A Beginner's Guide to the End: How to Live Life and Face Death

by B.J. Miller

Next to birth, death is one of our most profound experiences – shouldn’t we talk about it, prepare for it, use what it can teach us about how to live?

Rebecca then turned back to her grandfather and asked, ‘Did you just hear what Grandma said?’

Those of you already living with chronic illness, such as heart failure or lung disease, may have heard many times that ‘this might be the end’ only to find that after a brief hospital stay or a course of some treatment, you’re back in action.

It turns out that there’s no evidence that being honest about a terminal condition destroys hope and plenty to suggest that it can bring patient and doctor closer.

Bear in mind that going for more aggressive treatments often means more time in the hospital. A strong desire to stay out of the hospital, or to die at home, is a good enough reason to say no thanks.

Experts may know more about your illness, but you know best who you are and how you want to live until you die.

Seneca, the revered Roman thinker, wrote two thousand years ago, ‘We mortals are . . . lighted and extinguished; the period of suffering comes in between, but on either side there is deep peace

You’re sharing something important that’s not easy to say or hear. You’ll often find that you – the sick one and ostensibly the one in need – end up being a teacher and nurturer.

Losing your independence is very, very difficult, especially if you pride yourself on self-reliance. Needing more and more help can be demoralizing to the point of despair. It’s

One man, who drove an ice cream truck for a living, insisted that a truck be parked at the funeral so grievers could enjoy a few scoops.

This is an alternative to medical aid in dying that involves making the choice to no longer take in food or liquid. Without food, a person’s body will die in about a month; without water, it’s hard to live much longer than a week or so.

You can report a death through the Tell Us Once service – this allows you to report a death to most government organizations in one go.