This is not a conversation that should be reserved for our elderly grandparents. Regardless of age, everybody should be thinking about it, because we all have ideas about what makes our lives meaningful and, conversely, about the kind of situation in which we would never want to find ourselves. If we don t discuss the end of life, we won t be prepared to handle those situations when the unexpected happens. That really requires ongoing conversation, starting with conversation around the dinner table and including making a point of discussing concerns about end of life with your health care provider during regular visits. Many people who haven t talked about what would be important to them when they die may end up dying alone in a critical care unit engulfed by technology when they really would have preferred to have die surrounded by their families and loved ones in a much different setting.
Death is a tough topic.
People tend to shy away from bringing up the whole idea of death, but many people are thinking about it. Just putting the topic on the table gives people the opportunity to create a foundation, so when someone does become ill, loved ones and health care providers have all sorts of information with which to proceed caring for that person. Last Acts is a national coalition to improve care and caring at the end of life.