Sentiment - Video and photo montage production

I was reading the latest update on the Palliative care blog – Dying at Home Is Better For Cancer Patients and Their Families

It got me thinking about birth and death – such ends of the spectrum, yet both as important to plan for.  Both in Birth and in Death, it’s our choice to choose the care we want, with or without the aid of doctors, hospitals and bureaucracy… isn’t it?

In Birth, women are advised to write a ‘birth plan’ as a general guideline for the midwives and doctors to ensure a labouring mother gets the care she wishes. It contains info such as: home or hospital birth, drugs or not etc.

In Death some people have a living will, often very simple documents stating personal preferences on resuscitation and the administration of life prolonging drugs., However these days you can find more comprehensive  documents outlining your options.  Fantastic Funerals and our sister company Sentiment Farewells both offer a more detailed Living Will section in their pre-planning documents, thus opening the door to discussing more details about death wishes, including desires to be at home or in hospital.

Home comforts:

Home choices can often be limited due to care options, scaremongering and trends. However in the case of births, The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) support home births for women stating “There is ample evidence showing that labouring at home increases a woman’s likelihood of a birth that is both satisfying and safe, with implications for her health and that of her baby” .

And it seems this is the same in death as it is for birth: A new study confirms what hospice professionals have known for years:  dying at home is better –both for the cancer patient and his/her family.  The study, reported in the September 13th issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, found that cancer patients who die in the hospital have worse quality of life than those who die at home.  The study also found that caregivers of patients who die in the ICU are at an increased risk for developing psychiatric illnesses during the bereavement process, like PTSD.

At present more than 80 per cent of people express a wish to die in the comfort of their own home. But 60 per cent end up dying in hospital.

*With both of my babies, I requested a home birth because it felt the safest and most natural choice for me, as it turns out medically this was not possible, but I always felt empowered that I had that option. In death I feel the same , that we should all be aware of our options and of our rights to die at home… If we so choose.

 http://www.lifebeforedeath.com/

I really want to enjoy the concept of this new interactive website that is here to change the way we think about death, BUT my life is busy and my attention span to websites is very limited when I have to wait for all this stuff to load . All the  beautiful flash animations and graphics  in the world  don’t win me over if I can’t access the information I’m looking for in the short few minuets I have to spare…

Its ashame – because the bit of information I did managed to acess from the About Us page  drew me in.  I like the tone, I like what they are saying, I like the concept…”  here’s an extract from their About Us page:

It’s no big secret that Death has a bad rep. It is after all the End-of-Life. Boo-hoo.

But now, Death is being re-branded with a new image and attitude.

All this to try and change your mind about this whole Death & Dying thing.

We’re not, of course, suggesting you hasten the process along in any way – let’s be clear about that.

Instead we’re talking about making every bit of your Life Before Death more meaningful to you and the people you hang around with.

Whatever way you choose to journey the years, months, weeks or days before the End, we’re here to open up a world of possibilities for you.

Carpe Diem. Grab the bull by the horns. Live Life. Get the picture?

So do me a favour – check this site out, let me know what you think… Let them know what you think

Charles at The Good Funerl Guide sent me a link to a company that actually put your ashes in a vinyl record! For 2k And Vinyly will compress your ashes into 30 discs so your loved one can ‘play you’ when you’re gone ;o)

www.andvinyly.com

far out!

On a personal note, I took my baby girls to Reading Festival last Friday, highlight was  watching Mumford and Sons. As I watched them Arabella was sleeping in her buggy and Connie my 4 year old was waving her arms in the air with a big smile on her face, I  had a tear roll down my eyes as they played this song – After the Storm , Mumford and Sons . I dont know why, but  It remninded me of a client I had recenly who lost his young wife. It also made me look at my girls and just gush with ‘ooh wow, life is just so bloody precious’