(Dr. Lonny Shavelson has been deeply interested in issues of end-of-life care for more than thirty years. He wrote the 1994 book “A Chosen Death” and was one of five authors of the 1997 proposed Guidelines for Physician-Hastened Death by the Bay Area Network of Ethics Committees. In 2016, when California’s End of Life Option Act legalized medical aid in dying, Dr. Shavelson founded Bay Area End of Life Options, a practice uniquely dedicated to terminally ill patients considering medical aid in dying. In August of 2020, Dr. Shavelson closed his medical practice to new patients and became chair ..read more

(Dr. Rachel Menzies is a clinical psychologist, research fellow, and the director of the Menzies Anxiety Centre, which she established to offer psychological treatment for death anxiety. Rachel has co-authored five books on the topic of existential issues, including “Mortals: How the Fear of Death Shaped Human Society”, and “Free Yourself from Death Anxiety: A CBT Self-Help Guide for a Fear of Death and Dying”.) ========================================================= Do you ever worry about your own death, feel that life is too short, or dread the day you will lose someone you care about? Yo ..read more

(Joe Musso is the Chair of Ashcraft & Gerel’s Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Litigation Department. He has devoted his entire career to holding nursing homes and assisted living facilities responsible for the abuse and neglect of the elderly.  He is the Chair of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Long Term Care Section and member of the Maryland Association of Justice Nursing Home Litigation Group, the American Association Of Justice Nursing Home Litigation Group and is a member of the National Consumer Voice, the leading advocacy organization for the protection of the institutionalized elder ..read more

(This article was first published on Debbie Moore-Black’s blog, Do Not Resuscitate, in 2022 and is used with permission. Debbie is an RN who has worked in the ICU for over 30 years. She created her blog to share nursing stories, offer ideas to improve care, discuss dilemmas facing patients and healthcare providers, provide a little humor, and offer opinions and insight on dying and dignity. Her stories are a composite of fiction and facts, based on the things she’s seen and experienced.) ============================================================= Granny Rachel, my husband’s mother ..read more

(Rev. Linda Bryce is an author, educator, end-of-life doula, and bedside singer who offers emotional and spiritual support to those navigating serious illness and approaching death. Linda’s early experiences with health care for seniors, and later at the bedside of her dying husband, have motivated her professional and end-of-life services.) ==================================================== Bluntly put, this is when you discover — or rather your friend discovers — just how good friends the two of you are. It’s easy when everything is bright and sunny and you’re having fun and getting around ..read more

(Rev. Linda Bryce is an author, educator, end-of-life doula, and bedside singer who offers emotional and spiritual support to those navigating serious illness and approaching death. Linda’s early experiences with health care for seniors, and later at the bedside of her dying husband, have motivated her professional and end-of-life services.) ==================================================== Bluntly put, this is when you discover — or rather your friend discovers — just how good friends the two of you are. It’s easy when everything is bright and sunny and you’re having fun and getting around ..read more

(Crystal Cannon Flores is a death doula and founder of The Grateful Death, specializing in Voluntary Suspend Eating and Drinking (VSED). Her mission is to disarm the fear surrounding death, and honor the process through educational workshops, mentorship, volunteering, retreats, creative expression classes, and doula care. Crystal studied at The Institute of Integrative Nutrition, trained with INELDA, and certified through Doulagivers. She offers in-person support in the Greater Seattle area and virtual support across the United States. Crystal is also very active with Final Exit Network with t ..read more

(Kayleigh Wright wrote this article as Staff Editor of the Kentucky Law Journal. It was first published in the Kentucky Law Journal and is used here with permission. Currently Kayleigh is a marketing manager with LeaderOne Financial. Editor’s note: physician aid in dying or medical aid in dying are the more commonly used terms for “physician-assisted suicide” used in this article.) ============================================== As a society, we deem healthcare decisions as some of the most private and personal information one has. We accept that it is up to the discretion of the individual and ..read more

(Joy Johnston writes about dementia and caregiving on her award-winning blog, The Memories Project. This article, used with permission, appeared first at https://theconversationproject.org/tcp-blog/a-good-death-is-more-about-the-journey-than-the-destination/) ================================================== People think I’m being overly critical when I refer to myself as a reluctant caregiver, but reluctance is the correct term when describing my family’s perspective on mortality. My father had escaped death at least twice and his previous brushes with the Grim Reaper left him with a de ..read more

(Martha Calihan is a Board-Certified Integrative and Holistic Medicine Physician, and a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner. A practicing physician for over 30 years, she has helped many patients and families through the process of preparing to say goodbye to a loved one. She is the author of the book, “A Death Lived“.) ======================================== “Don’t let the patient die.” The spoken and unspoken mantra in medical training. It’s us against death; keep going to the bitter end. There is one more thing to try, one last thing to do. We can, but should we? This became the que ..read more