The Death Rattle — Not Music to Your Ears?
As a person gets closer to death, they can begin a type of noisy breathing that sounds like a wet snore. Called the “death rattle,” it can be difficult to listen to. Thankfully, it is not too common.
Because it’s not a nice sound, the family can fear that the dying person is struggling to breathe.
Have an Obituary To Write? Some Turn to ChatGPT
Should AI or a real person write an obituary? Credit: Pixabay
Let’s face it — AI is disrupting many industries, and that includes the end-of-life sector. In the news recently, examples have popped up, including the case of Michael Bommer, who found out he was terminally ill. In 2024, he told NPR, he made an AI copy of himself to leave behind for his family.
Not without controversy, however. That sounds like just about every other case of AI that we hear about, including this one: writing an obituary.
Grief Altars Are No Longer Just for the Home
Macy’s shows sensitivity to its employees by displaying an altar allowing co-workers to say their goodbyes.
Credit: Suzette Sherman
Grief altars and shrines that were once confined to the home are appearing in unexpected locations, even in the workplace and shared community spaces. Traditionally associated with religious and cultural traditions, modern grief altars reflect a broader shift toward openly and creatively honoring grief and loss in a contemporary way.
“With a Little Help From My Friends” by Joe Cocker
The vinyl of “With a Little Help From My Friends” Credit: Regal Zonophone/Wikimedia
“With a Little Help From My Friends,” written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and originally sung by The Beatles, was famously covered by Joe Cocker on his album released in 1969. The tempo of the Beatles’ 1967 version was upbeat, but Cocker’s gritty, raw and emotional rendition solidified its place in music history at Woodstock as a powerhouse ballad that cries out from a soulful place: “I get by with a little help from my friends.”
It would be a moving and vulnerable song to play to a gathering of loved ones because it honors the reality of loss and those who see us through.
(The song might also ring a bell as the opening of the classic TV show from the late 1980s and early 1990s about coming of age, “The Wonder Years.”)
Spinning Out of Control
One of the difficulties that people living with a terminal illness must deal with is the fact that life goes on much as it did before. Despite the “new normal” of doctor appointments and lab tests and physical changes associated with the illness, the need to maintain some semblance of an orderly existence remains.
Children still need tending to. Someone needs to pack their lunches and check their homework and tuck them in at night. Laundry still needs folding, meals need to be prepared and bills still need to be paid.
Who Cares for the Caregivers?: 
Final Messages of the Dying: 
Will I Die in Pain?: 
