“I want to go peacefully in my sleep” is the response most people will give when asked how they want to die.
What makes this choice so popular (or so it appears to me) is that few among us want to deal with our mortality. And so, it may seem that if we go to bed one day and simply don’t wake up the next, we can sidestep the issue entirely.
But according to Sara Chambers, a Hospice of Northwest Ohio nurse and end-of-life educator, it’s precisely the ability to consider our mortality — and plan for it — that allows us to have a truly good death.
“Death is not a dirty word,” Sara likes to say — and she should know. In this conversation, Sara shares with us the pivotal experiences with death and dying that taught her this lesson early in life. She talks about the history of the hospice movement and how it came to be an established standard of care. She also explains when to involve hospice after a terminal diagnosis (spoiler alert: most people do so far too late), and what to look for when choosing a hospice provider.
But Sara’s role as a Hospice nurse educator — indeed, the heart of her mission — is to teach others how to have a “good death.” In our conversation, she describes important legal and interpersonal steps that will pave the way for an end-of-life experience that is not just peaceful, but meaningful as well.
Sara also emphasizes how this planning should start in everyone’s early adult years. However, if you or someone close to you has yet to do this, Sara’s insights could be a game changer. Her advice could make the difference between experiencing life’s ultimate transition in uncertainty and stress and an experience that will give both you and your loved ones the peace and comfort we all desire.
Connect with Sara to ask questions or schedule a presentation sponsored by Hospice of Northwest Ohio.
Access a calendar of scheduled programs presented by Hospice of Northwest Ohio.
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