| Synopsis We all know someone who has died of a slow illness like breast cancer, Alzheimer's disease or organ failure. Because dying in America today is such an isolating experience, though, few of us know that our ordeal was part of a national trend. Our experiences were similar to those of thousands of other Americans: •when we saw people in agony waiting for tardy pain medication, •when we witnessed loved ones being treated with indifference or neglect, •when we saw families bankrupt themselves on high-tech health expenses, •when we watched people undergo pointless tests and futile medical interventions. Unlike past generations, when most people died of sudden causes like heart attacks and strokes, today they succumb to slow, incremental illnesses. Now people have an opportunity to shape the final chapter of their lives - deciding how much medical care they want to receive, making financial and spiritual preparations, gathering loved ones near. But we all know from experience how rarely that kind of dignified end occurs. The health system simply has not evolved to reflect how dying has changed. Based on hundreds of scientific research papers and more than 200 interviews, Last Rights tells the stories of people whose life ended badly for no good reason, as well as people whose last days were among the most meaningful and fulfilling in their lives. This book equips readers with tools so they can advocate effectively on their loved ones' behalf. It also provides information so they can control the end of their own lives. Along the way readers may cry with families whose anguish could have been avoided. They may feel anger at the injustice of last wishes dismissed or ignored. Above all they will celebrate the triumphs of people who close their lives with gentleness, connection to loved ones and the joy that comes from well-deserved peace. |
Unlike past generations, when most
people died of sudden causes like heart attacks and strokes, today they
succumb to slow, incremental illnesses. Now people have an opportunity
to shape the final chapter of their lives – deciding how much medical
care they want to receive, making financial and spiritual preparations,
gathering loved ones near. But we all know from experience how rarely
that kind of dignified end occurs. The health system simply has not
evolved to reflect how dying has changed.
Based on hundreds of scientific research papers and more than 200
interviews, Last Rights tells the stories of people whose life
ended badly for no good reason, as well as people whose last days were
among the most meaningful and fulfilling in their lives.
This book equips readers with tools so they can advocate effectively on
their loved ones’ behalf. It also provides information so they can
control the end of their own lives.
Along the way readers may cry with families whose anguish could have
been avoided. They may feel anger at the injustice of last wishes
dismissed or ignored. Above all they will celebrate the triumphs of
people who close their lives with gentleness, connection to loved ones
and the joy that comes from well-deserved peace.