If no one claims the remains of cult leader and killer Charles Manson, it’s unclear what will happen to his body. Will it find an anonymous California grave or face dissection in an anatomy lab?
Day of the Dead Oaxaca, Mexico.
Copyright Colleen Nordstrom
Australia has few public rituals around death, leaving people to figure out how to process grief alone. But Mexico’s Day of the Dead, with its focus on art and community, could help us cope better.
‘Green burials’ that use biodegradable coffins or lessen the environmental impact in other ways are on the rise.
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Although ‘Game of Thrones’ -style funeral pyres are still out of bounds, Americans are increasingly turning to cheaper, greener and more meaningful ways to dispose of their loved ones’ bodies.
Dying at home isn’t necessarily a good death.
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There are some myths about dying that perhaps unexpectedly harm the dying person and deserve scrutiny.
Making death masks of notorious criminals was common in the 19th century, such as this cast of murderer William Burke at the University of Edinburgh’s Anatomy Museum.
David Cheskin/PA
We use euphemisms about death and dying to soften the blow of the real words, or because we feel awkward being direct. But this can lead to misunderstanding and confusion.
Palliative care should be a time of shared care; when the doctor continues treating their patient’s disease while symptom control and preparation for death track alongside.
People nearing the end of their life often express fear of dying alone.
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Research shows people who suffer from loss of meaning die earlier than those who maintain purpose. We can help people find meaning again by nurturing their “spirit”.
We come into this world, grow and flourish and then decay and die.
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If presented with a client who has death anxiety, we ask them to tell us what exactly they fear about death. Once we have this information, there are several approaches to treating fear of death.
Access to euthanasia in Belgium has been “expanding” but it’s not out of control.
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Most people in western societies die in hospital or in institutional care. Keeping death out of sight and out of mind means few people have real experience of death and dying.
The concept of a timely and dignified death has been replaced by an imperative to keep us alive at all costs.
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We all die eventually, of course, but these days it’s very hard for doctors and loved ones to let patients and relatives die without doing “whatever it takes”.
Our tendency to think that we will “beat the odds” is risky, and mostly wrong.
malik ml williams
For most of us, death conjures up strong feelings. We project all kinds of fears onto it. We worry about it, dismiss it, laugh it off, push it aside or don’t think about it at all. Until we have to. Of…
Most children have never had legal capacity and are reliant on parents to make health-care decisions for them.
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The diagnosis of a palliative illness in a child or adolescent is devastating for all involved: parents, family members and the children themselves, as they grieve for life they had planned and believed…