Funeral Planning

May 01

2

40 States Do Not Allow Medical Aid in Dying – Mine Is One

By Clyde Morgan | Advance Directives, Assisted Suicide, Choice, Death With Dignity, Dementia, Dying, End-of-life care, Euthanasia, Final Exit Network, Funeral Planning, Healthcare Power of Attorney, Hospice, Medical Aid in Dying, PAD, Paliative Care, Right-to-Die Laws, Suffering and Death, Surrogate, The Right to Die, VSED | 8 Comments

A friend’s .357 “solution” reinforced his decision to learn from right-to-die groups.

Apr 17

0

Getting Comfortable with the ‘D’ Word

By Sharon Dickol | Advance Directives, Death, Dementia, Disability, Dying, End-of-life care, Funeral Planning, Grief, Healthcare Power of Attorney, Healthcare Proxy, Hospice, Medical Aid in Dying, Mental Illness, Suffering and Death, Surrogate, The Five Wishes, The Right to Die, Wills | No Comments

Talking about death doesn’t make it happen sooner.

Apr 10

0

My Brother’s Keeper – Part Two

By Kevin Bradley | Advance Directives, COVID-19, Dementia, Disability, DNR, Dying, End-of-life care, Final Exit Network, Funeral Planning, Grief, Healthcare Power of Attorney, Healthcare Proxy, Mental Illness, Suffering and Death, Surrogate, The Right to Die | 4 Comments

Suffering after death — the family’s burden.

Mar 27

0

Good Death: Oxymoron or Possibility?

By Deborah Golden Alecson | Advance Directives, Dying, End-of-life care, Funeral Planning, Hospice | 5 Comments

How we die is in direct relationship to how we have lived.

Jul 25

2

Surrogate Challenges Can Overwhelm Even An Experienced Hospice RN

By Helen Bauer | Advance Directives, Dementia, Disability, Dying, End-of-life care, Funeral Planning, Grief, Mental Illness, Surrogate | 2 Comments

“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?

Jun 27

5

Improving End-of-Life Family Meetings Part 3

By David Gruenewald | Advance Directives, Choice, Dying, End-of-life care, Funeral Planning, Suffering and Death, Surrogate | One Comment

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.

Jun 20

3

Improving End-of-Life Family Meetings Part 2

By David Gruenewald | Advance Directives, Choice, Dying, End-of-life care, Funeral Planning, Suffering and Death, Surrogate | 2 Comments

Just as for any medical procedure, conducting a meeting with families of seriously ill patients requires training and practice. Practitioners must develop skills in structuring serious-illness conversations and responding with empathy in emotionally fraught situations.

Jun 13

10

Improving Family End-of-Life Discussions Part 1

By David Gruenewald | Advance Directives, Choice, Dying, End-of-life care, Funeral Planning, Suffering and Death, Surrogate | 4 Comments

Timely, well-conducted conversations about goals of care in serious illness are associated with improved outcomes, including care aligned with the ill person’s values, less unwanted (and often expensive) care, improved satisfaction with care, and fewer mental health consequences for patients and families.

May 16

4