Main description:

Dying at the Margins: Reflections on Justice and Healing for Inner-City Poor gives voice to the most vulnerable and disempowered population-the urban dying poor- and connects them to the voices of leaders in end-of-life-care. Chapters written by these experts in the field discuss the issues that challenge patients and their loved ones, as well as offering insights into how to improve the quality of their lives. In an illuminating and timely follow up to
Dancing with Broken Bones, all discussions revolve around the actual experiences of the patients previously documented, encouraging a greater understanding about the needs of the dying poor, advocating for them, and developing best practices in caring. Demystifying stereotypes that surround poverty, Moller
illuminates how faith, remarkable optimism, and an unassailable spirit provide strength and courage to the dying poor.Dying at the Margins serves as a rallying call for not only end-of-life professionals, but compassionate individuals everywhere, to understand and respond to the needs of the especially vulnerable, yet inspiring, people who comprise the world of the inner city dying poor.

Contents:

Preface: An Invitation to Witness (and Respond)
David Wendell Moller
Chapter 1: Strangers Among Us: Poverty, Race, and the End of Life
David Wendell Moller
Chapter 2: Across the Tracks: Milton - Reflections on a Grim Beginning
David Wendell Moller
Chapter 3: Notes from the Trenches: A Conversation with Cowboy and his Team
Terry Altilio
Chapter 4: Exploring the Experiences of Mr. J.W. Green: Injustice, Poverty, Mistreatment and Evil Surrounding Serious Illness and Death in Poor African-American People
Richard Payne
Chapter 5: Voices of the Patients: The Whites - Expressing Unimaginable Indignities
Christian T. Sinclair
Chapter 6: The Story of Annie - Gratitude and Faith
Betty R. Ferrell
Chapter 7: Life on the Brink: Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler
Robert Arnold
Chapter 8: The Life and Death of Lucille Angel from Primary Care, Chaplaincy, and Palliative Care Perspectives
Rachel Diamond, Rev. Robin Franklin, and Timothy Quill
Chapter 9: Dying Poor Needn't Mean Dying Poorly: Insights from a Safety-Net Hospital Palliative Care Program
Gregory P. Gramelspacher and Richard Gunderman
Chapter 10: Notes from the Trenches: On Social Injustice: Race, Class, and Health Disparity
F. Amos Bailey
Chapter 11: Notes from the Trenches: Living, Dying, and Caring at the Margins
Tammie E. Quest and Kimberly Curseen
Chapter 12: Reflections on an Urban Thoreau: A Peaceful Ending to the Life of Cowboy
David Wendell Moller
Chapter 13: Reflections on End-of-Life Care of the Urban Poor: Cowboy's Legacy
Shirley Otis-Green
Epilogue: A Call to Action - Caring at the Margins
Diane Meier and Stacie Sinclair
A Final Muse: On Solidarity with Those at the Margins
David Wendell Moller