The Irish funeral in the time of coronavirus
PODCAST: Padraic Cawley has been a civil funeral celebrant for a decade and has never experienced anything to compare to the reality of funeral services during the time of Covid-19.
news stories
A selection of news articles around the subject of death, grief and palliative care gathered from global news sources.
How to talk about death to those with a learning disability
PODCAST: Irene Tuffrey-Wijne is a Professor of Intellectual Disability and Palliative Care. She talks about ways to share bad news and the importance of communication.
Meeting the women who work in St Francis Hospice
PODCAST: Getting a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of St Francis Hospice Dublin through the voices of some of the incredible women who work there.
What we can learn from the experience of green burial in Canada
PODCAST: The Green Burial Society of Canada have been striving to quantify what makes a green burial actually ‘green’.
Ireland’s Muslims: the respect, ritual & etiquette of an Islamic funeral
PODCAST: The Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland share how the dead are cared for within the diverse Irish-Islamic community.
Banshees, fairies and wakes – old Irish death folklore
PODCAST: The wail of the banshee, unexpected interventions of fairies and farm animals sharing in the sorrows of death – learning about death folklore in Ireland.
How the Irish Hindu community care for their dead loved ones
PODCAST: Hindu death rituals have been practiced for thousands of years and have now been adapted to life in 21st century Ireland.
A young widow’s journey through grief and loss
PODCASTS: Melanie Leamy shares how she has coped with the death of her husband Paul and how grief has changed her experience of living.
Meeting the founder behind a unique artisan range of Irish cremation urns
Podcast: Bob Hamilton shares the story of how he came to set up this special business.
The practicalities of taking care of a loved one after they die
PODCAST: Taking care of a loved one after they’ve died has been the norm ever since there have been people.
Doris Salcedo’s Acts Of Mourning in Irish Museum of Modern Art
PODCAST: Going behind the scenes of a powerful exhibition tackling memorial and loss at the Irish Museum of Modern Art
Why it’s so important for everyone to talk about death
PODCAST: Rebecca Lloyd shares her moving experience of the many death conversations she’s facilitated with the Irish Hospice Foundation.
Re-imagining keening for the 21st century plus the story of AndVinyly
PODCAST: Can lament play a role in modern mental health? And also on the programme, the story of AndVinyly.
The unknown story of asylum seeker deaths in Ireland
PODCAST: Artist, activist and former asylum seeker Vukasin Nedeljkovic has been trying to find out.
Changing the face of end-of-life care in Irish hospitals
PODCAST: Innovative initiative quietly changing the concept of end-of-life care in Irish hospitals.
A Love That Never Dies – sharing the journey of bereaved parents
PODCAST: A very special documentary exploring grief through the powerful stories of bereaved parents.
The extra challenges farming families face after a tragic death
PODCAST: Hearing about the work of EmbraceFARM and the sad story behind its existence.
What’s it like to be a member of a parish funeral team?
PODCAST: Hear the story of Des Nix – part of the dedicated St John the Evangelist Kilbarrack parish team.
Supporting the grieving after a loved one takes their own life
PODCAST: Hearing about the wide range of free confidential supports available from Friends of Suicide Loss.
New study into mortality of homeless people in Dublin
PODCAST: The first time deaths of homeless have been captured in this way using a decade of data.
Is death denied or revived in the 21st century?
PODCAST: Guest Miriam Karrel shares her fascinating new research into Canadian Death Cafés.
The Dinner Party – backup for the bereaved
PODCAST: The story of The Dinner Party where guest Carla Fernandez explains the idea behind this unique get together.
Story of Children’s Grief Centre
PODCAST: The multi-award winning Children’s Grief Centre provides a safe space for children learning to cope with loss and bereavement.
When comics take on death, dying & grief
PODCAST: The comic makers tackling profound subjects in unique, funny and devastating ways. My guest is illustrator and comic-maker Debbie Jenkinson.
Lucie Robson and The Memorial Project
PODCAST: Meet the journalist and curator proposing to hold a photographic exhibition to highlight the horrors of economic suicide.
The ancient Irish traditions behind Halloween
Podcast: The night when the living and the dead share the earth. Exploring what lies behind Halloween or Samhain.
Last Breath – exploring the meaning of death through art
PODCAST: Marie Brett is an artist who deals with the profound themes of loss, death and bereavement in her work. ‘Last Breath’ is her new filmic artwork.
Living with loss – learning how to cope with grief in your life
PODCAST: Grief is universal but it’s also very personal and can be very isolating. It’s important to remember that you are not alone in learning to cope.
Exploring why Day of the Dead is so important across Latin America
PODCAST: Day of the Dead is celebrated across Latin America and not just Mexico — the many cultures and traditions behind Dia de los Muertos.
How water cremation works and why it’s a 21st century green alternative
PODCAST: The story of Resomation – the vision of a man committed to finding an eco-friendly way of dealing with the dead.
What is a funeral revolution? And why you should join it
PODCAST: Meeting the warm and funny founders of the UK’s very first Coffin Club who explain the revolution taking place in the funeral service.
The internet is an online graveyard. Do the dead have a right to privacy?
PODCAST: Learning about the stakeholders of modern grief and how the online world continues to evolve our relationship with death.
Reimagining keening for the 21st century in Ireland’s first workshop
PODCAST: Episode guest Marian Caulfield studies the role of sound in grief. She shares how she came to run Ireland’s first keening workshop.
