Thanks to Compassion In Dying for their thoughts on planning for death this week. “When planning for the end, consider your death, not just your funeral,” they advise…
When we think of planning for the end of our lives, what will often come to mind are funeral arrangements and ensuring your affairs are settled after you’ve gone. But what we often neglect to consider is the dying process itself – what healthcare and treatment we might receive and what our death will be like as a result.
Friend of Final Fling, Jimmy Stewart, is interested in achieving a good death. He became interested in knowing more about the rules and options around end of life after watching his mum die. He’s one of a growing band of us actively interested in managing our options.
Does a good death exist? Peg, a music teacher with cancer achieved a good death. She went home. Her ability to be at home, spend time with people she loved around her, pass on a book of music to Hunter, share a hug, say out loud: “you’re special”… that was a good death . Death – and a […]
The Conversation Project is a US based project to encourage people to think ahead, talk and share thoughts and plans for end of life.
The Council of Europe (EC) has published policy and practice guidelines for health and care professionals about medical treatment and end-of-life care. Aimed mostly at professionals, it’s of interest to patients (and anyone who might end up a patient one day).
If your heart stopped, would you want to be resuscitated? If you are not ill at the moment, this may not seem very relevant but if your beliefs or wishes mean this is really not OK for you, you should record this.
If you are receiving medical treatment, it helps if you take responsibility for what’s going on – ask questions, understand your options, make choices. The message is, it’s OK to ask.