Douglas Renfield-Miller
Conversations Trump Forms

I recently tuned into Mettle Health’s online discussion “Advance Care Planning: Conversations and Documents”. Mettle Health, led by physician and author B.J. Miller, provides online palliative and holistic care. I highly recommend you check them out. B.J. was in discussion with UCSF geriatrician and palliative medicine physician Rebecca Sudore who has created a valuable Advanced Care Planning (ACP) resource at PREPARE For Your Care.

Douglas Renfield-Miller
The Lost Art of Dying

I have an entire bookshelf dedicated to books about dying and how to die well. Most of the books address themselves to the physical aspects of dying - practical advice to navigating the last stages of life. The Lost Art of Dying has some of this, but its primary focus is how to prepare oneself mentally for death. Columbia University physician and professor L. S. Dugdale has written a new ars moriendi - art of dying - reinterpreting a medieval text she discovered that guides one in preparing for a good death. The Lost Art of Dying encourages the contemplation of human finitude, no matter what one’s age, and provides valuable guidance for anyone seeking an eventual GoodEnding.

Douglas Renfield-Miller
Advice for Future Corpses

Just finished Sallie Tisdale’s, Advice for Future Corpses (And Those Who Love Them). Perhaps not beach material, but well worth reading.  As Paul Sehgal wrote in his NYT review, “…in its loving, fierce specificity, this book on how to die is also a blessedly saccharine-free guide for how to live.” Ms. Tisdale writes, “Birth and death are the only human acts we cannot practice”. Yet, after reading, “Advice for Future Corpses”, one should be much better prepared.

Douglas Renfield-Miller
The Importance of Having a Will: Just Do It!

64 percent of the general 18-and-over population in the US did not have a will in 2016, according to Rocket Lawyer. Wills are especially important for younger people and those in close relationships but not legally married. Younger people stand a higher risk of accident and being incapacitated and not able to convey treatment or end-of-life wishes. Partners, not legally married may inherit nothing and have to move should their loved one die without a will. Without a health care proxy or advanced directive, a partner will generally have no say in the medical treatment of a loved one. 

Douglas Renfield-Miller
How Doctors Die

Good article in today's Harvard Gazette documenting fact that physicians are less likely than the general population to undergo intense end-of-life treatments. Goal is a good ending.

iPhone Medical ID could save your life

Apple has done a poor job of publicizing the Medical ID that's pre-installed on all iPhones with OS 8 or higher.  It's part of the app with the white square containing a red heart. App allows one to designate emergency contacts, list allergies and medications and even the URL to your MyDirectives, all accessible in an emergency even if your phone is locked. Activate it now! 

"The transience of life is the engine of its meaning."

Love this quote from Andrew Solomon's wonderful review of five books related to dying in today's  New York Times Book Review (Life is for the Dying). Also struck by Solomon's quote from Ann Neumann's The Good Death: "There is no good death....But there is a good enough death". Death is assured, but thought and planning can increase the chances of a Good Ending.

Is It Better to Die in America or in England?

Interesting NYT Op-Ed by Ezekiel J. Emanuel and Justin E. Bekelman. Findings regarding cost of end-of-life care and percentage of cancer patients dying at home a bit surprising but not their belief that “…the next step needs to be empowering patients to make realistic choices that are consistent with their hopes for how they want to live near the end of life and where they want to die.”