Chris Taich and Dr. Ruchika Mishra: What Does A Good Death Look Like?

In Deep with Angie Coiro: Interviews

Show #222 | Guests: Chris Taich and Dr. Ruchika Mishra | Show Summary: Everybody dies. And we all know that - at least, intellectually. But how realistically do we approach our own ends?
Statistically, it's a mixed bag. More elderly and hospitalized people have Do Not Resuscitate orders in place than ever before. But most American adults don't have a will ready. A third don't carry life insurance. Only one in five has told their friends and family how they'd like their own death dealt with.
What does a "good death" look like? How helpful can we expect the medical profession to be when the time comes - for example, respecting that DNR order, or talking frankly with us about what's ahead? What can hospice offer a client and their family - and who's lucky enough to have access to that?
Guests: Chris Taich is with the non-profit Pathways Home Health and Hospice, where she's the director of Clinical Support Services. She's spent many years in social work, assisting clients with the dying process and grief. Dr. Ruchika Mishra is Senior Bioethicist with the Program in Medicine and Human Values at Sutter Health here in the San Francisco Bay Area.