Story of flat-pack coffins plus navigating state services after a death
PODCAST: In this episode, hearing about the Dutch company Coffin In A Box, and how to access state services after a bereavement.
The company that can preserve the tattoos of the dead
PODCAST: Talking to Kyle Sherwood, founder of Save My Ink Forever. He shares the story of his unusual company.
Orlaith Carmody and her book ‘Without You – Living With Loss’
PODCAST: Sharing the universal experience of grief through personal letters to lost loved ones is the basis of a book in aid of Our Lady’s Hospice.
Ireland’s newest crematorium and first to serve the west
PODCAST: Learning about how to write a eulogy and hearing about Shannon Crematorium, the west of Ireland’s first.
Story of Spike Island and Little Nellie of Holy God
Podcast: The fascinating story of Little Nellie of Holy God – Cork’s unofficial patron saint – and why a small girl who died in 1908 means so much to so many.
A history of how families remember their dead
PODCAST: Behind the scenes of a fascinating exhibition of objects of remembrance in twentieth-century Britain.
Understandings of death in contemporary Ireland
PODCAST: Dr Kevin Myers speaks about his fascinating research into changing attitudes to death in contemporary Ireland.
The funeral directors who look after medical donor bodies
PODCAST: Corrigan and Sons Funeral Directors have been serving families from Camden Street since 1884.
Learning from Sikh traditions around death and funerals
PODCAST: Satwinder Singh shares the rich history and traditions around end-of life in Sikhism.
What you need to know: how to save money on a funeral
PODCAST: The Funeral Consumers Alliance explain ways to create an affordable and dignified funeral.
Part two of Grief Demystified with Caroline Lloyd
PODCAST: When grief is traumatic and how you can be literally heartbroken.
Part one of Grief Demystified with Caroline Lloyd
PODCAST: Helping the bereaved and those who support them to understand the process of grief.
The dying art and craft of traditional Irish gravestones
PODCAST: Meeting the makers at one of the few traditional businesses left in Ireland.
Story of death & life in Dublin’s tenements
PODCAST: Tragically death was a familiar visitor to Dublin’s impoverished tenement-dwelling families.
Exploring Amsterdam’s fascinating Funeral Museum
PODCAST: Going behind the scenes of Tot Zover, the Funeral Museum of Amsterdam.
Does a cemetery have rights to build over old ‘poor graves’?
PODCAST: Exploring the planning controversy with Dublin’s history Glasnevin Cemetery.
Death Café movement and studying grief and loss in the marginalised
PODCAST: Meeting academic Jennifer Moran Stritch to talk about grief and loss in the marginalised.
What do you say to a grieving child at Christmas?
PODCAST: Brid Carroll from The Irish Childhood Bereavement Network shares practical advice.
Facing your mortality through images of abandoned spaces
PODCAST: The photographs that help you face death through the distant echoes of past lives lived.
Why shouldn’t you have a wake for a beloved animal companion?
PODCAST: Pets are family. Meet the man whose business provides a space for animal wakes.
What’s your funeral song? The story of My Last Soundtrack
PODCAST: Have you ever thought about what you’d like to have played at your funeral?
The incredible Katie Williams and her Kiwi Coffin Club
PODCAST: The innovative and creative New Zealand club that brings together seniors via DIY coffins.
Forum 2017: death, dying and bereavement in Ireland
PODCAST: Recorded at the Irish Hospice Foundation’s Forum 2017 event in Dublin Castle.
The unique and fascinating history of the Irish Funeral
PODCAST: Hear about the origins of the Irish Wake, the ancient practice of keening and rural funeral ‘games’.
How to really help a work colleague who is bereaved
PODCAST: Breffni McGuiness shares practical advice and helpful tips to make your workplace safe for grief.
Irish Hospice Foundation reveal what Irish want at end-of-life
PODCAST: What do the people of Ireland think about death? Results of the first nationwide survey revealed.
Answering your questions about cremation
PODCAST: Going behind the scenes at one of Dublin’s historic crematoriums to see what happens.
The Irish charity helping those bereaved by homicide
PODCAST: Sharon Mitchell shares her story of losing her son to homicide and how she found AdVIC.
How do you tell someone that they’re dying?
PODCAST: An innovative UK study shows how doctors depend on body language as much as words.
Death on the ward: frontline nurse shares her experiences
PODCAST: What it’s like to die on an acute hospital ward and what happens next for the families left behind.
How an acute hospital becomes ‘hospice friendly’
PODCAST: The busiest and biggest acute hospital in Ireland is making positive changes.
Activist to funeral celebrant, plus what’s space burial?
PODCAST: Story of why an LGTB activist trained to be a funeral celebrant. Plus what is space burial?
The innovative ‘Kicking the Bucket’ project in Limerick
PODCAST: Meet the two women facing mortality head on through laughter and art.
Pet cremation questions answered
PODCAST: Some common questions answered when choosing to cremate an animal companion.
Death, etc: makers, experts & academics
IRELAND – This unique event explores the history, present & future of death at Dublin School of Creative Arts.
Building up your ‘mortality muscles’
AUSTRALIA – The first ‘Festival of Death and Dying’ took place in Sydney with a goal of improving ‘death literacy’.
What does it actually feel like to die?
USA – “Do you want to know what will happen as your body starts shutting down?”
Why hospitals need to be ‘hospice friendly’
PODCAST – Sometimes it can be the small changes that can have the greatest impacts.
