(DOWNLOAD) "Social Workers' Final Act of Service: Respectful Burial Arrangements for Indigent, Unclaimed, And Unidentified People." by Social Work # eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free

eBook details

Title: Social Workers' Final Act of Service: Respectful Burial Arrangements for Indigent, Unclaimed, And Unidentified People.
Author : Social Work
Release Date : January 01, 2007
Genre: Social Science,Books,Nonfiction,
Pages : * pages
Size : 221 KB

Description

Although little discussed in the professional literature, social workers have long been involved in identifying resources and making final arrangements for clients who die without an estate or heirs to assume economic responsibility; who may have been institutionalized; who are unknown to the community; or whose body may be unclaimed for burial. This task can be demanding, if only because social workers must often locate resources quickly if they are to prevent a client from being buried with no ceremony of interment and frequently in an unmarked grave or in a grave marked only by a number in ground set aside for the burial of indigents--a "potter's field." A person's respectful final disposition is important for the living, for the deceased, and, it may be argued, for the health of the larger society. Knowledge that respectful final arrangements have been made may offer psychological comfort to a client at the end of life, help a grieving family and friends during a time of sorrow and remembrance, and also mark the community's recognition of and respect for our common humanity. This article highlights the challenges faced by many social workers as they attempt to prevent undignified burials when requested to make final arrangements for terminally ill or deceased people, especially those who are indigent, unclaimed, or unknown. ("Burial" here refers to any form of final disposition: interment burial at sea, cremation, and so forth; "indigent" is a legal term often used in reference to people whose estates lack the resources to pay for final arrangements independently.)