ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the meaning of death and bereavement in different cultures. It examines various practices that nurses should adopt when caring for those who are dying, their family and friends. Death is the stage when a person ceases to exist in their previous 'physical form'. Bereavement is a term that is associated with dying and the events that follow death. 'Grief' is an emotion that may follow bereavement and individuals experience and show their grief in different ways according to culture to which they belong. The beliefs, rituals and customs associated with death in different cultures are extremely varied, and this includes nurse's own professional culture. Religious beliefs also have a major influence on caring for dying patients and their families, especially their attitudes to and beliefs about death itself. All care that is given to the patient and their relatives will depend very much on the effectiveness of hospital or community responding to needs of a multicultural–multiracial community.
