Lessons in How – and How Not To Die
This story, about one woman’s experience of both best and worst at life’s end, is being told for the dual messages it brings. (Continue reading ...)
When Truth Meets Compassion: The Permission Conversation That Changes Everything
"In less than 10 minutes, the air in the room felt lighter – not because the situation changed, but because truth, spoken with tenderness, created space for autonomy, comfort, and connection." -- Cathy Yuhas (Continue reading ...)
Airlines’ Policy is to Ignore Your Do Not Resuscitate (DNR)
"I interviewed a retired airline pilot about the issue. He confirmed that the captain and crew have ultimate authority and that CPR use is the protocol that overrides a DNR." -- Althea Halchuck (Continue reading ...)
Death Literacy Among Healthcare Professionals Is Dismal — Greater Education Is The Need Of The Hour
"One of our team nurses shared that her only training on caring for the dying involved a lecture from a funeral home manager." (Continue reading ...)
The Old Man’s Friend: Refuse Antibiotics To Achieve A Peaceful Death
"The legal method I suggest most for a dignified and peaceful death is to stop all treatments, especially antibiotics." (Continue reading ...)
How Not To Die In The E.R.
"There should be a JLMA form: Just Leave Me Alone, for those of us who concede that we’re actually going to die some day and work to keep our end-times as inexpensive and comfortable as possible." (Continue reading ...)
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 ...)
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 ...)
Organized Medicine Wants to Control Your Death. Acquiesce – or Exercise Your Autonomy.
Managing dying and death is difficult enough. But if you do nothing, you’ll be a pawn in a profit-driven medical system. (Continue reading ...)
What Ways Can You Die When You’ve Had Enough of Life?
When you believe it’s time to go, what options do you really have? There are more than you you think, without having to resort to a violent ending. (Continue reading ...)