What’s a Good Death?

I know this is not a topic that people usually like to discuss but I believe it is an important topic that should be discussed more often amongst our loved ones in order to help them accomplish A Good Death.

There are so many facets of life that have to be taken into consideration in order to accomplish A Good Death.  I believe the most important aspect in determining A Good Death is the degree to which people feel that they have accomplished their purpose in life. People who feel that they still have unfinished business would not accept death as easily. This results in anguish for them and their loved ones. Another factor for an optimal death would be if they have settled all their fears of death such as fear of the dying process, fear of the unknown, fear of being destroyed, and fear of leaving significant others just to name a few (Cicirelli, 2006).  The transition time before their death is also very important to accomplish A Good Death. The death of individuals who managed to keep their individuality, and didn’t become a burden for their loved ones would be more likely to experience A Good Death, compared to individuals who had to be institutionalized or had to be taken care of by their loved ones towards the end of their life. In most cases A Good Death for people is accomplished when there is relatively low pain or no pain involved for the person dying, this would make all parties involved are more at peace with the idea of the person dying who suffering is minimal. When there is pain and suffering, a quick death is prefer. Other factors that could help the person dying and the surviving loved ones to be at peace are: understanding their wishes, respecting those wishes, and being a part of the finals decisions.