What if I Don’t Want a Funeral?

Q. When a family friend died last year, his family made it clear there wouldn’t be a traditional funeral service for him. At first I thought this was because of the pandemic, but now I’m not so sure. Instead, they held a … [Read more...]

Critter Corner: Why Would Someone Want to Preplan Their Funeral?

Dear Angel, My father told me yesterday that he is preplanning and prepaying for his funeral. I just listened as he spoke, but didn’t ask any questions. It was such a serious topic that I didn’t want to look disrespectful by … [Read more...]

Hospice is Not a Death Sentence: What Happens When Someone Graduates from Hospice?

U.S. Army veteran, Iwao Nagata, was under hospice care for a year. At 94, he couldn’t remember conversations, his legs started getting weak, and he started falling frequently. Things went downhill fast for Iwao. He was frustrated, … [Read more...]

How to Prepare for the Final Step: Words of Wisdom from an Optimistic Death Doula

Ruth McGill talks about death every day. She listens to her clients, all of whom are terminally ill, and helps them to decide where they might like to die – at home, in a hospice, or someplace else. She helps them to have … [Read more...]

Getting Loved Ones the End-of-life Care They Deserve

Q. My mother is in her 80’s and has been in the hospital several times this year with pneumonia and urinary tract infections and has been suffering with Parkinson’s for decades. There have been times when I’ve visited her and a … [Read more...]

Critter Corner: Virginia and Washington, DC Both Earn ‘A’ on National Palliative Care Report Card

Dear Magic, I recently read that the state of Virginia and Washington, DC both received an ‘A’ grade for their palliative care offerings. Can you explain the difference between palliative care, hospice care, and end-of-life … [Read more...]

Critter Corner: Many Hospice Workers Lack Their Own End-of-Life Directives

Dear Bebe, Hospice workers come into contact with people who are dying every day. I read recently that many of them don’t even have their own advance medical directives. Is this true? Seems like a no-brainer to me! Noah … [Read more...]

TED Talks: New Ways to Think About Death

Most people don't like to think about dying. We’d rather focus our energy on the people and the things we love, happy times, and things that bring us joy. But, as we all know, death is inevitable, and shouldn’t be ignored. Despite … [Read more...]

Overcoming the Fear of Death

Q. My mother always said that there are two topics to avoid in conversation, whenever possible: religion and politics. Unlike some of my Facebook friends and others I have known, I took this advice to heart and don’t have many … [Read more...]

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