Tolling Bell of Civic Palliative CareBruce JenningsConclusion: A Letter from a Fellow TravelerChristina StaudtAfterwordJ. Harold EllensBibliographyAbout the EditorsAbout the ContributorsIndex