The rise of the ‘forest funeral’ in Germany
GERMANY – Why people are beginning to reject the cemetery as a place to bury their dead.
Stories from a NYC funeral director
PODCAST – How funerals of the city’s most famous residents are conducted that bit differently.
How a good death needs good design
PODCAST – Interview about the innovative London project bringing design thinking to deathcare.
New HSE standards for bereavement care
IRELAND – New standards for bereavement care following pregnancy loss and perinatal death have recently
Strange history of death and dying in Dublin
IRELAND – Hear stories from a new book opening up a hidden history, from grave-robbers to garden cemeteries.
Can I leave my Twitter account in my Will?
IRELAND – Solicitor and legal expert Owen Burke answers this and other questions on 21st century Wills.
Innovative new world of the online memorial
CANADA – Meet the young company innovating the way we remember our dead for a digital age.
The Music Thanatologist helping the dying
USA – Jennifer Hollis is a professional Music Thanatologist. Song has been shown to help ease suffering.
Death & the prison officer
IRELAND – New research sheds light on how the death of prisoners affects their custodians.
The secret world of the trainee funeral celebrant
IRELAND – Rachel Henderson is a trainee funeral celebrant. She shares the story of this very personal journey.
Beginner’s guide on how to write a Will
IRELAND – Will expert & solicitor Owen Burke translates the ‘legalese’ and explains the process.
Urban Death Project’s ultimate green burial
USA – Why we should redraw the deathcare map and create a genuinely green alternative.
Why Capsula Mundi reinvented the coffin
ITALY – Listen to the story of Capsula Mundi in a special interview with its creator Raoul Bretzel.
The social media accounts of the dead
IRELAND – A guide to how different social media platforms treat the accounts of deceased users.
We’ve lost the ability to deal with death
IRELAND – Author Dr Seamus O’Mahony strongly argues that modern medicine in acute hospitals ill-serves the dying.
How to turn our cemeteries into forests
IRELAND – Want to be turned into a tree after you die? Roger Moliné and his brother can help with that.
Bell family have helped fly bodies of Irish home
IRELAND – Parents of Kevin Bell honoured in Perth for service to the families of Irish people killed abroad.
A tot of whiskey for your dying hours
UK – Hospitals should allow dying patients a tot of whiskey to ease their final days, a leading doctor has said,
French startups take on funeral industry
FRANCE – How a growing number of startups are challenging the country’s traditional funeral industry.
Becoming a social media data donor
USA – Donating social media data can now assist researchers in helping to prevent suicide in vulnerable people.
We think our attitudes to death are unchanging
UK – Death rituals such as the anglers who turned their friend’s ashes into fishing bait are nothing new.
A very unconventional emerging funeral trend
USA – Why some families choose to have their loved one posed as if they are alive at the funeral.
Helping a teenager through grief
AUSTRALIA – Five things they should know about grief that can help support them through this difficult process.
Making your mark: fabric-covered coffins
NEW ZEALAND – A Kiwi funeral director has unveiled a range of alternative fabric-covered ‘green’ coffins.
Death: what happens to our online selves?
UK – We spend more of our lives on the internet — but what happens to our online selves when we die?
Why people are crowdfunding funerals
UK – With the costs soaring and government aid falling short, people are turning to crowdfunding funerals.
“It’s not worth me having a long-life lightbulb”
UK – Death is a part of life for people over 95 years old, who mainly live day-to-day, concludes a rare study of
A new urban-rural divide in American death
USA – An urban-rural mortality gap emerges among whites as risky behaviors work to defy modern trends.
Deaths in England & Wales at a 12-year high
UK – PHE says less effective flu vaccine may have contributed to largest percentage rise in deaths since 1968.
Law challenge over right to sell ‘green’ caskets
USA – A woman is suing Alabama for right to sell ‘green’ caskets. Only funeral directors can legally do this.
Autistic people 9 times more likely to die early
UK – Autistic people without a learning disability have a nine times higher than average premature mortality rate
The top 10 euphemisms for death
USA – Out of a collection of 6.5 million obituaries, more than 5 million of them chose the term ‘passed away’.
Are families ready to talk about death and dying?
USA – Most people avoid the topics of aging and dying like the plague. Erica Hollack, author of “Live Well, Die Well,”
‘Death simulator’ offers a new perspective on life
CHINA – A new business in Shanghai gives a startling simulation of what it’s like to be born and to die.
Swedish funeral attendance shrinking
SWEDEN — The average number of funeral attendees is now about 24, down from 49 just three decades ago.
Low-income families suffer funeral poverty
UK – Rising cost of basic ceremonies and lack of state support risks ‘return to miserable pauper’s funerals’
Sad songs can help you deal with grief
UK – New research has shown that sad songs can help people deal with the loss of a loved one.
How Beijing celebrates Tomb-Sweeping Day
CHINA – The centuries old Tomb-Sweeping Day or Qingming Festival falls on 4 April this year.
Funeral costs: is it time to plan ahead?
IRELAND – Death is inevitable so if you can bear to plan ahead here is what you need to know.
Death-related thoughts discourage purchasing
USA – Thinking about death isn’t doing the annuity industry any favors, but it could be the missing piece of a
The ‘alternative’ funeral is taking over
UK – Adam Lee explains growth of the ‘alternative’ funeral as younger generations turn away from religion.
