Dying Kindness

44: A Book About What Dying is Really Like Jul 25, 2024

Most of us have never seen a death up close, let alone many. How, then, can we know what to do or say to support someone else who's dying? How can we know what to expect for our own deaths?

"With the End in Mind" by Kathryn Mannix is a book of stories drawn from the author's long career in palliative care. Each story gives perspective on a different aspect of the dying process, providing insight and information to help the reader be more prepared.

In this episode, I discuss the book and why I think everyone can benefit from reading it.

43: How to Write an Obituary Jun 14, 2024

So it's time to write an obituary. Who should do it and how? What needs to be included? What should be left out? Where does it go? What is an obituary for, anyway?

42: What does "Quality of Life" mean? May 30, 2024

The phrase "quality of life" comes up often, particularly when completing an Advance Directive or when dealing with the medical system. But what does it mean? And who gets to define it?

41: Hello again. Birthday. Restart. Community. May 16, 2024

Hello! After a long while, I am restarting this podcast. Because it's my birthday and that's my present to my self (and to you).

40: Aging While LGBTQ Jun 22, 2023

A brief overview of the range of issues faced by LGBTQ seniors towards the end of life.

39: Sharing Collected Art Jun 02, 2023

Do you have art that means a lot to you? Will others know why they mattered to you or what they're worth? Here are some quick tips to help other treasure your treasures.

38: Why I’ve Been Gone May 05, 2023

I haven't posted a new episode for a couple of months. I've been grieving the death of my friend, Jen Angel.

Some good articles about Jen:

Food, Love, and Revolution: Jen Angel's Legacy by Carwil Bjork-James, Yes! Magazine

Jen Angel Wanted to Abolish Police and Prisons. She Wouldn’t Want Her Death to Be Used to Incarcerate Anyone. by Brook Anderson, In These Times

and Jen's entry in Wikipedia

37: Preventing Dementia, Going Alcohol Free Jan 31, 2023

I want to do what I can to age well, including preventing getting dementia. I'm learning (and sharing) a range of steps to protect my brain. One of the big ones is deciding to reduce my alcohol intake, going alcohol free.

Interviews with Joshua James & Danny Meeks, Ocean Beach Cafe

Referenced:

Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age by Sanjay Gupta

Huberman Lab podcast episode, "What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain, and Health"

"Alcohol and Dementia — What's the Link? a Systematic Review"

36: Goals and Plans for 2023 Jan 05, 2023

What you can expect for Dying Kindness in 2023, including ways that the decisions we make decades before retirement impact our ability to age well, and affect others in our immediate circle, beyond those we know, and for generations to come.

35: Home for the Holidays? What to Look Out For Dec 23, 2022

Most people want to die at home, but the ability to stay home depends heavily on how well it's set up to age in place. This holiday season, take advantage of being home to look around and take notes on what might make it hard to age well at home.

34: Why You Should Write Down Your Recipes Dec 08, 2022

Do you have a signature dish? Have you written down the recipe? Why you should record how to make foods associated with you so others can make it when you're gone.

Buy "Like Water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel at Bookshop.org (affiliate link)

DyingKindness.com

33: Why You Should Prearrange Your Funeral Nov 11, 2022

Maybe you've told people what you want done with your body when you die. Have you also written down exactly what you want for your funeral? And have you paid for it?

Dean Lambert from the Love Always Project knows firsthand how easy it can be to miss important details when planning a funeral. He shares his 30 years of experience as well as personal stories to encourage everyone to arrange and fund their own funerals in advance.

In this episode:

https://www.lovealwaysproject.org/

https://www.dyingkindness.com/

https://www.dyingkindness.com/support/

32: Holidays for the Dead (replay) Oct 27, 2022

Samhain. Halloween. All Saints Day. All Souls Day. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

All of these holidays are about the connection between the living and the dead. And they all present the dead in different ways. Taking a look at these differences can be a fun way to think about where we get our concepts about death and how our loved ones might relate to us after we die.

31:Trusts vs Wills Oct 13, 2022

What is a revocable living trust and who needs one? What's the difference between a will and a trust? If you have a will, do you need a trust?

Mentioned:

Natural Organic Reduction in California: https://recompose.life/2022/california/

https://www.dyingkindness.com/

Dying Kindness bookstore: https://bookshop.org/lists/dying-kindness

30: Eco-Friendly Burial Options – You Can Help Expand Them Sep 29, 2022

A discussion with Edward Bixby of the Green Burial Council on eco-friendly burial options – and the consumer's role in helping expand what's available.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://www.dyingkindness.com/

https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/

GBC map of certified providers: https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/interactive-maps.html

https://destinationdestinymemorials.com/

https://www.steelmantowncemetery.com/

"Climate Change: The massive CO2 emitter you may not know about" by Lucy Rodgers for BBC

"Lawn Maintenance and Climate Change" paper by Princeton Student Climate Initiative

"This heatwave is a reminder that grass lawns are terrible for the environment" article by Akin Olla for The Guardian

29: Who They Gonna Call? Sep 13, 2022

In addition to choosing an emergency contact, you should prepare contact lists for who they should call if you ended up in a crisis or need longer-term support. In this episode, Cianna goes over what kinds of contact lists you should prepare for different situations.

