Dying With Ease

My “bookshelf of dying” continues to grow. The latest addition is Dr. Jeff Spiess’s Dying with Ease. As the subtitle explains, it’s “A Compassionate Guide for Making Wiser End-of-Life Decisions”. The Introduction further illuminates how Dr. Spiess seeks to render the idea of our personal demise “more familiar and less frightening”. This he does, using two approaches: information and contemplation. The early chapters of Dying with Ease build on Dr. Spiess’s experience as a former oncologist and hospice medical director to provide detailed practical information on how we die and what we can do to improve our chances of a good death. As a hospice advocate and volunteer, I found the Hospice chapter particularly informative. Later chapters are more personal and contemplative. The chapters, “What Does It Feel Like To Die?” and “Envisioning Your Own Death” are must reads. I encourage everyone to undertake the guided exercise Dr. Spiess lays out in “What Does It Feel Like To Die?” It’s gut-wrenching, but well worth it.

I read Dying with Ease cover-to-cover. However, one can easily dip into the book seeking specific information or only reading chapters of particular interest. Whatever one’s approach, you should come away better equipped for a GoodEnding.