Compare and Contrast 10 Cultural Death Rituals Essay

Compare and Contrast 10 Cultural Death Rituals - Essay Example They believe that death is an important aspect of culture especially the Bakongo people. African Americans believe that death is not a time of sadness but rejoicing because the dead person leaves the troubles and sufferings of the world and goes to a place full of happiness. This is important to healthcare provision because it helps care givers to prepare for a terminally ill patient without much difficulty and also make it easy for them to announce the death of a loved one to the people. They believe in life after death. When a person dies, he cannot be buried in a rainy day, should be buried facing east to allow him or her to rise at judgement day (Lobar, Youngblut & Brooten, 2006). White Americans believe that death is a natural ending of life caused by a variety of sources and also that there is life after death. Death rituals in this culture includes visitation where the body of a deceased is placed on coffin to allow for viewing, performance of a funeral (memorial service involving the clergy and a eulogy) and a burial service where the deceased is laid to rest. This affects healthcare delivery in the sense that when a person dies in the hospital, it becomes easier for nurses and other medical professionals to explain to the family members of the cause of death (Vaughn, Jacquez & Baker, 2009). Arab Americans have death rituals as well. They believe in life after death. First, they prefer to bury the body of the deceased the same day that the death occurs. However, before the body is buried, they wash the body and all its orifices. They do not allow organ donation after the death of their loved ones. These rituals have effects to healthcare provision. Washing the dead body could lead to numerous infections and further deaths in cases of communicable diseases. The refusal on organ donation makes it difficult for people to get organs when they need them and this negatively affects healthcare provision (Padela, Gunter