We are all going to die. And someone will have to handle what we leave behind. Odds are good that person will be someone who loved us, someone who will be grieving. Let’s not make it harder for them than it has to be. Let’s make some key decisions now in order to be kinder to those we’ll leave behind. What kind of decisions? Welcome to Dying Kindness, the podcast for people who are going to die someday. Host Cianna Stewart is learning about death and dying, and sharing information and tips along the way. Episodes include practical information, philosophical musings, interviews, and a dose of morbid humor. Because we’re all going die someday and we should learn how to talk about it.
What's the point of obituaries? Why are some people so into reading them? Should you draft your own obituary as a Dying Kindness?
Today we talk with Michael Osborne from the podcast Famous & Gravy, a podcast about what really matters in life, and what's gravy... one dead celebrity at a time.
Referenced:
Obituary for Shirley Temple Black
Famous & Gravy episode on Shirley Temple Black
For most of us, there will come a point when we'll need to have someone else help manage our finances. Two common approaches are to set up a joint bank account, or use a Power of Attorney for Finances. Which is better? How do you decide which to use?
A funeral can get expensive. In this episode, I break down the elements of a traditional burial funeral in the United Stages, and the median costs.
After a lifetime of independence, it can be tough to age or get ill and start to need help. So many of us fear becoming a burden so we resist asking for help. But at what point will our independence become a problem? What's the difference between asking for help and being a burden?
A discussion of the kinds of things that you could (and should) include in your living will, including examples that Cianna wrote into her own.
Topics: Living Will, Advance Directive
Mentioned:
Book: A Beginner’s Guide to the End
Living Will. DNR. Advance Directive. POLST.
You know these forms are important. But are they the same? Do you need all of them? What are they for? And when would you need them?
Forms are location specific. Do an online search for "[where you live] and [name of form]" or ask your lawyer to get the right version for you.
Recap of summary:
Selecting the right Health Care Agent is a critical factor in ensuring that we get the kind of care we want when we're critically injured or nearing the end of our lives. Your agent will be responsible for implementing your Advance Healthcare Directive, and (even more) for understanding why you made the decisions you made so they can respond to unanticipated situations. How do you choose the right person? What, exactly, would you be asking them to do?
Referenced:
Review of studies on racial bias in pain perception in NCBI:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17187552/
Thinking about dying has me thinking about aging. And as I took my aging body on a hike, I decided maybe it's time to get used to using hiking poles—and this had me thinking about what we can do now so that we can keep what we love doing for longer.
Do you want to be buried near your parents? Want your children to scatter your ashes at your favorite beach? Would your family visit your memorial tree in a forest?
What kinds of things do you need to take into consideration when you're choosing your final resting place?
Bonus in this episode: An interview with Mike Szymanski, creator of the #DoxieTombstone in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Burial or Cremation? That question is important, yes, and it's not the only thing that needs to be decided about what will happen with your body after you die. This episode covers some of the practical decisions that need to be made regarding final disposition.
