Among Friends: Hospice Care for the Person With AIDS [Paperback]

Robert W. Buckingham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1992

This valuable guide shows how hospice can provide compassionate, palliative care to meet the medical, psychological, and spiritual needs of persons with AIDS and those who love them; it offers a detailed discussion of the history and philosophy of hospice care; the medical challenges and psychological issues involved in the treatment of AIDS patients during the painful, debilitating final stages of the disease; and the costs of medical and pain-relieving care. Hospice is shown to be more attuned to the special needs of AIDS patients as well as far more cost-effective in most cases than acute-care hospitals. Patients loved ones, and all advocates of the rights and dignity of persons with AIDS will find "Among Friends" an indispensable resource.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Buckingham ( First American Hospice ), a physician in Good Thunder, Minn., and dean of the College of Health and Human Performance at Mankato State University, has spent 15 years treating terminally ill patients. Initially, his practice focused on cancer patients, but in recent years he has paid increasing attention to people with AIDS. Here the doctor re-evaluates the traditional medical attitude that views the dying as "them" and the living as "us,"29 arguing instead for the treatment of patients and their families together--one of the basic tenets of hospice care. Once used primarily by cancer patients, hospices now provide those in the final stages of AIDS with a loving and caring environment where they can live out their remaining days. The book offers an overview of the AIDS hospice movement, from the history and philosophy of hospices to the unique difficulties of caring for AIDS patients: their fear of the AIDS illness, in its erratic progression, and its usual conclusion. Case histories cited are frustratingly brief--they don't give a personal sense of the AIDS patients or their families. But with the number of Americans afflicted with AIDS ? as is, suggests AIDS victims are members of a different race or species than the rest of us--the us/them outlook deplored above, right? expected to reach 480,000 by 1993109 , this book could not be more timely.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

The World Health Organization predicts that AIDS will be the major cause of death worldwide in the 1990s. The final stages of AIDS are devastating for the patient and his or her loved ones, while at the same time taxing on our already overburdened healthcare system. In Among Friends , Buckingham, a leader in the hospice movement, discusses the history and philosophy of hospice care, with special emphasis on its benefits for AIDS patients. He explains how a hospice can provide care at a lower cost than an acute care facility, while also giving much-needed emotional support for the patient and the family. Buckingham outlines steps in setting up a hospice program, pointing out important emotional, social, and ethical questions to be addressed. This is a valuable resource for healthcare professionals, AIDS patients, and concerned loved ones. For all medical collections.
-KellyJo Houtz Parish, Univ. of Missouri-Kansas City Sch. of Medicine Lib.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (March 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879757590
• ISBN-13: 978-0879757595
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,753,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book written on the care of the person with AIDS, April 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Among Friends: Hospice Care for the Person With AIDS (Hardcover)

Dr. Buckinghams book is truly outstanding. He has started over 35 hospice programs for people with AIDS. He has won the Ivanosky Prize for his work with AIDS patients.

This book is a must read for all who care for or are involved with the AIDS world.

J. Emery MD

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best book on care for the person with AIDS, April 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Among Friends: Hospice Care for the Person With AIDS (Hardcover)

this certainly is the best book on care for the person with aids, who is in the final stages of the disease.

buckingham is a compassionate writer with focus on the scientific issues as well as the holistic approach to this disease.

dr. buckingham is one of the founding fathers of hospice in this country and his work has been utilized and translated in many foreign countries.

i strongly reccomend tis book to anyone who is interested in caring for the person with AIDS.