End of Life Dilemmas Archives - Page 2 of 7 - Aging, caregiving and the journey through the second half of life

A Doctor’s View of Helping Terminally Ill Patients End Their Lives

September 23, 2017

Cure sometimes, treat often, comfort always…Hippocratic Oath Five things stood out for me in this powerful article by Dr. Catherine Sonquist Forest, a family physician in Santa Cruz, California: Most people who request “aid-in-dying medication” do not use it. Fewer…

Do Not Hospitalize Order

July 15, 2017

The Final Act of Control? As our society rewrites the generational narrative about old age, it’s not surprising that the vast majority of us do not want to be shipped to a hospital to die. This article by Ann Brenaoff…

How To Communicate Tough Choices To Aging Parents

June 19, 2017

At some point in the lives of our aging parents things slip out of control. It may be a subtle change over time that finally becomes unmanageable or the sudden arrival of a medical setback. As much as we want…

What do you do when aging in place isn’t working out for aging parents?

April 12, 2017

I was recently asked this question by a professional in the senior living industry. Here is what I said: While the need for control is a consumptive task for aging parents in the final phase of life, it doesn’t necessarily…

Death Is Not The Biggest Problem

March 26, 2017

In her article Silicon Valley Would Rather Cure Death Than Make Life Worth Living Emily Dreyfuss takes technology’s oligarchs to task over their collective crusade to “cure death.” Not that curing death is a bad thing, but as Dreyfuss points…

End of Life Medical Quicksand

March 22, 2017

We all know someone with a family member who has fallen into end of life medical quicksand and suffered an excruciating outcome. In his article I Know You Love Me–Now Let Me Die Dr. Louis Dr. Profeta, an ER physician,…

Higher Levels of Depression in Married Caregivers

February 18, 2017

“We also found that caregivers who are married and caring for a family member with a diagnosis other than cancer, such as Alzheimer’s disease, had higher levels of depression,” says Debra Parker-Oliver, professor of family and community medicine at the…

Augmented Eternity: Ready or Not

January 29, 2017

Read this amazing and disturbing article by Adrienne Matei that is published in “Quartz” entitled Beyond The Grave Technology is rewriting yet another chapter in the book on death. In addition to forestalling physical death with machines that can breath…

A New Set Design for Nursing Homes

January 22, 2017

This is a fascinating innovation in the physical design of a nursing home. Forget the clinical model of mini-hospitals and consider bringing the outside inside with a neighborhood look and feel. How comforting to have a front porch with your…

Aging Parents Dance Cards

December 2, 2016

Introducing “Aging Parents Dance Cards,” which were created for adult children of aging parents. The photos below are from the front and back side of one of the cards in the twenty-card set entitled “Reset Expectations.” Each card offers a…