A lot of people tell me that they have no major assets, and no dependants, so they don't need to have a will drafted. While I'm not entirely sure I agree with that, even if you don't need a will, it doesn't mean you don't need to do estate planning. If you were...
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End of Life Care
Live-tweeting a death
Those of you reading this on Twitter will know that it is quite common to live-tweet big events. I've done it myself at several conferences; it gives those not in attendance (or those of us in different streams) the chance to "sit in" on the presenters. Scott Simon...
To plan, or not to plan. That is the question.
I am a big fan of Seth Godin. I read his blog daily, and I've read several of his books (and have the others on my to-read list). He is a very powerful writer, not least because what he writes is so simple. A few weeks ago, he wrote this post about health care...
Have a coffee with your discussion of dying
Have you ever heard of a death café? Neither had I, until I read this article at the Globe and Mail last week. Basically, they are informal gatherings – sometimes at coffee shops, sometimes in people’s homes – where a small group can get together, enjoy tea and...
Things no one tells you about death
I came across this post the other day (warning: some NSFW text) and immediately connected with so much of it. While I might not have used the exact same language, he makes a lot of really good points. There is so much that we are not prepared for when someone dies;...
Reviving the debate on physician-assisted suicide
Last week, I blogged about the Globe’s death series and the importance of living wills. This week I wanted to draw from that series again, but this time on a very different topic: euthanasia. This past summer, the British Columbia Superior Court released its decision...
Controlling your care
Late last year, the Globe and Mail ran a whole series of articles on death. They discussed many topics related to death and dying, generally and specifically within Canada. In this particular article, the question is on end-of-life care: what happens when someone is...
Choose your own Attorney
Here's another reason (if you need one) to be very, very careful about who you choose as your attorney (for care in this case, but property is relevant too): a woman in Missouri is accused of murdering her father by using a Power of Attorney to withhold treatment and...
An update on the Rasouli case
Last summer, I blogged about Hassan Rasouli, who had been in a near-vegetative state since contracting an infection after surgery in October 2010. His doctors had intended to remove life support against the wishes of his wife, who was named as his attorney in Mr....
Protect your care
I recently returned from a much-needed vacation down south (which is also the reason this blog has been silent for a little while). On the plane ride home, I flipped through my movie options and came across The Descendants, which I was a little familiar with because...