End of Life

No one indeed escapes death, yet how you die can be an extraordinarily personal experience. And those personal thoughts and choices as to what can happen appear to be having a moment, as even celebrities are now not only discussing their thoughts about death but are in fact choosing to…

Every year, April 16 marks the occasion for National Healthcare Decisions Day, a recognition of the importance of thinking about your end-of-life care decisions, documenting them on state-approved forms, and sharing your wishes with loved ones and health care providers, to ensure that your wishes are known and respected regarding…

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…

Survey results of Americans have remained consistent over many years. In August of 2024, the Gallup Organization reported that just over 7 out of every 10 Americans believe that doctors “should be allowed by law to end the patient’s life by some painless means if the patient and his or…

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,…