Discussing death with loved ones can be both a sad and morbid topic, though it is important because far too many people are not prepared for the process of dying. In this column, Ellen Goodman discusses her own experiences dealing with the death of her father and then her mother decades later. She pointed out how she was unprepared for the stress of being bombarded with decisions that she had to make for her mother who had diminished capacity. Goodman started the ‘Conversation Project’ with a small group of people in order to help improve end-of-life care and get people comfortable about discussing these difficult issues. Her hope is to transform the cultural norm about not wanting to talk about the end of life issues that loved ones will face.
See Ellen Goodman, How to Talk About Dying, The New York Times, July 1, 2015.
Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse for bringing this article to my attention.
