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What is the Sacred Dying Foundation? An Interview with Megory Anderson (Interview)
Bringing sacredness and a spiritual element to the end-of-life experienceMegory Anderson is the founder of the Sacred Dying Foundation, an organization designed to bring sacredness and a spiritual element to the end-of-life experience. She is a theologian, educator, liturgist and author of the books Sacred Dying: Creating Rituals for Embracing the End of Life and Attending the Dying. Additionally, she just received her PhD…
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“Living and Dying: A Love Story”
A book documenting a terminally ill married couple in Oregon who choose aid in dying“Living and Dying: A Love Story” is a documentary that follows the end of life story of Charlie and Francie Emerick, a couple married for 66 years, both diagnosed with terminal illnesses and given six months to live. The film was shot by the couple’s daughter, Sher Safran and her husband, much of it on cell…
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One in Five Hospice Patients Is Discharged Alive
Medicare reimbursement structure and profit motive are largely to blameHospice, as most of us understand it, is a model of care that provides comfort and support to people who are terminally ill. The care can be delivered in a hospital, in a nursing home or in the patient’s own home, and includes measures such as medication for pain, oxygen for comfort, turning and positioning,…
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Our Monthly Tip: Choose the Right Assisted-Living Facility for Your Loved One
What to look for, what to askChoosing a clean, well-run and affordable assisted-living community for your loved one means focusing on their needs more than yours, according to Stephanie Howard, Residence Service Director with Regency of Evergreen Valley in San Jose. You’ll need to get a good sense of what a number of communities are really like, not just what advertising reveals. How-to Suggestions Start online to…
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New York Bill Would Provide Bereaved Workers Three Months Paid Family Leave
The new bill is on its way to Governor CuomoA new bill in New York is seeking to add paid family leave for employees who have recently lost a loved one. Currently in New York people can take paid family leave time following the birth of a child or to take care of a family member who is ill. The new bill has already…
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A Story of Dementia and Unfailing Love
How one man’s love for his wife made him an ideal caregiver as she struggles with dementiaWe can learn a lot from stories about living with Alzheimer’s and dementia. We can learn how to help slow the onset and development of dementia; we can learn ways to “hack” our daily lives to successfully cope with the disease; and we can find support from others who empathize. It’s an area where research…
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“The Thing About Jellyfish”
Benjamin’s debut novel explores the complex grief of a 12-year-old girlAli Benjamin’s “The Thing About Jellyfish” is a delightful, poignant and thoroughly entertaining novel about a young girl’s strange, multilayered journey through grief. Told through the eyes of 12-year-old Suzanne, it is a story of imagination and wonder; friendship and betrayal; and the healing power of love. Although it’s written for ‘tweens, its message is…
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“Drink A Beer”
A country song reminds us that revisiting old haunts can bring comfort in times of sorrowCountry music star Luke Bryan is no stranger to grief. The 42-year-old singer/songwriter has spoken openly about losing his brother, Chris, who died in a motorcycle accident when he was 26, and his sister Kelly, who died of unknown causes at the age of 39. And his touching performance of “Drink a Beer” at the…
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