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How Can Non-Medical Home Care Keep Your Loved One Safe and Comfortable? (Interview)
An alternative to professional nursing care for people at the end of lifeToday SevenPonds is speaking with Bridget Waller, R.N. the founder and owner of Hillendale Home Care, located in Walnut Creek, California. In this first part of a two-part interview, Bridget discusses non-medical home care as an option for patients with chronic illnesses or who are approaching the end of life. Debra: Thank you so much,…
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“Departures”
This Japanese film explores the taboo of working intimately with deathIn “Departures,” Yōjirō Takita points out the absurdity of a culture that holds onto rich death rituals while condemning those who perform them. The emotional, sometimes downright hilarious, movie explores why we need death traditions and shines light on a practice that most people would prefer not to think about. The film follows a classically-trained cellist, Daigo…
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“I’m Not Afraid To Die”
A simple tune, a deep well of comfortThe first time I heard Gillian Welch’s achingly lovely neotraditional folk song “I’m Not Afraid To Die”, I heard it sung in harmony by my dear friend and her dying father. He was in hospice at home in Santa Fe, lying on a hospital bed, facing the end of his long battle with bone cancer. He was…
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Californians May Now Opt for “Death with Dignity”
The state’s End of Life Option Act goes into effect June 9, 2016On June 9, 2016, California will become the fourth state in the United States to enact legislation that allows physicians to aid terminally ill patients in ending their lives. The legislation, known as the End of Life Option Act, was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Oct. 5, 2015. Modeled after “death with dignity” laws…
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“Variation on the Word Sleep”
Margaret Atwood’s “Variation on the Word Sleep” journeys beside and within another’s griefIn her poem “Variation on the Word Sleep“, well-loved Canadian poet Margaret Atwood (1939-) uses sleep as a metaphor for the highly personal, often isolating and poorly rehearsed journey of loss and transformation that is generally called grief in the modern industrial world. The poet finds herself laying next to her bedmate, wishing to journey with…
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Monday Hearts for Madalene
Page Hodel creates the most beautiful hearts in an ongoing celebration of loveHappy Memorial Day! It’s an honor for SevenPonds to share with our readers the story of the Monday Hearts for Madalene project, a true account of the power of love in the midst of death. The project’s origins take us to 2005: the moment Page Hodel encountered Madalene Rodriguez and fell “instantly, dizzyingly in love with her.” The couple’s…
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Beautiful Portraits Bear Witness to Death
Deathbed portraits pay homage to the dead and inform our understanding of what it is to be aliveIn today’s youth-obsessed culture, the twin subjects of aging and death are largely taboo. Although attitudes are changing, many people whose loved ones are dying hold on to the belief that it’s best to remember the person, “as they were in life.” Sadly, this avoidance of the present moment isolates them from the transformative power…
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