Web Exercises

Web Exercise #1: Advance Directive

LO 16.1 Discuss the ways in which death has been defined and end-of-life issues that may arise.

Directions: This assignment may be completed individually. Chapter 16 discusses the concept of death with dignity and ways of supporting it. One way a person may make the decision to die with dignity is to complete an advance directive. These vary slightly from state to state in the United States, but the commonality is that the person may choose whether or not to be placed on life support if he or she may die without it. Consider the case of Terri Schiavo: http://time.com/3763521/terri-schiavo-right-to-die-brittany-maynard/

What would you want your family to do if you were in Terri’s situation? They will not know if you do not let them know your wishes. Therefore, it is important to state these in a legal form. Explore your state’s advance directive on this webpage: http://www.caringinfo.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3289

Did you print an advance directive for yourself? Why or why not?

 

Web Exercise #2: Funeral Cost

LO 16: This Activity May Fit All Learning Objectives

Directions: This assignment may be completed individually. Students often do not know how much a funeral costs, and many have no funeral plans or savings. When someone dies and does not have funds saved for a funeral, the family is responsible for paying for it. The purpose of this exercise is to explore the cost of a funeral.

Students will need to decide if they are being buried, cremated, turned into a stone (http://www.lifegem.com), donated to science (http://www.sciencecare.com/life-legacy/ ), or donated to a body farm (http://fac.utk.edu/body-donation/) . Go online to search for the costs of your funeral. Break your costs down into items needed (e.g. a burial will have a fee for embalming, one for the casket, one for renting the room for a viewing, the cost of renting a limo, etc.). Students may also go to a funeral home to get prices of items.

  1. What is the total cost of your funeral?
  2. Do you have any savings for your funeral?
  3. After completing this exercise, will you be saving in the future?

 

Web Exercise #3: Support for Widows and Widowers

LO 16.4 Discuss typical grief reactions to the loss of loved ones and the influence of development on bereavement.

Directions: This assignment may be completed individually. Chapter 16 discusses the end of life: the dying process and cultural views surrounding it; the concept of death with dignity and ways to support it; the grieving process; and the effects of widowhood in older adulthood. It is difficult for elderly adults to lose a spouse, and often they do not know where to turn. More research has been conducted on widows than on widowers; therefore, there is more information for widows. The following are a few websites to help those who have lost a spouse. View the websites and answer the following questions:

  1. What advice would you give to someone who just lost a spouse?
  2. Are there any local support groups in your area? Where are they? Do they only focus on a certain group of people?
  3. What stood out to you as you were reviewing the websites?
  4. What are two questions you have after reviewing the websites?