Dying

The data are distressing, especially as they paint a portrait of older adults. As one of the leading causes of death in this country, suicide (harm to oneself with the intent to die) affects all age groups. In the year 2023 alone, close to 50,000 deaths- one every 11 minutes-…

As you may recall from previous years, April 16th has been declared National Healthcare Decisions Day. For those unfamiliar, this day is set aside to encourage us all to think about and document our wishes about medical treatments we would- or would not- want during a serious illness or at…

The evidence firmly exists that music plays an important role in almost everyone’s life, and for older adults, it can help support healthy brain aging and build cognitive reserve. We also have evidence of the therapeutic value of music in helping patients to recover from illness or to endure difficult…

It’s one of the sad rights of passage as you get older to experience loss. Whether it’s your parents, a spouse, another loved one, or a friend, few of us reach our later years without experiencing loss several times over. And just because you are exposed to loss doesn’t mean…

None of us leaves this world alive, and as Dame Cicely Saunders once said, “How people die remains in the memory of those who live on.” We are therefore fortunate to live in an era when the option of having a “death doula” has become more commonplace in helping individuals…

One year ago, President Jimmy Carter made the important decision to transfer to hospice care, rather than continue the cycle of intermittent acute-care hospitalizations that kept him away from home and apart from his dear wife Rosalynn. Not only was this a highly personal decision for him and his family,…