28: Preparing for Writing Your Will Aug 17, 2022

We all know we should write a will, but how do you get started? Here are some tips on what to prepare that will make it easier and will save you time and money when you sit down to write your own will.

Referenced:

DyingKindness.com

Episode 4: The Value of Physical Stuff

Book: The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy (affiliate link)

27: Planning for Long-Term Care, with Matt McCann Aug 03, 2022

People are living longer and longer. While generally that's a good thing, it also means that more of us are going to need long-term care – and that can get expensive. What is long-term care? What options are there? And how can we plan for it?

In this episode, Cianna talks with leading LTC expert Matt McCann. McCann is recognized as one of the nation's leading long-term health care specialists, and is the publisher of LTC News.

Mentioned in this episode:

Consumer focused news & resources: LTCnews.com
McCann Insurance Services: RadioLTC.com
Information from U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services: LongTermCare.gov
American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance: AALTCI.org

Medical bills are leading cause of bankruptcy

U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services report shows “70% of adults who survive to age 65 develop severe LTSS needs before they die and 48% receive some paid care over their lifetime”

About Larry Lujack

26: In The First Hours After Your Death Jul 19, 2022

If you were to become incapacitated or die suddenly, what would your people need to know?

This is a replay of Episode 1, updated to include an announcement for BinderDash, a workshop + co-working session to help you get the Essentials of your Death Binder done: https://binderdash-august2022.rsvpify.com

Brief Thoughts on SCOTUS and the Future Jul 09, 2022

The decisions made by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) during this past session raised some concerns about how certain classes of people and situations will be different treated from state to state. Cianna shares some initial thoughts about steps to take related to advance directives and other concerns around death and dying moving forward.

24: What’s in an Obituary? A conversation with Michael Osborne, Famous & Gravy Jun 21, 2022

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:

Famous & Gravy

Generation Anthropocene

New York Times Obituaries

Obituary for Shirley Temple Black

Famous & Gravy episode on Shirley Temple Black

23: Joint Account vs Power of Attorney for Finances - which is better? Jun 07, 2022

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?

22: How much does a funeral cost? May 23, 2022

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.

21: ”Asking for Help” vs ”Being a Burden” Apr 19, 2022

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?

20: What Goes Into A Living Will? Apr 05, 2022

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:

DyingKindness.com

NOLO Press

Book: The Art of Dying Well

Book: A Beginner’s Guide to the End

Dying Kindness Bookshop

The Death Deck

The Conversation Project

Estate lawyer: Kathleen Hunt

Book: Death Poems

19: Which Forms? When? Living Will, DNR, POLST, Advance Directive Mar 22, 2022

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:

Everyone over the age of 18 should specify their wishes and designate a health care proxy, ideally with an Advance Directive or Living Will and Medical Power of Attorney
If you’re close to the end of life or frail and the risk of complications from resuscitation would not be worth it, that’s when you want a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order
If you’re close to the end of life and don’t want to artificially extend your life and you want to be sure that your wishes are honored (and it’s available in your area), get a Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST)

18: Choosing Who Will Defend Your Wishes Mar 01, 2022

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/

17: On Wanting To Do What We Love As Long As Possible Feb 23, 2022

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.

16:Your Final Resting Place Feb 15, 2022

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.

15: Final Disposition of Your Body Feb 01, 2022

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.

14: Getting The Conversation Started Jan 18, 2022

Sure, it's important to talk about death and what we want. But how do you even begin this conversation? What if you're ready to talk but someone else is resistant? And what do we even need to talk about?

In this episode I interview Kate deBartolo from The Conversation Project, and Lisa Pahl and Lori LoCicero from The Death Deck. They share tools and personal stories that can help you get the conversation started, regardless of how comfortable (or uncomfortable) you and your loved ones are with the topic.

https://theconversationproject.org/

https://thedeathdeck.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thedeathdeck/

13: What’s in a Death Binder? Jan 04, 2022

Just what kinds of things would be useful to the people we'll leave behind when we die? What decisions need to be made? What goes into a "Death Binder"?

12: Lessons for Living and Dying Well Dec 23, 2021

Presenting three books with good lessons learned from the dying on how to live (and die) well:

The Top Five Regrets of the Dying - Bronnie Ware
The Four Things That Matter Most - Ira Byock
When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi

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