Live your best to life’s end.
There’s still lots of life to live–whatever health and medical decisions that may be ahead. For many, feeling ‘alive’ right to the end means feeling useful for as long as possible. For others, it’s peace of mind that brings a peaceful end. For most, it’s feeling wanted, valued, respected and listened-to that are all-important. The pleasures of everyday life can be just as meaningful: what makes you smile, what brings you happiness and joy and what gives you comfort.
It’s often that small stuff that can make a big difference: There are creative ways to accomplish what may seem out of reach – like the man on the rock who may not be able to be physically near an ocean, but may be able to turn to technology to inspire a solution. Paying attention to small pleasures shifts the focus from ‘what I don’t want at life’s end’ to ‘what will make a positive difference to me at life’s end.’ It’s an approach with its own reward: helping someone have the best end can help everyone involved.
Need Inspiration?
How would you fill in the blank? Check out whiteboards and 60-second BestEndings videos: instagram @MyBestEndings
Need Information?
It can be a long road to learning about and planning for the best end-of-life experience. There’s lots to consider and emotions to tackle. Pick your own starting points: personal or medical decisions or specific topics. You can come back for more and then document your end of life wishes
Caring for aging parents: Chronic illness
Heart and kidney failure, frailty, Alzheimer’s, Lung Disease, Diabetes
Palliative Comfort Care and Quality of Life
The Palliative and Hospice approach: comfort and quality of life is what it’s all about
Understanding Medical Terms and Jargon
Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation: CPR, Do Not Resuscitate: DNR, Allow Natural Death: A.N.D
Traditions, Culture and Being Remembered
Time honored customs can help at life’s end, ways to keep memories alive.
Modern Medicine can keep you alive
End of life: grief and bereavement
Knowing what End of Life looks like can ease the process; often grief starts long before the end.
Decision-Makers: Consent and Conflict
Surrogate, Substitute, Agent, Proxy: who will make sure your end of life wishes are followed.
Advance Directives, Living Will, End of Life Wishes
Create your own end of life, Advance Directives Living Will with an interactive form
Coalition for Compassionate Care Summit with ePatients
ePatients: Engaged and Empowered and Invited The Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (CCCC) promotes high-quality, compassionate care for everyone who is seriously ill or nearing the end of life. What a human-centered, patient-centered goal. And now,...
Advance Care Planning: Women’s College Hospital and Kathy Kastner
National Advance Care Planning Day sees Women's College Hospital as leaders: bringing the first consumer-created End-of-Life website to Family Doctors. TORONTO APRIL 16...Women's College Hospital (WCH) is the first to embark on a project with Family Doctors and...
High Risk Surgery: Best Case, Worst Case
Decision tool to help understand chances of dying after high risk surgery “People worry about ‘dying poorly’, so one of the reasons for agreeing to surgery is the mistaken belief they’ll likely die - peacefully - in the Operating Room. This rarely happens.” Dr...
Dialysis
May be used for temporary or permanent loss of kidney function Dialysis is a life-sustaining treatment, but it is important to recognize that dialysis also has limitations. It may not be of benefit to prolong life with dialysis if quality of life suffers dramatically....
Intraveinous (IV)
An IV is used to get fluids and medications intraveinously, which means via the veins. More info: http://wiki.answers.com...
Intubation
A tube is placed into the windpipe (trachea), through the mouth, and you will likely be placed on a breathing machine. More info: nlm.nih.gov...
Doctor learns from his mother: the patient
Health care professionals see healthcare differently when it gets personal Dr. David Lee Scher has 25 years of clinical medical experience as cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist, hospital department administrator, clinical trial investigator, Chair of the...
TEDxYorkU: speaking about BestEndings
Exit Laughing: my 12-minute TEDxYorkU talk (Woot!) This TEDtalk is an Ode to End of Life tweeters. I wanted a slide chock full of the tweeps I learn from, admire and look to for their hearts, minds, spirit and sense of humour. Alas this was not to be.
BestEndings Readers Comment
Comments from BestEndings readers I so appreciate knowing what my readers think! I applaud your frame of mind now and urge you to embrace your quest. As a. 58 yo woman whose mom died about 18 months ago, I wish she had had the courage to plan more. She'd always said...