Two weeks ago, I spoke to about twenty people at the regular weekly meeting of the Ethical Society of Austin (Texas). The topic was the seven choices available to a person who becomes afflicted with dementia. I began by asking what, for them, are the characteristics of a “good death.” In about ten minutes, the group offered ideas that suggest a “good death” is a viable option, with some universal characteristics, in spite of some voices to the contrary.
My wife and I had occasion to visit some old friends in California recently. We have known one member of the couple since 1962, when we started college together. We last saw them almost three years ago and have stayed in touch through email and phone calls. David has Parkinson’s Disease (PD), so we knew that we would likely find him in worse shape than the last time we saw him, when his main symptom was a slight tremor in his hands and a shuffling gait when he walked. Lois had given us reports that he was working on therapies to counter the effects of the Parkinson’s.
For the last several years of his wife Jackie’s fatal illness–Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD)–Lew Lorton was her caregiver and maintained a blog he titled “Just A Guy Muddling Through” about his experiences and thoughts. In this post, he explains some guidelines he developed to help himself through the experience.
When a young child in our life experiences the death of the beloved family pet or a grandparent who has always been there to spoil him/her, we want to give comfort and solace, but how do we do that without painting mythical pictures of angels floating on clouds with harp in hand? Becker’s book, “What happens When We Die?,” helps with that.
Seth Andrews–The Thinking Atheist–discusses death and end-of-life issues from his perspective.
A review of the new HBO documentary “Alternate Endings: Six New Ways to Die in America,” 67 minutes in length, which began airing on August 14.
Kathryn L. Tucker, the founder and director of the End of Life Liberty Project has concluded that physicians in North Carolina can provide assistance in dying (AID) to their mentally competent terminally ill patients who request it, subject to the prevailing standard of care, without risk of a viable criminal prosecution or medical practice disciplinary action.
This post describes the disease that killed Woody Guthrie–Huntington’s Disease–and provides the story of a man who struggled with the disease until he could bear it no longer.
Jim Van Buskirk relates a poignant experience that led to his joining the Final Exit Network.
You may not have heard of the Disability Integration Act of 2019, but it is worth the support of the Final Exit Network (FEN) and the individual support of all people who favor a self-controlled death
