Subjects: Death and Grieving

The deathbed scene is changing along with the legal and ethical issues surrounding it. This program addresses these issues and the role and meaning of traditional and personal rituals.

Grief is an essential element of the healing process. This program explores the psychology and role of grief, artistic expressions of grief and bereavement, and how the community manifests grief following great tragedy.

From childhood to adolescence, our concept of death changes. This program examines a child’s response to the death of another, coping with a terminal diagnosis in childhood, and adolescent attitudes and issues involving death.

“Unexpected death” can have especially traumatic effects. This program explains how professionals constantly exposed to unexpected death integrate it into their lives, discusses grief patterns among survivors, and reveals the psychological legacy of suicide.

Sometimes we are confronted with experiences in life and we are forever changed. This program looks at life events that make us aware of our own mortality, the coping measures of professionals facing death in their line of work, and a society in denial – relying on workouts, cosmetic surgery and cryogenics to stay young.

This program reveals a historical perspective of the fear of death, including the social, cultural and personal forces that shape it, how it affects our daily lives, and the negative and positive ways in which people respond to it.

Throughout history, the treatment of the terminally ill has changed. This program examines how such treatment has evolved, a dying person’s perspective of the world, how the dying process affects loved ones and the role of caregivers.

How and why do we die? This program takes a biological, psychological, sociological, and historical perspective on death. It also discusses the changing face of death throughout history and how modern medicine and technology have altered our relationship with death.

The rituals of different cultures reflect their different attitudes towards death. This program discusses the role of burial rites in grief and bereavement and how we are creating rituals for a modern age.

Euthanasia versus palliative care . . . a possible future crisis. This program explores this issue and how different cultures integrate death into life.