Richard and Margaret
This photo was taken of my grandparents during their summer vacation in July 1953.
This photo was taken of my grandparents during their summer vacation in July 1953.
NY – Here’s a universal truth: We all die. And here’s another universal truth (that any good farmer would certainly agree with): Soil is everything. This, perhaps, is why so many eco-conscious folks today are buying out plots at green cemeteries.
ME – In November 2013, Hallie Twomey turned to social media to ask people across the world to scatter her son’s ashes. One year on CJ’s ashes have been taken to more than 100 countries and have even been sent into space. There are many photos on the Scattering CJ Facebook page.
USA – As acceptance of end-of-life planning grows in the US, new concerns are emerging about how well patients and their doctors understand the forms they are signing about the care they want in their final days. In September, the Institute of Medicine’s “Dying in America” report
USA – The holiday season has dawned. Family members far and wide are reconnecting for parties and cookies by the fire. Gifts will be exchanged. The old recipes will make their way to the table. There will even be a glass or two lifted, perhaps some glogg.
USA – Doctors have long known that the overall U.S. mortality rate annually spikes around Thanksgiving, and remains elevated through the winter. (According to the CDC, the nation’s death rate in December 2013 was about 5% higher than the death rate in November 2013.)
The latest Consumer Reports takes on end-of-life care and recommends that families steer away from newer, for-profit hospices. The move is sure to rattle the hospice industry, much of which consists of, well, newer, for-profit outfits. Part of the “Business of Dying” series.