Our work with clients often revolves around assisting them with dying without suffering. 

We were moved by this article — A Son’s Decision to Help His Father Die — in which Ben Griffith’s dad chose a method to end his life that was controversial — but protected by a Supreme Court ruling.

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Our relationships with our pets can be lovely and we found two segments from 60 Minutes fascinating on so many levels. One was about the importance to humans of research with dogs. The other was about the importance of connection.

Many members of “The Sandwich Generation” are surprised by what it takes to simultaneously care for both children and aging parents. As a recent article points out, “The average caregiver is a 49-year-old woman who works outside the home and provides 20 hours per week of unpaid care to her mother.” Read more here.

Another family situation that requires careful planning is thinking ahead regarding those with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Many do not have long-term plans for when family members lose the ability to help them access government services or care for them directly. Read more here.

I found this outside-the-box approach to improving the Affordable Care Act an interesting read.

I have been reading and writing about family caregiving for years and continue to monitor the research on the effect it has, both on individuals and on our workforce. With an estimated 22–26 million Americans providing such care, the impact is profound for us all.

Available evidence demonstrates that the typical American diet is shortening the lives of many Americans. I’m pleased that more attention is being paid to the topic and that the current administration will hold the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on September 28th, during which they will announce a new national strategy.

As I look forward to the national strategy, I was intrigued by this article about personalized diet apps.

How much health insurers pay for almost everything is about to go public

Over the past 20 years, many efforts have been made to help consumers become more aware of the true cost of health care so that they can make informed choices. I’ve long been critical of the lack of transparency in the system. That is changing, although ever so slowly, as this article explains.

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How to get rid of medical debt — or avoid it in the first place

Here’s a great piece regarding medical debt.

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Can a ‘Magic’ Protein Slow the Aging Process?

This article, about a drug company trying to increase life span by capitalizing on research showing that a protein can slow the aging process, really captured my attention!