Should patients be told they are dying? How do families react when one of their members is facing death? Who should reveal that death is imminent? How does hospital staff-doctors, nurses, and attendants-act toward the dying patient and his family?

"Awareness of Dying" gives us a language and tools of analysis for understanding who knows what about dying, under what circumstances, and what difference it makes. It has proven a useful handbook for chaplains, social workers, nurses, and doctors in confronting the many ethical and personal problems that arise in dying.