Advance Directives – Page 4 – The Good Death Society Blog

September 3, 2023October 23, 2023

‘Til Death Do Us Part!

Death. Mortality. End of Life. Something inevitable, yet rarely discussed and a source of intense discomfort for most. When mentioned, it is considered inauspicious and rude in many cultures. Death is an integral part of the workday for a Critical Care Physician like me. But it was never a topic of discussion in Medical School or training. (Continue reading ...)

May 21, 2023May 20, 2023

Voluntary Assisted Dying Legislation Should Respect Human Rights

With the assistance of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies and Exit International, I surveyed voluntary assisted dying (VAD) advocates and supporters around the world to inject some much-needed data and objectivity into the VAD debate. (Continue reading ...)

April 9, 2023April 6, 2023

End-Of-Life Conversations Can Be Hard, But Your Loved Ones Will Thank You

End-of-life conversations can ease suffering for families, not just patients. You can start these conversations simply, like saying, “I need to think about the future. Can you help me?” (Continue reading ...)

March 19, 2023March 15, 2023

You’re Suing Me BECAUSE I Kept Your Husband Alive?

“They made the end of his life horrible and painful and humiliating,” Elaine Greenberg said. “What’s the sense of having a living will if it’s not honored?” (Continue reading ...)

February 12, 2023February 14, 2023

The “Good” Death

A "good" death is one in which you exert maximum autonomy over your end-of-life journey. Here are some checklists for what needs to be done. (Continue reading ...)

January 8, 2023January 11, 2023

Times to Have “The Conversation”

“The rest is up to you,” he finally said, ending the conversation for good. He didn’t have any more guidance, and certainly no more patience to talk about it. I was surprised. To me, it felt slightly irresponsible to leave all these decisions to other people. (Continue reading ...)

November 6, 2022November 3, 2022

The Ways Inequality Affects Black Americans at the End of Life

"It's no secret that wage gaps, discrimination and institutional racism limit Black Americans' access to health equity. However, what's discussed a lot less frequently is that these factors impact the way this group experiences death, too." (Continue reading ...)

October 23, 2022October 19, 2022

Growing Towards VSED

In 2019, three community women asked to meet with me about a compelling community education concern. The spouses of these women had all struggled to use the VSED end-of-life option because our county’s only hospital, and associated hospice program, had religious affiliations and, therefore, was unable to support VSED. (Continue reading ...)

September 11, 2022September 7, 2022