Sorry, I have to (very respectfully) disagree here. An unexpected cause is, well, unexpected. For example, my dad was 80 and suffered from CHF for years. It finally got him and he died because the fluid in his lungs (the congestion)built up because his heart could no longer keep up. Then he quietly, and more-or-less peacefully, died. My mom is now 85 and healthy as a horse. If she died, it would be sudden and unexpected. Especially since I keep telling her she will live to be 115 :) There are many reasons someone's heart might stop, and it isn't always age-related, and even when it is, it might be expected or unexpected. These are kind of tender issues for me, because my daughter (at 29) also suffered from CHF after her chemotherapy. Was it sudden? Well, it was pretty quick to come on after the last round of chemo--a matter of days. Was it unexpected? Absolutely, because she was one of those small percentage of people who develop heart failure from doxyrubicin (which is sort of related to the discussion the other day about framing and risk-averse vs. risk-taking decisions). Was it different from my dad's? Not really, except that there were interventions that could be put in place because she was 50 years younger than him. I don't use euphemisms like "passing away" or such, but I believe the suddenness or expectedness of the death are relative to the expectations of the family or those close. And if "passing away" is a phrase that helps someone deal with an insufferable loss, then let them use it. I have watched too many people die to quibble.
Just my couple of cents worth (and in a recession, probably less than that...) Carol Carol L. DeVolder, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Chair, Department of Psychology St. Ambrose University 518 West Locust Street Davenport, Iowa 52803 Phone: 563-333-6482 e-mail: [email protected] web: http://web.sau.edu/psychology/psychfaculty/cdevolder.htm The contents of this message are confidential and may not be shared with anyone without permission of the sender. -----Original Message----- From: Beth Benoit [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thu 4/16/2009 7:04 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] Obit: Freud's grandson And should we think of dying of "heart failure" as the same as CHD? When you die, your heart stops. Duh. And then there are the euphemisms of "passing away," etc. Don't get me started. Beth Benoit Granite State College Plymouth State University New Hampshire On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 8:00 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > I always find it amazing when people say that someone in their 80's or even > in their 90's "died suddenly." I understand that a person can be in > "relatively" good health at that age, but should it be thought of as > "surprising" and "sudden" when a person died at that age? > > Annette > > Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. > Professor of Psychology > University of San Diego > 5998 Alcala Park > San Diego, CA 92110 > 619-260-4006 > [email protected] > > > ---- Original message ---- > >Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:12:39 -0700 > >From: "Frantz, Sue" <[email protected]> > >Subject: [tips] Obit: Freud's grandson > >To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" < > [email protected]> > > > > "Sir Clement Freud, who has died suddenly aged 84, > > was one of those rare characters who managed to > > excel in several spheres: caterer, theatre club > > owner, journalist, broadcaster and politician. These > > diverse activities were underpinned by one of the > > distinctive personalities of the age, lugubrious but > > engaging." > > > > > > > > (http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/apr/16/clement-freud-obituary > ) > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Sue Frantz > > Highline Community College > > Psychology, Coordinator Des Moines, > > WA > > 206.878.3710 x3404 > > [email protected] > > > > Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology, > > Associate Director > > > > Project Syllabus > > > > APA Division 2: Society for the Teaching of > > Psychology > > > > > > > > APA's p...@cc Committee > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- > > To make changes to your subscription contact: > > > > Bill Southerly ([email protected]) > > --- > To make changes to your subscription contact: > > Bill Southerly ([email protected]) > --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
<<winmail.dat>>
