“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.”
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.
Given the fact of our mortality, whether we want it or not, aren’t we all members of a Date with Death Club?
Consumers should shop prudently for their funeral – just as they should for a car, a home, an appliance, or any other service.
A friend’s .357 “solution” reinforced his decision to learn from right-to-die groups.
How we die is in direct relationship to how we have lived.
“Sleep deprivation amplified every emotion and wore me down quickly,” she said. She was exhausted, angry, and felt guilty. She was “flying blind” to be the surrogate as Betty neared death – and she was a trained, experienced hospice RN. What does that say about your chance of being an effective surrogate?
As discussed in Part 2, the SPIKES framework is useful to explore the family’s understanding of their loved one’s illness and to share information about medical condition and prognosis. When the purpose of a family meeting is to discuss goals of care, it may be useful to “unpack” care goals using the REMAP framework.
