THE COMMUNICATION OF THE CONTEMPORARY MEANING OF A “GOOD” DEATH IN THAILAND

Abstract

People gave previous meanings to death in one form or another. The current communication process has been modified; "reconstruction" created a new meaning. What kind of new death is it and how is it perceived.? The objective is to study the meaning, the communication process and the perception of a "good death", a peaceful death. This qualitative study was performed by researching documents and data collected from in-depth interviews including an analysis of relevant documents in print and electronic media. The study has revealed a new meaning, the communication process and the perception of a "good death", a peaceful death.

The study found that the meaning of death varied according to the nature and time of the era. In the past, death was linked to religion. Later, it was influenced by scientific paradigms, and modern medicine has increasingly taken over the management of death. At the same time in society there has been an alternative trend that came to help create a new definition of death. By relying on interdisciplinary fields such as religion, medicine, law, etc., the integration of multiple disciplines has become involved in the management of death, opening a new dimension of death in a friendly and interesting perspective.

There are 5 criteria in constructing the new meaning of a "good" death, a peaceful death; 1) "good" death conditions 2) who is the good deceased 3) causes and effects of a "good" death 4) approaches to a "good" death 5) death management style.

The Peaceful Death Group has a process of communicating and creating a new meaning of "death" for easier understanding by producing tools and organizing learning activities about life and death, easily accessible for those interested. These are distributed through many channels, both online and on-site by communicating to the target group before illness and to the group of people who have influence on the decision to take care of family members.

Awareness of a "good" death, a peaceful death, has contributed to changes in thinking or behaviors related to peacefully facing death. After the perception of a "good" death, the sample group gained knowledge that resulted in a positive attitude towards acceptance when the last moment came, including a good attitude towards a peaceful death. This is a modification of the software or way of thinking. The demolishing of this way of thinking made the sample group look at death both for themselves and their relatives with new eyes. This resulted in a practice that can be applied in a personal way, behaving positively in relationships with relatives and family. It has made it possible to change their understanding of death.

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