The Art of Dying Well: A
Practical Guide to a Good End of Life by Katy Butler is designed for those
age 50 or older and those who care for them. It is also useful reading for
younger people facing a terminal illness. Butler maintains that we are “more
terrified of death, and more unequipped for it, than we need be.” For most of
history, dying was very much part of life. It happened at home under the care
of family and friends, after which time the body was ceremoniously washed and
dressed. Today, death is often treated as a medical procedure, stripped of
dignity and humanity. It doesn’t have to be this way. “There is a way to a
peaceful, empowered, humane death.”
Butler includes much practical information on what types of
legal documents to have in place so that your wishes are followed, how to
navigate the complex health care system, how to get help (or of you are a
care-giver, how to give help and get a break when you need it), accepting death
while continuing to life, the value of hospice, and how to aid someone who is
actively dying. The glossary of medical terms is especially helpful.
This book is written from a secular perspective, yet has a
respect for the sacred. There unfortunately is a section on physician-assisted
suicide. I searched Amazon to see if there was a similar book written from a
Catholic perspective and couldn’t find one. The value of the information in
this book leads me to recommend it in spite of its endorsement of suicide for
those who choose it.
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