In this manuscript there is a conceptual review of thanatology and the new paradigms that place the professional in the possibility of working on the grief that arises from a medical diagnosis, as well as the role of the family in the quality of life and the well being of dying.Chapter 1 provides the theoretical-historical background on the knowledge and management of loss, summarizing the evolution of the look from death to life and life to death, preparing the reader for this circular vision that enables him/her to intervene. Chapter 2 shows the role of the family in the patient's life and the repositioning of the family in the face of illness and death, allowing the recognition from the moment of diagnosis of the need for thanatological assistance required by the family system, which includes the patient. Chapter 3 closes with a review of the old paradigms with their corresponding derivations for thanatological work, as well as a proposal for intervention from the new paradigms in thanatology.