This past year, I hosted Death Cafés at my college, Duke University. A death cafe is a community gathering where people come together to freely talk about whatever they want related to death and dying,…
This past year, I hosted Death Cafés at my college, Duke University. A death cafe is a community gathering where people come together to freely talk about whatever they want related to death and dying,…
Revising the What Matters to Me Workbook In 2021, The Conversation Project and Ariadne Labs published the “What Matters to Me Workbook.” Our goal was to create a resource for patients with serious illness that…
Tools to Ignite Impactful Conversations
While conversations about health care wishes are our special sauce, we always get questions about where to store documents (health care proxy, advance directives, etc.) once they have been filled out. Below are common scenarios…
As a death doula, someone who supports people through the dying process, I’ve walked beside many people during their final chapters. Some deaths were peaceful, tethered to clarity and intention. Others were messy — complicated…
As medical professionals, few challenges rival delivering serious news to patients, especially when we lack straightforward solutions. We must delicately balance honesty with empathy. Too much blunt truth risks appearing callous; too much gentle reassurance…