ThirdAge.com: Dying may be taking a turn for the better. People, it seems, are beginning to talk about end-of-life issues before the end. Surveys show that 70% of people want to die at home, yet 70% die in hospitals or nursing homes. Who would want that to happen to them, their spouse, parent or friend? Or anyone?
One person who certainly doesn’t is former syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman. Over the past two years, Goodman and others — clergy, physicians, journalists, caregivers, and now the Institute for Healthcare Improvement — have worked on creating a national movement to get people to talk about their end-of-life wishes.