Something to Think About: a blog on end of life

Fear

"Talk About Denial"

QUESTION: Talk about denial. All of us deny the realities of life to some degree. The operative words here are “to some degree.” Some of us rely on denial more...

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Dementia and Fear

QUESTION: Do dementia patients have fears different from the rest of the community? (Included with the question submitted to BKB): Response from the Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) Support Forum FTD Response:...

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Sedation At The End of Life

Question: Will you talk about sedation at the end of life? There is a misconception that dying is painful therefore pain medicine/narcotics should be used routinely in the last days...

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Thoughts of Suicide

Most people diagnosed with a life threatening illness think about suicide. Suicidal thoughts are normal thoughts in someone who has been told they can’t be fixed. We think about it...

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Labor of the Dying

We live inside of our bodies so it is no secret to us when death from disease or old age is close. We may not share the knowledge with anyone...

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I Just Want to Die

Frequently I will hear a person say “I am ready to die,” “I just want to die,” “Why am I not dead yet?” or “Why is this taking so long?”...

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THE MOMENT OF DEATH

I have been at the bedside of many, many people at their exact moment of death. Those people have taught me what happens in the hours to minutes before death....

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Morphine

Question: “Talk about the use of morphine to ease the dying on their way.” I am going to take that statement to mean “to ease the pain that is often...

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