“I’ve lived a wonderful life, but it must end sometime, and this is the right time for me. My decision is not about whether I’m going to die—we will all die sooner or later. My decision is about when and how. I don’t want to spoil the wonder of my life by dragging it out in decay… Help me … Read More
Let It Not Be a Secret
THERE ARE TIMES WHEN DYING GOES AS SMOOTHLY AS ONE COULD HOPE. It was this way for my friend, Margie. She would be delighted to know that her story was being told. I met Margie late in her life through a family friendship. She had the good fortune to afford living in an exclusive continuing care community on the … Read More
Initiating The Conversation – At Home and in Your Community
We Know How! – Here’s a Successful Model Want to learn to initiate The Conversation? Look no further than La Crosse, Wisconsin, and their nationally and internationally acclaimed program, Respecting Choices. Through the Gunderson Health System, a team led by Bernard “Bud” Hammes, PhD, and later joined by Linda Briggs, MS, MA, RN, set out to systematically organize a … Read More
Together We’re Transforming End of Life Care
A monumental transformation is occurring. In this country and across the globe, people increasingly have an alternative to withering in old age homes and dying in hospitals — and millions of them are seizing the opportunity. But this is an unsettled time. We’ve begun rejecting the institutionalized version of aging and death, but we’ve not yet established our new … Read More