Living ethically in the face of death is a major challenge for the ill person, the family, and the hospice staff. Beyond the recognized need for ethical decision-making regarding medical principles, there are decisions about character for all involved: “What kind of person will I be?” “What kind of family will we be?” “What kind of caregiver will I be?” “What kind of community will we be?”
This article is a discussion of virtues that are appropriate in hospice staff and volunteers: compassion/empathy, faithfulness, justice/advocacy, and practical wisdom. The author calls for a wider sharing of their knowledge and experience.
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See also Chambers T: Centering bioethics. Hastings Ctr Rep. 2000; 30(1): 22-29.
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Beauchamp & Childress, op. cit., 26.
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See also Arras JD, Steinbock B: Introduction: Moral reasoning in the medical context. In Arras JD, Steinbock B (eds.): Ethical Issues in Modern Medicine. 5th ed.Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1999.
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Churchill LR: Rejecting principlism, affirming principles. In DuBose ER, Hamel R, O’Connell LJ (eds.): A Matter of Principles: Ferment in US Bioethics. Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1994.
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Keenan JF: Virtue ethics. In Hoose B (ed.): Christian Ethics. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1998, p. 85.
8.
DiTullio M, MacDonald D: The struggle for the soul of hospice: Stress, coping, and change among hospice workers. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 1999; 16(5): 641.
9.
Beauchamp & Childress, op. cit., 466.
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Randall F, Downie RS: Palliative Care Ethics: A Good Companion. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
11.
Spiro HM: What is empathy, and can it be taught? In Spiro HM, McCrea Curnen MG, Peschel E, et al. (eds.): Empathy and the Practice of Medicine. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1993, pp. 7-14.
12.
Frank A: The Wounded Storyteller: Body, Illness, and Ethics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995, pp. 137-167.
13.
Beauchamp & Childress, op. cit., 468.
14.
Randall & Downie, op. cit., 18-19.
15.
Emanuel EJ, Fairclough DL, Slutsman J, et al.Assistance from family members, friends, paid care givers, and volunteers in the care of terminally ill patients. N Engl J Med. 1999; 341(13): 962.
