Most of us can expect to die in a hospital or a nursing home of sorts. The main role which is played out by the people working in these institutions is:  help find a cure, or if the patient is terminal, try and keep them as comfortable as possible until the end. It seems that these professionals become accustomed to equating the administration of drugs to the comfort of the patient. Of-course drug therapy is necessary and effective for many individuals nearing the end of their lives, but it is not the only way for a professional to provide comfort for a dying person.

Loved ones also find themselves at a loss in regards to how they should provide comfort and support for a dying family member. Many friends and relatives use the excuse that they would just be getting in the way of the doctors or nurses. This is their best attempt to avoid the dying. Sometimes flowers and cards are as close as anyone can get to making a physical effort of support.

The medical community seems to be infected with a determination to keep us alive longer and longer. They constantly push themselves to expand the human lifespan and engineer two more seconds of life for our hearts, livers, and lungs. They seem to forget about the whole of the picture as they stay focused on certain specifics. No matter the level of expertise or how much more life can be artificially given to us, we deserve to be found by those around us as deserving of attention and love on a very personal level. Read More→