Doctors may treat dying patients for too long
UK – Inquiry into end-of-life care finds some doctors carry on giving treatment to dying patients because of pressure
Urns honor ancient pre-Hispanic funeral culture
MEXICO – A new interpretation of cremation urns is based on pre-Hispanic funeral vessels.
Emerging tech to help people curate afterlives
UK – A wave of apps such are emerging to help people plan their own mortal passings, right down to Instagram-
Sharp rise in demand for green burial services
USA – Demand is growing for green burial in the US. More than 64% of over 40s want eco-friendly options.
Swedish designers plan for skyscraper cemetery
SWEDEN – Two young designers propose skyscraper cemeteries as a solution to urban overcrowding.
New bill to increase cost of cremation in Arizona
USA – Arizona funeral homes say the cost of cremation could soon spike because of a bill making its way through
UK death rate rise at 63-year high says Dignity
UK – Dignity reports an “extraordinary” year for deaths in 2015 and admits the rate of increase stretched its services.
China increasing cremation rates
CHINA – The state will support eco-burial and increase cremation rates in an effort to save land and reduce
Probate fees in UK to be increased
UK – The government is planning to increase probate fees in an effort to raise £250m per year (€316m).
New law reacts to unconventional funerals
CANADA – New legislation in Quebec aims to react to new unconventional attitudes to conducting funerals.
Thinking outside the box one last time
UK – We’re lucky in Britain not to face the kind of restrictions over death ceremonies in place elsewhere, so it’s
What it feels like to die and come back
IRELAND – What does it really feel like to die? We all think about it but few of us want to talk about it.
Amazon Japan offers Monks for memorials
JAPAN – A new service from Amazon Japan – ‘Mr Monk Delivery’ – provides Buddhist monks who will perform
Scottish Government to tackle ‘funeral poverty’
UK – The average funeral in Scotland is now €4,500. This has become too expensive for many low income families.
Website gives ‘greater control over your death’
UK – A website which allows people to declare how they wish to be treated in the final weeks of their lives is set to
Call for clearer pricing as USA funeral costs rise
USA & CANADA – Funeral costs in America have increased by over 28% in the last decade according to the NFDA.
How to die green: eco-friendly funerals
USA – Why rethinking the way we handle the dead could be a boon to the environment and your wallet.
Is London the worst place in the UK to die?
UK – The UK is billed as being the best place in the world to die, but the picture in the capital is far less rosy than national
Why I belong to a South African burial society
SOUTH AFRICA – Traditional funerals in South Africa are big affairs where even the poorest households spare no expense, so
Five ways to save on the cost of funerals
UK – As the cost of a traditional funeral keeps rising, more people are looking for ways to save, from a backyard burial to
Normalizing death through home funerals in Colorado
USA – It always seems to take us by surprise when a human body throws off its mortal coil. And in the wake of death, families
Why funerals are the new weddings
UK – A basic funeral service now costs an average of more than £3,500, with prices expected to rise further. And unlike
Californian Gov. Brown signs assisted-death bill
USA – Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill Monday giving terminally ill Californians the right to be prescribed a lethal dose of
UK tops end-of-life care index, strong hospice care
UK – Integration of palliative care into NHS and strong hospice movement among reasons for UK ranking first in study of 80
Dramatic differences in cost of dying just miles apart
UK – Bereaved cutting back on flowers and opting for cheaper coffins to curb the impact of funeral cost inflation
Council shuts cemeteries due to staff shortages
UK – Burials will only take place on two days over the next three weeks as Newcastle-under-Lyme borough council
Grief at work: moving on is the hardest job ever
UK – Why do we spend time debating a woman’s role when another life begins, but not what to do when a loved one’s life ends?
Europeans may die earlier in age than grandparents
UK – World Health Organisation says smoking, drinking and obesity must be curbed in continent using tactics such as
Lunar graveyard planned by San Francisco company
USA – Many people dream of travelling to the moon, but if all else fails, they can now be laid to rest there. Celestial funeral firm
Too few doctors are trained to deal with dying patients
UK – Experts from Kings College London have warned that too few doctors are trained to deal with dying patients. Doctors
Tea and sympathy? Death cafes embrace last taboo
UK – Attitudes towards dying are shifting – and there’s even an Ideal Death Show coming up. What’s behind the emergence
Death has become a part of Britain’s benefits system
UK – More than 80 people a month are now dying after being declared ‘fit for work’. The safety net that used to be there for the
Let’s talk about living and dying well, today
SINGAPORE – People should talk to loved ones in advance about how they want to die. Such conversations are always too early
Thousands have died after being found fit for work
UK – Campaigners demand welfare overhaul after statistics reveal 2,380 people died between 2011 and 2014 shortly after
Cost of cremation soars in UK, now averages £640
UK – Cremating an adult costs an average of £640 now, compared with £480 five years ago, with local councils blaming the rise on
How doctors tell patients they’re going to die
USA – In the U.S. health-care system, it’s often unclear who should talk to patients about end-of-life care options.
Grieving man plants 7km of sunflowers for dead wife
USA – A grieving widower has fulfilled a promise he made to his dying wife by planting sunflowers along a 7km stretch of a
Death midwives take care of loved ones after they die
USA – Laura Fry only knew the first man she helped die as “dad.” The 72-year-old man’s lungs and bones were riddled with
We hospice CEOs should not stay silent
UK – I’m worried that if I speak out about the change in the law we so badly need, it will alienate trustees, staff and donors.
