ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the importance of being aware of our interactions and prescriptions, and presents a model of care rooted in respect, one that acknowledges the power of relationship and that invites us to be mindful, curious, and open to surprise. The Respectful Death Model is born out of and used in the medical culture, a culture that defines the human experience in a way that often ignores individual knowledge and personal experience. The medical culture rarely allows time for patients and families to conceptualize, let alone express, their values and goals in the overwhelming world of a life-threatening illness. Medical science is center stage from assessment to care planning. "Good death" is a term often used to describe the possibilities for growth and awareness at the end of life. One value of the "good death" concept is in acknowledging the inevitability of death.
