The article explores the complexities and contradictions in the concept of a “good death,” questioning the reliance on medication and the preconceived ideals, urging a flexible, adaptive approach to end-of-life care.
In Part 1 of this post, Michele Bograd explores the concept of the “good death,” highlighting the influence of personal beliefs, social privilege, and structural inequalities in shaping end-of-life experiences as an end-of-life doula.
“The individual who has received the diagnosis has entered the experience of the last days of their life, and that is a daunting task. Fortunately, an ancient profession has become new again.”
“Many agencies, home health providers, churches, and physicians are reluctant to recommend services that address end of life issues. It is sad and confusing why anyone would not give their friends, clients, or customers the guidance and comfort that trained professionals can offer.”
“To be ‘death positive’ doesn’t mean that you are happy about dying.”
“After a two-hour appointment in which my mother was assessed and then diagnosed with dementia … my stepfather announced, “OK! So there’s nothing wrong with her!”
“Your mother didn’t choose a terminal illness. She only chose not to let the disease pick when and how she would die.”
“We live in a culture that’s intensely driven by productivity, accomplishments, and academic achievements. In doing this, we’ve forgotten about our wise ones, the storytellers, the original wisdom keepers, the Elders.”
“No one is born into this world alone, and in the best of circumstances, no one dies alone. With people living longer than ever before, however, outliving family and friends is a modern-day reality.”
On Saturday, February 18, 2023, when the Carter Center announced that former President Jimmy Carter would be receiving hospice care at home, I was both saddened by what this decision essentially means for the former president, and intrigued by the possibility of having broader discussions about hospice and, more specifically, end-of-life doulas.