Number of people donating organs after death falls
UK – The 3% drop has led to fewer transplants taking place, prompting calls for families to ensure they discuss donation
In a child’s eyes a pet will never run out of lives
UK – Children don’t worry about elderly pets because they don’t understand death. Perhaps that’s why they’re so good at living.
When dropping out of school is a deadly decision
USA – Failure to get a diploma is linked to a surprisingly large percentage of premature deaths.
Working in the temporary mortuary during 7/7
UK – In the gardens of the Honourable Artillery Company with the people who cared for the 52 victims.
How Elisabeth Kübler-Ross changed dying
USA – July 8, 1926: Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, the psychiatrist who pioneered treatment for people with terminal illness, is born.
How to plan for a good death
UK – Sheila Kitzinger, the natural childbirth activist who died in April, pioneered the idea of birth plans. Her daughters, Celia and Jenny, describe how their mother made a death plan – so she could die at home according to
Death is a constant companion through life
IRELAND – A bitter day, as a white coffin is carried along a West Cork hillside. Afterwards, red-eyed relatives drink whiskey at the graveside but tradition grants no shelter from cold or loss. At dusk, a motorboat bobs on a river as two strangers
A good death is important to everyone involved
IRELAND – We tend to judge things by their endings. You can have a bad day, but if it ends well, you go to sleep happy. In fact it’s scientifically proven, in studies about pain, that people’s memories of things and the taste an experience leaves
Are you concerned with your quality of death?
USA – At the end, they both required antipsychotics. Each had become unrecognizable to their families. On the day that Sandy Bem, a Cornell psychology professor, 65, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she decided that
Where in the world is it illegal to die?
UK – Six towns have outlawed dying since 1999, with penalties ranging from fines to increased taxes – and they’re far from the
Few Britons discuss dying or make forward plans
UK – In a life of inevitabilities it is the most obviously inescapable fate of all, yet remarkably few Britons have discussed their death and its aftermath, according to a survey, with little more than a third having made a will. While more than 30% of people
‘Death cafes’ break taboo of talking about dying
UK – A series of “death cafes,” designed to break taboos and get people talking about dying, will be held at the University of Bradford next week. Sessions on how to plan your own funeral, cope with the death of a loved one and faith and death
‘The Art of Dying’ Explores Approaches to Dying
NY – Melanie Chaite has had many brushes with death. In 21 years of living with lymphangiomatosis, a rare cancer-like progressive lymphatic disorder that she’s had since birth, bouts of severe pneumonia have left her in intensive care.
Death and Dying, Lost in Translation
CA – Language barriers top the list of challenges doctors face with end-of-life conversations with patients from different ethnic backgrounds. It’s never easy for doctors to talk to their patients about death, but it’s especially hard when they don’t
Today Let’s Talk About How You Want to Die
USA – It’s National Healthcare Decisions Day. Are Americans ready to discuss end-of-life care? Every day in hospitals around the US, doctors, families, and patients make difficult decisions about what to do as a patient’s odds of recovering
Death in space: The ethics of astronauts’ bodies
US – It’s raining in Washington on July 24, 1969. The weather seems appropriate, given the tragic events that have just transpired that evening. Richard Nixon stands before a tense press corps gathered at the White House, and a silence envelops the room.
How do we protect our digital legacy after death?
UK – In the old days we stored our treasured memories in photo albums and paper diaries. Physical things which could be passed on in a will. But now, in our online lives our memories – our thoughts, feelings and images – are scattered to
Top tips for making a will and choosing potential guardians for your kids
IRELAND – No parent wants to think about dying, so much so that many of us put off putting provisions in place in the event that we do pass. But making a will now could save you and your loved ones a lot of heartache in the long term.
The man who tweeted updates of the last days of his mother’s life
US – In July 2013, some 1.2 million Twitter users followed a remarkable series of tweets from NPR’s Scott Simon. He was sending updates from the hospital room where his mother was living the last days of her life.
Robin Williams restricted use of his image after death
US – According to a review of the Robin Williams Trust, Williams bequeathed rights to his name, signature, photograph and likeness to the Windfall Foundation, a charitable organization set up by Williams’ legal reps at the law firm of Manatt, Phelps.
From poetry to insults: the most extraordinary wills of the last 50 years
UK – In February 1999, Kenneth Gibson, from Lincolnshire, insisted that his daughter be given the “price of half a pound of pork sausages” after her late mother, Ann Cox, did not pay her for them.
Oscar the cat comforts terminally ill patients
USA – Ten-year-old Oscar has been comforting patients in their dying days at Steere House Nursing centre since he was a kitten. Staff and doctors at the Rhode Island centre are baffled by Oscar’s natural ability to seek out the dying and
Clive James: ‘I’ve got a lot done since my death’
Two years after reports suggesting his imminent death, Clive James still has plenty of life left in him. Ahead of a new collection of poetry next month, the polymath and former Observer TV critic discusses the poems written to his wife, his place in history and ‘dying by inches’
Natural world & Native American Death Rituals
US – Native American traditions and rituals may differ from tribe to tribe, but commonalities exist in Native American death rituals. Modern day Native Americans may incorporate ancient death rituals, handed down from their ancestors, in a modern funeral service.
Estate planning: 16 things to do before you die
USA – Not only is it important that you implement your plan and make sure others know about it and understand your wishes – as Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote goes, “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”. If you’ve procrastinated on your estate planning, please read this.
