For further assistance with your assignment, ask at the Belzberg Library Reference Desk or contact Nina Smart, Liaison Librarian for Gerontology ( or nsmart@sfu.ca) .
Course description
"The focus of this course is to provide the student with an in-depth understanding of the process of dying. By examining the process of dying, one's personal response to death as well as society's reaction and responsibilities toward dying, the student will gain new insights in caring for the dying person.."
[Note: for more information see the GERO 406 course outline and page in Canvas. If there are discrepancies between information listed on this page and that in Canvas or instructor handouts, please refer to the latter.]
Term paper (finding articles and books)
Researching and writing an essay
Start your research here
Follow this SFU guide to researching and writing a term paper.
Do you already have a good article (HINT: as in a reading from a module in Canvas) and want more? Try citation pearl-growing, as shown on this Youtube tutorial either using an EBSCO database like Ageline right below or using Google Scholar
Finding journal articles
Ageline
the major social gerontology database.Guide: An Introduction to the Ageline database
CINAHL Complete
Nursing and allied health (sample subject term: Terminal Care)
Philosopher's Index
(sample subject term: Assisted Suicide; Palliative Care; End of Life)
Sociological Abstracts
major sociology database
You can also browse a major journal in the area such as Omega: journal of death and dying or Death studies
Finding books
Reference sources - handbooks and encyclopedias
for an overview of concepts and terms
Macmillan encyclopedia of death and dying [online]
for understanding concepts
Handbook of family resilience [online]
See part 4: Resilience, Loss and Grief
Handbook of thanatology: the essential body of knowledge for the study of death, dying, and bereavement [online]
Other titles
- Dying and Death in Canada [online]
- What dying people want: practical wisdom for the end of life [print]
- Canadian health law and policy [print] Chapter 9 "Death dying and decision-making about end of life care" includes relevant cases
[coming soon: MEDICAL LAW IN CANADA 2020] - Death: Current perspectives [print]
- Death, dying and Canadian families [online]
- Dying and death in Canada [online]
- End of Life Care: a national dialogue [online]
- End of Life Stories [online]
- Older Adult’s Views on Death [online]
- End-of-life decision-making report from Royal Society of Canada
- World of Bereavement: Cultural Perspectives on Death in Families [online]
Presentation links
Giving Effective Presentations
SFU guide providing detailed instruction on how to succeed in university presentations
How to Give a Short Presentation Competently
describing "how to create an Awesome presentation"
Sites
Beware the 5 Stages of Grief
TLC Group
The Canadian Law Reform Commission’s definition of death (1979)
Compassion and Choices
"a nonprofit organization, improves care and expand choice at the end of life. We support, educate and advocate." (U.S.)
Dealing with Sudden Death
(Help Starts Here) BC Ministry of Justice
Death with Dignity Act
(Oregon)
The Definition of Death
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Discussion paper on a provincial strategy for end-of-life care in British Columbia British Columbia
BC Ministry of Health Services
Dying with Dignity
"improve quality of dying and to expand end of life choices in Canada"
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
overview from the Library of Parliament, Canada
Meaning of Life and Meaning of Death in Successful Aging
Paul Wong, International Network on Personal Meaning
Of Life and Death - Final Report
the Special Senate Committee on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
Medical assistance in dying: Overview F\ Government
Provincial Framework for End-of-Life Care
BC Ministry of Health Services
Quality of Death: Ranking end-of-life care across the world
Economist Intelligence Unit
Quality End-of-Life Care: The Right of Every Canadian
Senate of Canada
Medical assistance in dying: Overview
Government of Canada
Palliative Care and Hospice Associations
Canada
BC Centre for Palliative Care
"advance care planning and serious illness conversations, integration of a palliative approach to care, and building Compassionate Communities"
BC Hospice Palliative Care Association
"to ensure quality of care for British Columbians faced with a life-threatening illness, death and bereavement"
Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA)
"That all Canadians have access to quality end-of-life care"
Canadian Virtual Hospice
information and support on hospice and end-of-life care, loss and grief
Delta Hospice Society
selection of pamphlets
United States
American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
(AAHPM) - The professional organization for physicians taking care of people at the end of life
Caring Community
resources, publications, and advocacy
Center to Advance Palliative Care
"provides clear, comprehensive palliative care information for people coping with serious illness"
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
International
European Association for Palliative Care
"to act as a focus for all of those who work, or have an interest, in the field of palliative care"
International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care
providing education about palliative care and hospice in the developing world
Statistics
Statistics Canada
Deaths and age-specific mortality rates, by selected grouped causes
Leading Causes of Death
Life Expectancy and deaths
Statistical Reports on Deaths in British Columbia
BC Coroners Service
Leading Causes of Death and Hospitalization in Canada
Public Health Agency of Canada
Other sites
Death and Culture
Wikipedia entry
Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross
official site
Human Mortality Database
providing detailed mortality and population data (requires registration)
LGBT End-of-Life Conversations
Gerontology Research Centre (SFU)
Longevity Game
find out how long actuaries think you will live
Palliative Care Coalition of Canada
(PCCC) "The National Voice for Hospice Palliative Care in Canada"
Right to Die Society of Canada [updated 2021...]
What Every Funeral Director Needs to Know About Green Funerals: A Handbook for Funeral Directors
by the Green Burial Council