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Cardiac Arrests Spike Around the Holidays
Cold weather, stress and lack of self care all contribute to the spike in holiday fatalitiesThis time in December is typically associated with festive parties, holiday celebrations and all the joys and stresses that come along with them. But a surprising addition to December antics for many people is cardiac arrest. Research published by the American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation, goes so far as to label the winter holidays…
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“How We Live is How We Die”
In this book, a Buddhist nun explores an Eastern perspective on deathIn “How we Live is How We Die,” renowned Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön explores the “bardo,” or the Tibetan term for transition period, between life and death. Life is a series of beginnings and endings; in the constant flow of life and death, one thing ends and another begins almost immediately, causing innumerable bardos. The…
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Hospice Massage Offers a Touching End to Life (Interview)
Julia Gandy describes the vital role that touch can play during the end of someone’s lifeHuman touch is vital. There are libraries of information about the importance of maintaining touch with humans in the early stages of their lives. But what about the late stages of their lives? Julia Gandy believes it’s just as important. She’s been practicing hospice massage for over a decade. While attending massage school, she had…
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Our Monthly Tip: A Holiday-Inspired Celebration of Life
Make your loved one the star of your holiday gatheringsOur Monthly Tip: Celebrating the life of a person who has died can be difficult when Christmas is around the corner. It becomes important to address the holiday but not overpower the importance of the person being celebrated. With some simple decorations, the celebration of life can be the star. An undecorated tree and some…
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My Father-In-Law Died Surrounded by Love
My chosen work helped facilitate his peace at the end.This is Dana ‘s story as told by Irena Kaci. Our Opening Our Hearts stories are based on people’s real-life experiences. By sharing these experiences publicly, we hope to help our readers feel less alone in their grief and, ultimately, to aid them in their healing process. In this story, Dana tells the story of…
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Missing the Sound of Your Deceased Loved One’s Voice?
Ornaments, voicemails, and advanced technology can help us to hear them again.No other human can match the expressive nature, tone, and resonance of your loved one’s voice. It is something quite unique to each of us; a personal calling card. So, when someone dies, we often say, “I miss the sound of their voice.” Thanks to the wonders of technology, there are a few innovative ways…
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How to Break the News that Someone Has Died
Tips for sensitively sharing a loved one’s death with others“Where were you when you learned Princess Diana had died?” This seemingly innocuous question, common among those who were highschool-aged or older when the British royal princess died in 1997, points to something significant: When, and how, we break the news that someone has died matters.
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“Sudden”
A poet reflects on sudden lossIf it had been a heart attack, the newspaper might have used the word massive, as if a mountain range had opened inside her, but instead it used the word suddenly, a light coming on in an empty room. The telephone fell from my shoulder, a black parrot repeating something happened, something awful a sunday,…
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What’s Causing the Surge in US Traffic Deaths?
The cause for the rise in traffic deaths may surprise you.As COVID swept America in 2020, it wasn’t the only factor contributing to a rising death toll. Traffic deaths have also risen dramatically in the past three years in the United States. This is a fairly shocking fact considering the steady advances we’ve made in vehicle safety features.
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