Heart-wrenching photo of doctor crying goes viral
CA – Outside of a Southern California hospital, an ER doctor is crouched down against a concrete wall grieving the loss of his 19-year-old patient. A paramedic snaps a photo of the tender scene. His coworker, a close friend of the doctor, posts the photo
If you’re going to die, don’t do it here in New Jersey
NJ – ‘If you’re going to die, don’t do it here.’ That’s advice a financial planner might give his New Jersey client today, not protecting the rug in his office, but the size of the estate to be passed along to heirs. No other state levies taxes as high as New Jersey’s
Why people leave their bodies to medical research
UK – Helping find answers to hereditary diseases, training surgeons or wanting to leave an educational legacy are the reasons. But what sort of people donate bodies to science? Neurosurgery at a London hospital.
France passes ‘deep sleep’ bill for end of life
FRANCE – France’s lower house of parliament passed a bill on Tuesday allowing patients near the end of their lives to stop medical treatment and request deep sedation until they die, a move that critics say is effectively a form of euthanasia.
A very public grief: how to support an introvert
USA – So imagine how I feel when days after my mother dies I find myself staring down an endless line of black dresses and dark suits; a veritable who’s who of my family’s past, all waiting to do the awkward hug-or-no-hug tango.
Exploring the ‘Death-bed selfie’ art in Australia
AUSTRALIA – Artist Hayley West has been unlucky in life – and death. Her three-year-old sister drowned next to her in a suburban pool when she was 6 and she has since lost both her parents to cancer, her uncle to drink-driving,
Will human composting change death in the city?
USA – What we do with our dead can seem bizarre to outsiders. In a Tibetan tradition called sky burial, the deceased are cut into small pieces by a man known as therogyapa, or “breaker of bodies,” and laid atop mountains to be picked apart by vultures.
Elderly California couple take last breaths together
FRESNO, CA — In hospital beds pushed together in their Easton, California home, Floyd and Violet Hartwig weren’t able to communicate the day they died — at least, not in words. Their breathing told another story.
We’ll all die one day. Time we got used to the idea?
UK – Instead of trying to outwit mortal disease, we should be learning to face our fate with courage. I’m writing this after hearing an apparently innocuous and encouraging snippet of news – that a new lung cancer treatment is capable of giving
NY to Introduce Death with Dignity Bill
USA – New York state lawmakers have introduced a “death with dignity” bill that would make the state the sixth in the U.S. to allow terminally ill adults to end their own lives with doctor-prescribed medicine. “The option to end one’s
Two words most doctors avoid saying: You’re dying
LA – There is one word most doctors hate to say: Dying. Many of them will go to great lengths — even subterfuge — to avoid it. Sure, nobody likes to deliver bad news. But shouldn’t physicians have mastered that? In a recent study
A Funeral Costs How Much? Ways to avoid overpaying
USA – I’ve seen it too many times to count. My husband has been a funeral director for most of his adult life, and I worked alongside him for almost seven years. And the story, while always tragic and heartbreaking in its own way, is almost always the same.
Tips from widows – a guide to getting through grief
UK – Jan Robinson collected the advice from a network of widows after her husband died suddenly. The result is a funny, comforting and therapeutic handbook for bereavement. Four years ago, Jan Robinson’s husband died suddenly of a heart attack, making her an instant widow.
Terminally ill doctor’s ‘my name is’ campaign success
A campaign by a terminally ill doctor to encourage healthcare staff to introduce themselves to patients is being supported by more than 90 NHS organisations. Dr Kate Granger, a 31-year-old hospital consultant, started the “Hello my name is…” campaign while being treated for cancer.
What I’ll Do With Facebook After My Parents Die
My parents have always been upfront with me about their wishes for when they die. I can remember talking about cremation, living wills, and Do Not Resuscitate orders way back in middle school. But when a PR pitch came across my inbox, announcing that in a recent survey only
What happens your loved ones after your death?
IRELAND – What protection does your family need in the event of your illness or death? If you have been following this series you will have already taken charge of your savings and considered your plans for retirement. Now it’s time to ensure your family is adequately protected.
More families celebrate life with personalized services
CO – Ruth Solazzi was born June 15, 1920. She was a dedicated teacher and opera singer who earned a master’s degree in music in the early 1940s, at a time when only about 6 percent of females pursued higher education. She raised four children, was grandmother to nine
‘Death test’ could predict chance of dying
A test to determine if elderly patients will die within 30 days of being admitted to hospital has been developed by doctors to give them the chance to go home or say goodbye to loved ones. Experts say this will prevent futile and expensive medical treatments which prolong suffering.
What happens when all our cemeteries are full?
UK – The business of death has become highly lucrative as the cost of dying rises in cities across the world. So what place is there for tomorrow’s dead – and does new technology offer a better solution? Lack of space and soaring costs are familiar problems for anyone who lives in a city.
Death with dignity movement is alive and well
CA – Palm Springs residents Bill Bentinck and his wife, Lynda, were not afraid of having the big talk no one really wants to have. “We both told each other that we didn’t want to live through a painful dying process,” Bentinck said, “and when the time comes we’ll just do it and get it over with. No fear.”
High-tech Japanese funeral industry booms
AUSTRALIA – Japan has the oldest population in the world and in the next 50 years it is set to shrink by 40 million, leading to its end-of-life industry booming. Almost all Japanese people get cremated and have their ashes put into family crypts in conventional looking cemeteries.
