Experts Urge Death Planning and Reflection as 2-Thirds of Americans Died in Hospitals by the 1970s
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Oct 6
Experts Urge Death Planning and Reflection as 2-Thirds of Americans Died in Hospitals by the 1970s
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Oct 6
Summary
Over a dozen experts said confronting mortality can make people better prepared for loss and help them live more purposefully, rather than waiting until death becomes unavoidable.
Dr Lucy Hone, Alua Arthur, Dr Luyi Kathy Zhang and others tied death anxiety to fear of lost control, avoidance of painful emotions and future-oriented lives disrupted by finitude.
By the 1950s most Americans were dying in hospitals, and by the 1970s at least two-thirds did, a shift experts said pushed death out of daily life and made it more abstract.
Practical steps they recommended include writing a will or advance directive, reflecting for five minutes on someone who died, and asking what would matter on a deathbed.
The broader aim is not to erase fear but to tolerate it well enough to strengthen relationships, clarify priorities and balance present life with future plans.