We Deserve More Than a ‘Good Death’

(Editor’s note: This content is provided by The John A. Hartford Foundation, a Next Avenue sponsor.) If you are facing serious illness today or want to prepare for your own, or a loved one’s, illness in the future, you can tell your nurse, doctor and f… 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

Living Life With the End in Mind

(Editor’s note: This story is part of a special report for The John A. Hartford Foundation.) Cathy Wurzer made a dying man a promise. Through interviews with Bruce Kramer (a former dean at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.) beginning in 2… Continue reading

How Realistic Is Dying at Home?

(Editor’s note: This story is part of a special report for The John A. Hartford Foundation.) On Jan. 29, 2014, David C. Skipworth died in Garland, Texas at age 67 after a long illness, holding his wife Sandra’s hand and listening to the National Anthem… Continue reading

How to Choose Hospice Care

(Editor’s note: This story is part of a special report for The John A. Hartford Foundation.) Making the decision to transition your loved one to hospice care (for people whose medical conditions mean they are expected to die within six months) is a tim… Continue reading

End-of-Life Conversations Can Bring You and Loved Ones Closer

(Editor’s note: This story is part of a special report for The John A. Hartford Foundation.) Before his mother, Dee Dee, died from emphysema in 2009, Larry Sernovitz spent a lot of time at her bedside, keeping her company. Toward the last few days of D… Continue reading

What to Consider When Selecting New Tech for an Aging Loved One

(Editor’s note: This content is provided by LifeShare Technologies, a Next Avenue sponsor.) Much is written about retiring baby boomers and the technology available to help this group age and thrive in their preferred settings. But what about the boome… Continue reading

How California Is Changing Palliative Care

(Editor’s note: This story is part of a special report for The John A. Hartford Foundation.) In January, California became the first state to mandate home-based palliative care (care given to improve quality of life for patients with life-threatening d… Continue reading

What Hospice Does and Doesn’t Do

(Editor’s note: This story is part of a special report for The John A. Hartford Foundation.) More than once in my life, I wish I knew more about hospice care, which is a sustained focus on quality-of-life near the end of a journey. A deeper working kno… Continue reading

One Doctor’s Plea: Consider Palliative Care

(Editor’s note: This content is provided by The John A. Hartford Foundation, a Next Avenue sponsor.) For some people facing a terminal illness or the end of life, transitioning to palliative care (care given to improve quality of life for patients with… Continue reading