How hospices can save hospitals
UK – Today the health select committee begins taking evidence for a new inquiry into end-of-life care. This comes after considerable public concern about the quality of care that people receive as they die, and six months after the controversial “Liverpool Care Pathway”
Living Longer, Dying Differently
WA – If the prevalence and commonality of death has had any positive side effect on Louisiana—which has one of the lowest life expectancies in the U.S.—it’s that residents have attuned themselves to its context. “Early on, I got some sense of history and how ages compare, and how
Refusal to talk about death hurts the elderly
CA – For some reason, there is a running joke among my immediate family about how my parents will die. Specifically, my brother and I will come home for Thanksgiving one year and find them decomposing on the couch. Yes, this is a bizarre thing to crack jokes about.
Prescribing the end-of-life conversation
MA – Is saving the life of a terminal patient always the best medicine? Like most doctors, I was a young resident, fresh out of medical school, when I had my first experience with the American way of mistreating the dying. Taras Skripchenko was a frail, bed-bound 78-year-old man with inoperable
Animals grieve just as people do
UK – When a young swan was trapped in a canal lock in Leicester last week, its parents seemed devastated. The adult swans stayed close by for two days, visibly distressed as they tried to coax the cygnet out. An onlooker said: “I’m a parent myself and I know how anxious they must
Yoga: A Treatment for Grief?
USA – Grief has traditionally been thought of as a psychological experience, but mental health experts are beginning to realize it involves a complex relationship between body and mind. Abby Saloma was physically and mentally crushed from caring for her mother, who was dying
Dying in the age of Facebook
IL – Social media, especially Facebook, profoundly has changed the way we announce death and/or its imminence, the way we find out about loss, the way we mourn, the language we use to comfort the grieving and the status of those who do the comforting.
Funerals to be live streamed online
UK – Undertakers move into digital age. More funeral homes are offering streaming services to bereaved families. Sharing funerals online allows far-flung mourners to take part, say experts. Some crematoria will upload services to websites to be viewed for 30 days.
‘shared-death experiences’, real or a mirage?
The man’s name was Ron, and he was a former Merchant Marine who was afflicted with stomach cancer. Peters says he would spend up to three hours a day at Ron’s bedside, talking to and reading adventure stories to him because few family or friends visited.
As cremations rise, cemeteries rethink land use
OH – At 71 years young, Lois Griswold of Wyoming is starting to get her “ducks in a row.” Griswold isn’t facing imminent challenges to her health and vitality, but she and her husband, Gary, 67, visited Arlington Memorial Gardens in Springfield Township to identify a ground burial alternative.
Death on the net: the rise of livestreaming funerals
USA – Usually at 11am, I’d be stepping out of my office for an early lunch, but not today. Today, I find myself leaning into my computer screen in the most isolated corner of The Atlantic‘s kitchen, hoping that no one stumbles in as I try to watch a stranger’s funeral over the Internet.
Palliative care access need for all nearing end of life
CANADA – Dramatic improvements are needed to provide quality palliative care for all patients facing the end of their lives, including boosting the number of health providers trained in specialized care of the dying, says an Ontario health advisory agency.
Students Breathing New Life Into The Death Industry
NY – The young, close-knit, predominantly female students in SUNY Canton’s mortuary school are fascinated with our most difficult, yet unavoidable, subject. But when it comes to changing attitudes about death, are educational programs like the one they’re in part of the problem?
Are we prolonging life or prolonging death?
VA – The doctor floated through the intensive care unit, white lab coat flapping, moving from room to room, scanning one chart and then another, often frowning. Unlike TV dramas, where the victims of car crashes and gun shots populate the ICU, this one at Sentara Norfolk General,
Personalization in funerals takes off
USA – Houston has a key role, with biggest company in the business in town. Tripp Carter meets with clients on West Alabama around a table in what looks like a formal dining room. The chairs are copies of those Napoleon had at Chateau de Malmaison, his palace outside Paris.
A Lesson in Graveyard Soil Science
NY – Here’s a universal truth: We all die. And here’s another universal truth (that any good farmer would certainly agree with): Soil is everything. This, perhaps, is why so many eco-conscious folks today are buying out plots at green cemeteries.
Ashes scattered in more than a hundred countries
ME – In November 2013, Hallie Twomey turned to social media to ask people across the world to scatter her son’s ashes. One year on CJ’s ashes have been taken to more than 100 countries and have even been sent into space. There are many photos on the Scattering CJ Facebook page.
How to Make Your Wishes for End-of-Life Care Clear
USA – As acceptance of end-of-life planning grows in the US, new concerns are emerging about how well patients and their doctors understand the forms they are signing about the care they want in their final days. In September, the Institute of Medicine’s “Dying in America” report
Including End-of-Life Talk In Your Holiday Plans
USA – The holiday season has dawned. Family members far and wide are reconnecting for parties and cookies by the fire. Gifts will be exchanged. The old recipes will make their way to the table. There will even be a glass or two lifted, perhaps some glogg.
The U.S. Death Rate Spikes On Thanksgiving
USA – Doctors have long known that the overall U.S. mortality rate annually spikes around Thanksgiving, and remains elevated through the winter. (According to the CDC, the nation’s death rate in December 2013 was about 5% higher than the death rate in November 2013.)
Having a hard time finding a good place to die?
The latest Consumer Reports takes on end-of-life care and recommends that families steer away from newer, for-profit hospices. The move is sure to rattle the hospice industry, much of which consists of, well, newer, for-profit outfits. Part of the “Business of Dying” series.
