Death and Learning to Understand it – Article Reflection
Reflections on this article in The Irish Times – Life & Style
By Dr. Bob Uslander
After presenting at the Beautiful Dying Expo at the San Diego Convention Center last weekend on Comfort Measures and Caring for the Dying, this interesting article Death and Learning to Understand it, showed up in my inbox, timed perfectly to reinforce the importance of expanding the conversation we all need to have about death, our fear of it, and the equal-sized fear of just talking about dying.
This is one of the many great quotes in that article in The Irish Times:
“You can’t stop it from being sad. If we love people, then death is a terrible blow – it is a very great sadness. But we can stop it from being terrifying. We can give people the knowledge that they need to be with people who are dying.”
Even though there are new medical breakthroughs happening every day, allowing doctors to keep people alive longer, every one of us will still die one day. While each death is unique to the individual, most deaths, as this article eloquently describes, are gentle and painless.
It is not the actual death that causes so much anxiety and distress, it is the fear, the uncertainty and the lack of understanding that causes anxiety and distress for the dying person and the loved ones caring for them. We can’t avoid death, but we can certainly do something about the fear, uncertainty and lack of understanding.
Dying is Not a Medical Process
At Integrated MD Care, we believe that dying should not be a medical process- it is a social and spiritual phenomenon. Dying is just as natural as living.
We honor each person’s dying process and help make it as peaceful and gentle as possible by treating the dying person with an array of comforting medications and therapies, at the same time supporting and guiding the loved ones, so they can be as present and loving as possible. The dying process involves the entire family and we proactively embrace the needs of the family during this time as much as possible.
It is an honor and privilege to support people through the dying process. We wish more doctors recognized the critical importance of being there for patients and families in this way. We’re working to make that so.
Let’s Begin the Conversation
“Let’s begin the conversation” – is our mantra. We encourage patients, families, and even healthcare professionals to reach out to us to begin the conversation that is so crucial, not just the person preparing to transition, but to friends and families who are beginning their grieving and healing process. Without early and informed conversation, unnecessary suffering can accumulate for many reasons.
Check out the article: Death and Learning to Understand it.
It’s never too late to start planning for the peaceful and dignified end of life you are hoping for. Here’s more information you might find helpful.
If we can be of assistance in any way, please contact us.
- Schedule a phone consultation: 858-925-7554
- Email us your questions