Palliative and End-of-Life Care for Prisoners

The Importance of Inmate Services

The article discusses how inmates commit their time to serve their counterparts, particularly those suffering from terminal illnesses. Some of the services offered by inmates include HIV/AIDS and Alzheimer care, cancer care, and other social services (Jaouad). Besides, these prisoners provide pastoral services necessary for the spiritual nourishment of other offenders. To qualify for the hospice job, an individual has to accept to undergo a series of medical examinations and drug tests (Jaouad). The article shows that hospice workers give end-of-life training and care, which enhance their reentry into society.

Confirmation from Previous Research

Previous research coincides with most of the information in the article regarding the necessity of palliative care and end of life services to older prisoners. Jaouad has used various approaches to establish his credibility as a researcher. She also uses logos to appeal to the readers’ feelings and emotions by explicitly discussing the experiences of prisoners and show the necessity of the hospice services. The author has also used pathos by using emotionally charged words while describing prisoners like Kevin Lyman’s skinny frame. The article also uses tangible evidence to confirm its authenticity by providing irrefutable facts and statistics such as the number of prisoners and other figures about the trends in prison enrollment.

Palliative and End-of-Life Care for Prisoners

In my opinion, the prisoners require palliative and end-of-life care services, particularly the elderly to help them adapt to old age diseases and challenges. The facilities would assist the inmates to adapt to their psychological, social, physical, and spiritual needs. Furthermore, they promote the early identification of these disorders, prevention, and treatment. In addition, this type of care allows families of the inmates to come to terms with the challenges facing their loved ones. Consequently, it enables patients and their families to prepare for the possible death of the aged offenders.

Works Cited

Jaouad, Suleika. “The Prisoners who Care for the Dying get Another Chance at Life.” The New York Times, 16 May 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/16/magazine/health-issue-convicted-prisoners-becoming-caregivers.html?fbclid=IwAR3_bYcAbi9ziV7YAaj10TI07Yp7N2Ndf5d3Ejgs_Ep2UnpChg2qprSghn0. Accessed 7 Nov. 2018