As we age and as a society we have become more obsessed with quality of life it is only natural that we start to scrutinise what constitutes a good death and how we might improve the inevetable .
Once a subject shelved at the back of our minds never to be spoken of , death increasingly concerns us .
Many who work in palliative care , hospice setting encourage people into conversation around death and dying. To help people consider fears and choices around the inevitabilty of dying and death.
As one hospice worker said, "We try to risk manage fires and earthquakes, but we don't prepare for our own death.
Becoming acquanited with death and the release of the fears, trepidations and denials of this occurance enhance our appreciation of life. The revolution in bedside ritual of the dying has bought in much to stengthen the emotional and psychological support given. Sometimes in the form of forgiveness , memiors of a life looked back on, letters to the future generations. Gratitude and celebration of the life well lived.
A new learning has entered this ritual where the person is encouraged to release and share stories. To let go of close loved ones while sharing the love that underpinned the relationships. To forgive what might appear to be unhealed complications in families. Where to the person transitioning these memories are now no more than perceived hinderances.
It is possible to pass over with love and equaminity. The lost art of caring for the dying encompasses a holistic approach that lessens the sense of helplessness a person might feel.
Death is not the end of a series of medical events or tragic accidents but a profound human experience.
We are moving toward love and away from our collective fear and in so doing regaining the art of listening to the dying in a metaphysical sense as a well as being practical in the hear and now.
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