Death tourism is rising draw for Japan’s elderly
JAPAN – Housewife Reiko Wachi, 65, who lives in Kawasaki, poses for pictures as a photographer encourages her, saying, “Good smile. Very nice.” The photo session last month was planned by a Tokyo-based travel company, Club Tourism International Inc., with the goal of having
Stop trying to help everyone live longer
Atul Gawande’s current best-seller, Being Mortal, has touched a nerve regarding our medical system’s very poor handling of aging, life-altering illnesses, hospice, and palliative care. I caught up with Gawande after he delivered a public lecture on his book.
Quality of U.S. hospices varies, patients left in dark
USA – More than a million times a year, a terminally ill patient in the United States is enrolled in hospice care. Each time, the family confronts a decision that, while critical, often must be made almost blindly: Which hospice to hire? Part of the “Business of Dying” series.
Ezekiel J. Emanuel: Why I Hope to Die at Seventy-Five
Seventy-five. That’s how long I want to live: 75 years. This preference drives my daughters and my brothers crazy. My loving friends think I am crazy. They think that I can’t mean what I say; that I haven’t thought clearly about this, because there is so much in the world to see and do.
A thousand words for death
UK – How would you like to die, linguistically? When the lexicographers were compiling their citations for the Oxford English Dictionary, they came across this remarkable one, in a US graveyard: Caroline, wife of EJ Langston, born on March 23 1833. Passed out Dec 18 1867.
Crowdfunding Funeral Costs For A Loved One
USA – When someone dies, it’s common to send flowers or make a charitable donation in his or her honor. But with costs often exceeding $7,000 a growing number of mourners are turning to crowdfunding sites specially designed to help cover the deceased’s funeral expenses.
What does mourning on Twitter mean?
IL – “About seven years ago, Lauren Bacall showed up at my place for a party,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer John Patrick Shanley tweeted Wednesday morning. “It was like having a yacht show up in your bathtub.” Shanley’s anecdote was wry but affectionate.
Five Things The Dying Want Us To Know
USA – Veteran journalist and author Patricia Pearson of Opening Heaven’s Door: Investigating Stories of Life, Death, and What Comes After explains what she discovered after researching how people cross over. The 72-hour mark is when it begins.
A Growing Business in Eco-friendly Burials
Here’s a grim statistic: The estimated funeral costs for the baby boomer generation will be half a trillion dollars. Now many members of that demographic are looking for alternatives to expensive contemporary burials and funerals. It’s not just about the money though;
Census Says More Deaths, Fewer Births in U.S. in 2013
USA – Thanks to younger Americans delaying having children and an exceptionally large group of Americans reaching mortality, the gap between births and deaths in the U.S. is the smallest it’s been in nearly four decades, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census.
Why Students Are Dying to Get Into ‘Death Classes’
NJ – At Kean University, students are dying (as it were) to get into Norma Bowe’s class “Death in Perspective,” which has sometimes carried a three-year waiting list. On one field trip to a local coroner’s office, Dr. Bowe’s students were shown three naked cadavers on metal tables.
Loneliness may increase risk of early death
USA – The impact of loneliness on early death is almost as strong as the impact of being poor, which increased the chances of dying early by 19%, research has found. People who feel consistently lonely have a 14% higher risk of premature death than those who don’t, a new study shows.
Looking for ‘the poetry of death and dying in America’
USA – Between 1996 and 1998, Bastienne Schmidt and her husband, Philippe Cheng, traveled throughout the USA photographing the services and ceremonies Americans use for the dead, hoping to “show some of the poetry of death and dying in America.”
Digital Stories Help Dying Patients Communicate
TN – Before she died, Theresa and Raphael’s mother created a video message to comfort her children, remind them of her everlasting love, and assure them that everything is as it should be. It is one of four digital stories created as a UT College of Nursing pilot research project.
Is a woodland funeral the best way to go?
UK – I’ve been to a number of woodland funerals and am considering one myself. But are they really the best option? Going green allows an empowered response to death. The Natural Death Handbook is full of ideas of how to think outside the box
Why are high school football players dying?
JAMESTOWN, NY — There have been 13 kids in the past two years whose deaths are directly related to high school #football. And yet there have been no fatalities at other levels. Experts point to several reasons. The death certificate of Damon Janes sketches a terrible story.
Right-to-Die Advocate’s video released on birthday
PORTLAND, OR – A new video released by supporters of the so-called Death With Dignity movement shows Brittany Maynard, on what would’ve been her 30th birthday, advocating for expanded right-to-die legislation around the United States.
Father sings to dying son following wife’s death
USA – A video of a father singing The Beatles’ Blackbird to his dying newborn son has moved millions since going viral. Chris Picco, lost his 30-year-old wife Ashley Picco on Nov. 8 after an emergency C-section to save their unborn son Lennon who passed away a few days later.
Youths are using Facebook to mourn loved one
IRELAND – The break in traditional mourning habits, where young people grieve online rather than at the graveside, is a phenomenon that can lead to trauma for the mourner if the posthumous digital profile is taken down, according to Dr Elaine Kasket.
Funeral home offers drive-thru viewing
SAGINAW, MI – A funeral home has added an unusual new convenience for mourners — a drive-thru viewing window. Paradise Funeral Chapel has installed a window that displays a body set up in a special area inside the building with a raised and tilted platform for the casket.
