The good death A guide for supporting your loved one through the end of life

O'Brien draws on her work as a hospice nurse and death doula in her compassionate debut guide to end-of-life care. Exploring modern discomfort with death, she argues that scientific advances have "medicalized" dying, eroding its humanity as patients are funneled through a health system that "keeps people breathing at all costs" without accounting for their quality of life or discussing what to expect at the end. She unpacks how best to navigate that system by detailing the stages of common end-of-life diseases like lung cancer, how to interpret pain cues to keep the patient comfortable, and how to help them formulate advance directives. More broadly, she advises readers on how to assist the dying person in sorting through weighty emotions, reviewing financial arrangements for the funeral, and drawing up a will. Such advice is worthwhile, and O'Brien's anecdotes about caring for the dying are reassuring, even if she stumbles into generalizations in a less helpful chapter on how spirituality manifests at the end of life. Still, caregivers seeking practical and emotional support will find plenty of value. (Mar.)

This title joins a growing number of books emphasizing the importance of death planning. Death doula O'Brien (Creating Positive Passings) has witnessed many deaths in her career. She states correctly that many contemporary societies have a flawed relationship with death and that planning for one's inevitable demise is a gift to family members. Her book presents advice on how to plan for death that can provide peace of mind to everyone involved in an end-of-life situation. It offers information to family caregivers on providing compassionate home hospice care while avoiding burnout and what to expect during the dying process. In addition to addressing the medical aspects of dying, O'Brien includes guidelines on how to prepare for the practicalities of death, such as burial choices, funeral planning, and obituary writing. She also discusses fundamental financial and legal topics associated with death planning, including wills, advanced directives, trusts, and more. The book includes helpful downloadable handouts and exercises to facilitate particular tasks. VERDICT This essential guide to every aspect of dying, from hospice care to spiritual and real-world needs, can also serve as an excellent manual for readers seeking support throughout this difficult process.--Erica Swenson Danowitz