Why Some Older Adults Contemplate ‘Rational Suicide’

Ten residents slipped away from their retirement community one Sunday afternoon for a covert meeting in a grocery store cafe. They aimed to answer a taboo question: When they feel they have lived long enough, how can they carry out their own swift and … Continue reading

How to Find the Right Words for Someone in Hospice

After spending 15 years researching the best ways to support people whose lives end in hospice, professor Elizabeth Bergman has advice for friends, neighbors, family members and co-workers who want to send them a final, poignant message: Mail cards, bu… Continue reading

The Nuance of Death With Dignity

(Editor’s note: This story is part of a special report for The John A. Hartford Foundation.) Death with dignity is a movement gaining steam. A June 2017 Gallup poll found that 73 percent of Americans supported medical aid in dying at a patient’s reques… Continue reading