Abstract · The paradigm shift of the last century regarding the place of death, the process of dying, and the attitudes of the relatives, has necessarily brought a change, and as a result we understand more and more the spiritual world of the dying and their relatives as they accompany those dying. This is reflected in the development of the hospice spirit and thanatology as an interdisciplinary discipline. Through the examination of the medieval Ars Moriendi Boards, we conclude that the struggle and sedation of the dying person in those days are similar to the dying models described today. The characteristics of dying are part of the human psyche independent of the era. With the presentation of the Ars Moriendi Boards, our aim was to enrich our knowledge about the spiritual world of the dying and to become capable of accompanying the dying and their relatives spiritually.

Abstract · The epidemic of chronic illness in society completely changes how health care systems deliver services and this has considerable implications for social workers (Auslander & Freedenthal, 2006). Patients and caregivers living with the grief, and loss associated with chronic illness, rely on health care social workers for biopsychosocial support.

The consequences for social work education include the need to teach and learn about the bereavement issues associated with a chronic illness diagnosis. Professional practice requires familiarity with the psychosocial issues related to chronic illnesses and preparation to interact with patients, families, caregivers, and the health care team. Being informed about chronic illnesses calls for social workers to know as much about a chronic condition as the well-informed patient living with the diagnosis and to recognize how biological changes influence psychological and social changes.

Abstract · This study aims to answer the questions, which are truly universal: what is death, what does the possibility of our own death mean, and what kind of attitude can we develop to these questions? In pursuit of answers we can look through philosophy’s or psychology’s spectacles, where we find other, different but equally serious, aspects.

First we analyze the legitimacy of questioning (e.g., what is death?). Then we present stories about the genesis of death, which have developed in different cultures in order to answer one of the greatest questions. The study examines furthermore the individual’s reaction to transience, in the shape of the fear of dying.

In total the study illuminates the fact that life and death are inseparable entities, because if somebody is concerned about the issue of death, they will actually think about life.