Tag Archives: CPR

Why Is It So Hard to Let Go?

Too many families are torn apart when a loved one is dying

Death and love are the two wings that bear the good man to heaven. ~Michelangelo Last week, I learned that my 90-year-old aunt was in the hospital with pneumonia and sepsis. This is her second admission in a little less … Continue reading

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The Benefits of a Dementia Specific Advance Directive

Tell your loved one about the care you want if you develop dementia

Dr. Barak Gaster, who works as an internist at the University Of Washington School of Medicine, was concerned about his patients with dementia. Yes, many of them had advance directives, but mostly advance directives are written with a sudden catastrophic … Continue reading

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Blurring the Line Between Life and Death

Science and technology are changing Western culture's perspective on death

It wasn’t very long ago that no one questioned the finality of death. A person died when they were no longer breathing and their heart stopped beating — period. There was no such thing as CPR, and mechanical ventilators didn’t … Continue reading

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Behind Death Masks: A History of How a Funeral Decoration Transformed Into a Tool to Improve Lives

The ancient funerary art of death masks allows us to look through the eyes of our ancestors

The practice of creating death masks to remember those who have passed is a ritual that can be traced back to ancient Egypt and Rome. The most recognizable death mask comes from the tomb of Tutankhamun himself. The likeness of … Continue reading

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